You probably see it every day on national news and in the local rag … people dieing on the UK’s roads. 6 a day apparently.
Every day I will drive 9-10 hours and once in a while i make a mistake. Whether it’s going over the rumble strip, or pulling out too early to overtake when there is a speeding BMW in the middle lane or whatever. Doesn’t happen often, but I’m only human and make mistakes. So far it’s never caused a problem, but i can’t help thinking that the next time I drift on to the rumble strip there will be a broken down van or I will hit a bridge support with devastating consequences.
What’s your mind set to this? It IS ■■■■■■ dangerous, and whilst I realise there are many more dangerous jobs about, recently I can’t stop my self thinking that I could die every time I get behind the wheel.
You are right Squiddy,the standard of driving has dropped rapidly over the last few years.More people are taking risks and completely disregarding their own safety and more importantly,the safety of other road users.
A lot of drivers are driving way to fast.I have driven fast in years gone by,but only where I felt safe,but half the drivers these days are driving fast anywhere and everywhere,with most of them not knowing how fast they are actually going !
Im on auto pilot all day, close calls are water off a ducks back - see if you think like that your blood pressure is going to go through the roof and your gona get a ■■■■ load of grey hair.
You just drive to the best of your ability and if its your turn its your turn, you could just as easy go under a bus walking to the shops.
Recognising that you are in mortal danger every time you venture out on the road is probably the best thing you can do. It must trigger a self preservation response in your brain and will hopefully prevent you taking stupid risks and endangering yourself and others. Mistakes happen to us all, but by recognising what is, and is not a hazardous action, you are miles ahead of Joe Public and I hope you will be able to anticipate their stupidity and stay out of the way.
Stay as far away from the accident as possible is my motto and I have to say I get scared witless at times looking at the antics of some drivers out there.
Recently I have started having bad dreams about crashing, usually on a motorway bend/slip road, this is getting to me now and last night I was extra cautious on the bends.
Hope its just because I am tired at the moment and in a week or so it will pass…
things like, when you over speed alittle down hill im allways wondering wot if i had a front wheel blow out. im a tipper driver so every time i tip i allways wonder, will it go over this time■■? no one knows. life’s deffo a risk, some more than others. if we all worried about wot iff’s the wheel would never turn.
mkb600:
Recently I have started having bad dreams about crashing, usually on a motorway bend/slip road, this is getting to me now and last night I was extra cautious on the bends.
Hope its just because I am tired at the moment and in a week or so it will pass…
Part of me hopes you are just taking the pish, cos this is exactly what is happening to me right now and like I said, it’s starting to fray my nerves. Same dream always set in the dark. If you are being serious I can totally relate to that too. ■■■■ I’ve got the fear
You can’t go on thinking that way, it doesn’t do you any good. It’s odd for me as I have a drivers mate with me 90% of the time, so I feel I have to be on my game to ensure they get back safely at the end of the shift. I’m a young guy with no girlfriend or kids, I don’t want to shuffle off this mortal coil of course but if I go it’ll ■■■■ for my parents and mates, whereas most of the drivers mates have wives and kids, and for me to cause a mistake which left me alive but kids without a Dad, I don’t think I could handle that.
All you can do is drive to the best of your own ability and minimise the risk of YOU causing an accident. Sadly there seem to be plenty out there, driving all kinds of vehicles, who expect everyone else on the road to take responsibility for their stupidity instead of engaging their brain. Sometimes you’ll drift, be it by a strong gust of wind, or the force of something overtaking you pushing you to the left a bit or even momentary lapse of concentration. Sometimes you’ll misread an opening, sometimes something with creep into a blind spot. It’s part of our jobs to deal with those situations and most of us manage it. Human error will happen in every job, the problem is human error in this job can cost lives, and not always just your own.
As long as I get home, and I’ve done everything I can to make sure I stay out of accident causing situations, then that’s all I can do. If something happens out of my control then that’s bloody unfortunate but there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so best not to dwell on it.
Driving rarely scares me, if it did then I’m in the wrong job but I will admit sometimes I see things and wonder how more people don’t die everyday. Sadly Darwinism doesn’t seem to work when it comes to driving, the stupid will cause an accident and walk away unscathed, whilst the innocent find themselves worse off.
I think the problem with being out the roads today is down to Manufactures making vehicles much safer and easier to drive,and i’m not just talking about cars.
We have less inter-action with our vehicles than we did even 5 years ago,with the introduction of self shifting manual gearboxes,electric this electric that,it’s all supposed to keep us focused on the important bit,what’s going on in front of us,to the side of us and behind us,has this made us worse drivers than before? Well i can’t answer that in all honesty,i still drive the same way i always have done,it’s kept me out of the ditches and trouble since i started driving trucks,so i must be doing something right. I’ve had my fair share of near misses,the same as anyone else,sometimes my own stupid fault,sometimes someone else’s.
Does driving ever scare the bejesus out of me,no,i’m quite long in the tooth now,so nothing really surprises me anymore.
I’m not scared about myself crashing but what I never have and probably never will like is going around a right hand bend on an A road with a wagon coming the other way, I’m thinking if it wanders over my way I’m done for, I don’t seem to worry about anything else though.
bald bloke:
I’m not scared about myself crashing but what I never have and probably never will like is going around a right hand bend on an A road with a wagon coming the other way, I’m thinking if it wanders over my way I’m done for, I don’t seem to worry about anything else though.
Keep as close to that left hand side as you dare on a right hander,it gives you a better view of what’s coming round the other way,if it’s going pear shaped on their side,you’ll have at least half a chance of throwing it at the scenery or slowing down enough to reduce the collision speed from your side. That’s always worked for me,as i mentioned in my previous reply to this,near misses not of my own making!
I thought the same, first ever long run i did, i felt a bit tired, and realised and really scared myself, since then no risks and company can ■■■■ off, if im tired i take a break, tough ■■■■ if the stuff dont get on time… better late than in cow crap in a field
All of a sudden driving a wagon has become one of the most dangeous jobs out there, loading plant on mud or ice covered ramps is the scarey bit, once strapped and chained time for the flask and sarnies and a bit of music. Getting into sites is the brain used the rest is a breakmr Just my opinion
