War on the Roads: Part 1

Here is part one of the paper.

Motorists are at fault in the majority of crashes between passenger vehicles and tractor-trailers; however, the public perception and media portrayal puts the blame on the truck drivers and trucking companies (O’Liddy, 2006). There is much information that the public and the media are not aware of regarding the requirements and regulations for truck drivers, the proper behavior around big trucks on the road, and what the truck driver goes through on a daily basis in the effort to do a job. While there are truck drivers who do violate the rules and regulations, the majority of truck drivers are safe, courteous and professional. For a motorist to show a little courtesy and respect to a big truck on the road not only makes driving safer for everyone, it makes a sometimes lonely existence a bit more bearable.

The public perception that truck drivers are “dumb, lazy, drug addicts, outlaws, lawbreakers, and road hogs” (E. ‘Last Call’ Paulson, personal interview, October 10, 2007) is inaccurate. Truck drivers are referred to as cowboys, pirates, and a variety of other terms, some nice or romantic, other terms not so pleasant. Common public perceptions about truck drivers vary. Some of the perceptions about truck drivers are that they are rude, uneducated, think they own the road, get in the way, and are constantly in violation of the law. Some of these perceptions are based on media representation, while some are based on personal prejudice. The inaccuracy of the negative perceptions can be countered and eliminated with an understanding of the laws and regulations, the skills required to safely operate big trucks, and a realization that a driver that fits the negative perceptions is not going to be driving a truck for long.

One factor that affects many motorists’ perception of trucks and truck drivers is the lack of understanding of what it takes to safely operate tractor-trailers, including the fact that it takes more time and distance to start, stop, turn, and make other maneuvers with big trucks. One thing that motorists really need to understand is that with good tires, good brakes, good roads, a fully loaded big truck requires the distance of the length of a football field to stop safely (“Wisconsin Commercial”, 2005).

Media portrayal, especially in the case of crashes involving big trucks and passenger cars, tends to leave out information regarding who was at fault in the accident. Reports on fatalities and statistics relating to fatalities in crashes between big trucks and passenger cars usually only point out how many fatalities occur in a year (O’Liddy, 2006). The fact is that in fatal crashes between big trucks and cars, only 32 percent of those crashes were the fault of the truck driver (“Large Truck Crash”, 2005). To put that another way, 68 percent of fatal crashes between big trucks and cars were the fault of the driver of the passenger car.

The media and traffic safety organizations, during a recent effort to affect changes in the Hours of Service regulations (which govern how much time a truck driver can be behind the wheel, work, and must rest) touted sleepiness or drowsiness due to truck drivers spending long hours behind the wheel, however, statistics show that “in fatal accidents where drowsiness or sleepiness is cited as a factor, the passenger vehicle driver is cited 94% of the time” (O’Liddy, 2006). Many trucking companies educate their drivers about a variety of topics including recognizing that one is getting tired and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while living on the road. Many drivers do recognize the signs of drowsiness, and have established methods of combating or preventing drowsiness. Truck drivers know that the only way to combat drowsiness is to stop driving and sleep.

Sources
O'Liddy, N. (December 13, 2006) “Media’s Reckless Portrayal of Trucking: AmericanPublic Taken for A Ride.” Truckload Carriers Association website. Retrieved on September 28, 2007 from http://www.truckload.org/pressroom/2...06_Media.shtml.

Wisconsin Commercial Driver’s Manual: Volume 1. (2005). Wisconsin Department of
Transportation. Division of Motor Vehicles.

Large Truck Crash Facts. (2005). FMSCA Analysis Division. Retrieved on September 19, 2007. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

I'll post part 2 next Saturday.