The Accident Exchange figures indicate that nearly 1,100 crashes involving foreign lorries took place on the UK’s motorway network in 2014; an increase of 14.3% since 2012. Across all road types, estimates put the number of foreign lorry incidents at 3,100 – or nearly nine per day.
Lorries from Poland and Germany were found to be the most accident-prone by some margin; Polish lorries represented 15.7% of accidents, while German vehicles followed with 13.1% of lorry collisions. HGVs from Spain were involved in 6.1% of incidents.
Forget which nationality a driver is when they are involved in a road incident. I think this article highlights the need for all drivers to switch on to advanced driving. Proactively thinking about and planning our drive can help us to stay out of HGV blind spots and recognise the early warning signs they are about to change lane.
Post test driver training is important. Yes, we all get into bad habits over the years which we may not even be aware of. It is also nice to have our driving validated independently when we are doing a good job. Praise and recognition can go a long way.
Any post test driver training has to be a good thing and worth considering. Whether an individual decides to invest in their own development or a company recognises the value of such training, it is important to know what you are getting for your money.
Does your advanced driver training include sessions about fatigue v tiredness, how over the counter medication can affect how we drive, the importance of being able to see where we are going, illness and disability, personal responsibility and understanding how our attitudes influence our risk to others. Can you remember any of this when you learnt to drive? Checking mirrors is important but what about the rest of the information we were never told, are unaware of or chose to ignore.
Advanced driving or driver awareness. What's the difference?
We never stop learning to dive.
Link to the article in FleetWorld: http://fleetworld.co.uk/news/2015/May/Motorway-accidents-involving-foreign-lorries-rise-14-percent/0434019677
