How's My Driving

How’s My Driving

It’s more than halfway into 2015, and we’ve already seen some devastating collisions involving large commercial vehicles. Let’s review two of them in greater detail.

On January 9, 2015, a snow storm with whiteout conditions in Battlecreek, Michigan, led to several pileups on both the east and westbound lanes of I-94. The resulting collisions involved 117 passenger vehicles and 76 tractor-trailer vehicles. The interstate was closed for two days as work crews cleared the vehicles and debris. One person was killed and 22 people were hospitalized.

The second worst collision of 2015 happened in April on a 150-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in Wyoming. Twenty passenger vehicles and 50 commercial vehicles were involved in three major pileups after ten inches of snow had fallen during a storm.

A primary cause of inclement-weather collisions is excessive speed. All speed limits are set to show maximum safe speeds by an automobile during clear and dry weather. Therefore, a curve that may be easily negotiated by a sedan at 35 MPH in clear and dry weather will not be safe for a commercial vehicle driving 35 MPH in rain, snow, or ice.

The question is not, are you driving within the speed limit? The question is, are you driving too fast for conditions? You may be driving within the speed limit and still cause a collision. Excessive speed in inclement weather is dangerous because braking distance increases when the roads are slick.

When weather is severe and the road conditions treacherous, state and local governments urge people to stay off the roads. Many drivers fail to heed these warnings, and sometimes even experienced drivers are surprised by the lack of vehicle responsiveness during winter-weather conditions.

Collisions can be avoided when drivers use good judgment, drive defensively, and are aware of how braking distances are affected by speed and by the condition of the surfaces over which they are driving. Fleet operators and owners looking to improve safety should contact DriverCheck, the founder of the How’s My Driving industry and provider of state-of-the-art vehicle monitoring, driver counseling, and online driver training safety solutions. For more information, call DriverCheck at 770-916-6721.