10-4-and-be-truck-friendly – we need to share the road!
If you’re new or old to caravanning and travel, here’s a Facebook group and website you really ought to give some consideration to.
Ken Wilson is a caravaner who set up ‘Truck Friendly’ as a “national caravan road safety program designed to help encourage road safety education, cooperation and a friendlier and supportive relationship between all road users including caravaners, RV drivers and the truck drivers on our highways and suburban roads”.
Share the road
As Ken says, let’s remove the us and them from driving on the road.
I have always found truckers to be very helpful on the road. Ok, there may be the odd one out there – but there’s a lot of drivers and caravanners out there that I’d hate to meet on the road again.
Have a look though Ken’s website and follow / share his page. It won’t hurt. Facebook Page
An interesting blog Ken posted recently looks at camping in truck rest stops. I agreee, the signage around this needs to be greatly improved.
The road is a trucker’s workplace and other road users need to appreciate this. And when I say appreciate this, I don’t mean that we have to bow to any foolish or reckless behaviours. What I do mean is that we take time to appreciate the lengths and loads these drivers are commanding – and the associated stopping distances, acceleration times and manoeuvrability.
Trucks are big – so make sure you share the road
If a truck is slow in pulling out of a town or a truck stop etc, then give them time to see how fast they intend travelling. To overtake them too early while they’re still accelerating, may only create a situation where they may want to overtake you later on down the road. To speed up when you approach an overtaking lane, will only serve to deprive them of an opportunity to overtake you – slow down and let them pass.
Driving safely means you need to share the road
If you know that you’re going to exit at that service station that has been signposted in 5kms time, let the trucker know by giving them a call out on the CB radio or indicate well in advance. You’ll find that they’ll most probably slow down and hang back while you equally slow down for exit speeds. Similarly if you plan to take that upcoming right hand turn. (Remember, remember – share the road!)
Give ‘em a chance just as you would appreciate the same from other road users.
Keep safe and be respectful of others on the road.
