When the Safe 7 is unsafe

Well written, and yet another reason why Roehl is not on my list of potential employers.

It seems that they have a safety department that is coming up with blanket rules to both justify their existence, and to compensate for the fact that their pay rate keeps away most anyone that has a shred of common sense.

Merging, specifically the inability of the general motoring public to merge safely and effectively, is one of my pet peeves. You can bet that I will almost always hold my lane and speed in a merge situation - and only then to avoid an imminent collision. That's what the merging vehicle should be counting on, and that's what I give them. If they're expecting me to change my speed or my lane to accommodate them, they're sadly mistaken. If they're trying to merge in heavy traffic with a phone to their ear, or they're just not paying attention, then they're probably going to see the side of a truck when and if they look to the left as the merge lane is coming to an end. IF there is little to no traffic, then I may move over one lane. I've been in merge related collisions twice. Both times were under 10mph, and were last minute attempts by the merging traffic to cut in front of the big truck in heavy traffic before realizing that they didn't have enough room to do so.

Stale greens? There should be no blanket rules regarding stale green lights. Period. Common sense should prevail.

Following those rules will ultimately 'train' the motoring public to expect that behavior from all trucks. And that WILL negatively impact safety.

YMMV; my mentality stems from driving primarily NYC metro, NJ, NY, CT, MA and PA.

 

Roehl would probably be glad you crossed them off your list if they read this.

 

Safety rules written by people who drive four wheelers? No wonder.

 

On ramps in this country are way too short. I guess I've been spoiled over the years and as I hail from the UK, our on ramps on motor ways are very long. That's so you can size up the speed of vehicles on the motorway and adjust accordingly. Some of the on ramps here are ridiculously short and thus you have to be alert and have your wits about you. Danger lurks ahead.
As far as yielding, sorry but if I'm on the main road and I'm at a constant speed then as far as I'm concerned, I have the right of way. And do I slow down as I approach an on ramp...? Nope. I think that's a dangerous move. Unless it's crazy busy and I know that I can't move over. Every situation can be different. Again, you have to use good judgment but the people on the on ramp should be paying attention, AND yielding accordingly. It's just common sense, but alas common sense is sadly lacking these days.
If I'm in my 4-wheeler and I'm on the on ramp, I'm already adjusting my speed to mesh with the speed of vehicles on the freeway. In this case speed can get you out if trouble. It's no good just laboring onto the freeway going at a silly slow speed. You really should be going faster in order to get out of the way. I'm anticipating what I'm going to do well ahead of time. If it's nose to tail, then you have to be creative, careful, whatever in order to merge. I don't dilly dally around in this situation either. You just have to do what's best. You are going to come across both sets of drivers who are courteous or not. I've been used to driving in some of the most congested traffic in the world in various countries. The experiences I've encountered have stood me in good stead. It's a great education into what you need to do to avoid an accident. But YMMV.

 

Most of the time when I move over, which is rare, they just hang there next to me. If they don't understand whats going on then "helping" them out isn't going to change anything.

 

I'm just putting out there what works for me. Haven't come close to any crashes so far.

 

Some think that already and have been thinking it the 26 years I've been out here.

 

Lol, two merge related collisions in the big truck....I don't think Roehl would even hire you.

Safe seven...they are "techniques". Known ways that are proven time and time again to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash or being in an unsafe position.

In general they make a lot of sense. Depending upon ones experience there maybe times to speed up to be safer....just know what your doing right "know what's happening".

On the merge issue, and its a good one and certainly often a big learning experience for for new drivers. Timing and judgement takes time to learn....and using timing and judgement early makes a merge situation essier in my opinion.

I had a student give me a good tip once on merging (he was returning to driving after a three year sabbatical). He said on a tight merge with no left lane available he gets off power and gives merging vehicle an opportunity to accelerate ahead. If merging vehicle is still slow or slowing then he goes full power and let's the merging vehicle the opportunity to come in behind. This particular student (lol) also drove slower than most, never in a rush. Awesome guy.

I'm pretty sure there are some 4 wheel drivers that are just scared of trucks..seen it many times and they will try to yield no matter what...just scared I think. Slowing down to far for that is, in itself, unsafe in my opinion.

 

Preacher man. This is exactly why you should be a trainer here. They need people to teach the roehl way and the real way. Many many many times those two are the same, but there are also many situations where the safe thing is the dangerous thing. Anyone who rides a motorcycle understands this, but not most of the public. I think that is one of the reasons I didn't have much time with my trainer, I was employing everything I know about riding safely to driving a big truck, just on a much larger scale.

 

Excellent point!

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 11 years old. In that time I have had many close calls that involve motorist that are NOT paying attention to the road. I see that same scenario every day in my truck, drivers not paying attention, talking on cell phones or in a conversation with others in the car. Too many times this happens in a merging situation! So I have taken many of my practices on a bike to my truck, I watch the drivers themselves if I can see them, I expect them to make stupid moves and prepare myself mentally for a possible situation, always have a way out! Whether it be moving over a lane, increasing my speed or slowing.

Let's face it, the Safe Seven is a guide line of proven ways to improve safety. As with all guide lines one must use common sense and good judgement when applying these guidelines. The stale green light is a great example, in a heavy traffic situation or where the speed limit is above 45 MPH you cannot always anticipate a red light and come to a stop, this would be a very hazardous situation for anyone that is behind you and themselves anticipating you continuing on. As professional drivers the government requires us to be courteous, safe and responsible on the road. The government does not hold the common motorist to the same standards and as professional drivers we see it in the actions and driving habits of common motorist every day. THAT is the reason for the Safe Seven developed and practiced by Roehl drivers!