It is becoming increasingly common for logistic drivers to stop randomly on the motorway, but this needs to stop. Stopping on the motorway, whether on the hard shoulder or in an emergency layby, you really shouldn’t be doing this unless it is an emergency. There has been an increase in lorry drivers stopping in these places to go toilet or even have a break so their time doesn’t overrun behind the wheel. Doing this is incredibly dangerous as it does not allow other people to use the area when there is an actual emergency to be solved. As a lorry driver, it is your responsibility to time your journeys and take regular breaks in the safe zone of service stations. Plan your journey so your timings are in line with when service stations will be around. Don’t put yourself or others at risk by stopping randomly on the motorway.
Category Archives: Driving Safety
What To Do If You Break Down On A Smart Motorway?
Breaking down on a smart motorway, whilst it may not be the most common, it does still happen more often than you probably realise. So, what should you do if you break down on a smart motorway in the United Kingdom?
Break Down Lay-by
It is recommended that if you notice your car is beginning to break down, that you try your best to drive to the next breakdown lay-by. These are clearly signposted with big blue signs and SOS orange telephones. These should only be used in an emergency when you have truly broken down and cannot exit the motorway. This way you will be able to get put into immediate contact with a rescue service who will be able to come and help you quickly. These laybys also give you a safe area to leave your car and stay out of your car where it is very unlikely to get damaged by other motorists. If you wish to leave the emergency refuge area you will need to contact the office again using the SOS phone to alert them to this change, you may wish to leave if you have managed to solve the issue yourself.
Hard Should / Far Left Lane
If you are not able to make it to the ERA, you should pull over to the far left-hand lane or the hard shoulder. On smart motorways, there will be people keeping track of everyone travelling. So once they notice they will close the lane you are situated in to enable you to get help as soon as possible. If the lane does not close you should contact the motorway company and alert them of your situation.
Stay Behind The Crash Barrier
No matter how tempting it is, you should not stay sitting in your vehicle as you never know when a crash may occur especially with a stationary vehicle on a high-speed road. To keep yourself and other passengers safe, you should situate yourself behind the crash barrier until help arrives.
Long Distance Driving Isn’t For Everyone
You hear about it all the time, most people enjoy long-distance driving. But the truth is, this form of driving just isn’t for everyone. There are some people who would prefer to stay in their hometown and not go on long-distance drives.
But why isn’t long-distance driving for everyone?
Travel Sickness
Some people can suffer severely from travel sickness. This is the most common for long-distance drives. So, if you are someone who suffers from travel sickness it is likely that you will be put off of going on drives that are long distanced. No one enjoys being sick, so it is easy to understand why they may not be the best fan of this.
Tiredness
Some people find long-distance driving extremely tiring. So whilst some may enjoy this, and enjoy the time being able to stop off at services and chat to others. Some people hate it and just want to go from point A to point B in one single journey. Driving, in general, is tiring, so people who do not enjoy this feeling will not enjoy long-distance driving.
Fear
Some people may also have a fear. The most common fear is that you may be involved in an accident. This fear can be caused by your mind, maybe you have had a dream about it, or you’ve been involved in a crash before. This fear can take over and make it impossible for you to feel safe when driving for a long time. Sometimes it is that you are scared of other drivers rather than yourself so it is best for you to stay off the roads for as long as possible.
These are just a few of the reasons why some people may not be the biggest fan of long-distance driving. So, before you judge, remember there is always a reason behind their feelings.
Things To Consider When Planning Your Journey
whether you are going on a family holiday, enjoy a long drive, or are a driver for work, there are lots of things you will need to consider when planning your journey. Let us look deeper into what you need to consider below.
Your Route
One of the easiest things to know that you need to consider when planning a journey is your route. You want to ensure you are going on a route that will take the least amount of time as well as be the shortest. But when planning your route you will also need to consider the other aspects of this list.
Toilet Stops
An important aspect to consider when planning your journey is toilet stops, especially if you have children in toe. It is unlikely that you will get from point A to point B without needing at least one toilet stop. So you should always ensure there are places with toilets on your route. If travelling on a motorway you will be okay as there are multiple service stations for you to stop in.
Lunch Break / Snacks
You also want to ensure that there will be somewhere for you to have a food break during your journey. You do not want to eat whilst driving as this is dangerous, can cause accidents and endure travel sickness. Stopping for a food break is vital to keep energy levels up especially for the driver.
Potential Delays
Finally, you will want to take into consideration during planning what potential delays there could be on your journey and how they will affect the people on board. The most common being car accidents causing traffic, rush hour traffic or waiting at a train crossing. These can not be avoided but should be taken into consideration.
Using a sat nav for long journeys will be your best friend as they will be able to constantly find you alternative routes to get you to point B in the best time.
Sunglass Whilst Driving – What You Must Know!
When driving in the summer, you likely grab your sunglasses to stop the glare from the summer sun. But there are so many facts you need to know regarding driving in sunglasses in the summer.
One thing you need to remember is that sunglasses have not been made for driving in! They have been designed by brands for general daily use with driving not included. So, you may be breaking the laws on driving with sunglasses without even realising it.
When driving with sunglasses they can’t be too dark. They need to be tinted at a correct level that is approved by law. You can use dark-tinted sunglasses for daytime driving. You can not use ones which are very dark as they do not allow enough light to enter your eyes!
Sunglasses will protect your eyes whilst driving. We have found that it is best to wear gradient sunglasses whilst driving as this gives you enough darkness when looking out your front window. But are light enough at the bottom when looking down at your car’s controls.