Safety tips for truck drivers often give advice on how to deal with other drivers on the road. However, this isn’t always the entire story. You can go through extensive training and learn all the rules of the road. You can pay attention and use best practices as you complete all of your deliveries. But even if you’re not driving after drinking alcohol, you can still be an impaired driver.
On average, there is one death every 50 minutes from an alcohol-related vehicle accident. This is an ongoing problem and isn’t going to stop anytime soon. However, there are many different kinds of impaired driving that we all need to be able to spot. This includes spotting impaired driving in the vehicles surrounding us as well as noticing when we are impaired ourselves.
Let’s look into what it means to be impaired, what this looks like, and how to avoid it.
Types of Impairment
“Impaired driving” simply means the person operating the vehicle isn’t performing at the optimal level. This can take many forms and come from a variety of factors. Many people might not consider themselves impaired just because they haven’t drank any alcohol or taken drugs, but that isn’t always accurate.
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Alcohol
Drunk driving is probably the most famous version of impaired driving. There have been advertising campaigns targeting the practice of operating a vehicle after ingesting alcohol for years. Unfortunately, it continues to be a danger. As we said earlier, there are numerous deaths every day from alcohol-related impairment.
Not only does alcohol make your reaction time slower, it compromises your abilities.
Drugs
This encompasses both legal and illegal drugs. The result of abusing legal and illegal drugs is similar to that of alcohol — a diminished response time and the potential for costly mistakes. In fact, witnessing a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs looks very similar because the cloudy effect on the mind affects drivers in the same way.
Distractions
Distracted drivers are a giant danger on the road. Someone doesn’t need to be inebriated to become a threat to those around them. The diminished reaction time from being drunk is just as dangerous as diminished reaction time from not looking at the road. Many states are enacting laws to keep drivers from looking at their phones while driving, but that’s not the only source of distraction. Eating, talking to passengers, or anything else that takes a driver’s attention from the road can cause an accident.
Medical Conditions
Untreated, undiagnosed, or unacknowledged medical conditions can make a driver dangerous to others on the road. This can take the form of something as drastic as the driver having a heart attack, but it can be more subtle than that as well. Here are a few conditions that can impair a person’s driving:
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Sleep Disorders
- Vision Problems
- Physical Limitations
Tiredness
Driving while tired, otherwise known as “Drowsy Driving,” is a major concern. This one often flies under the radar because everyone gets tired, so we don’t often think of it as a major issue. However, this is exactly why it’s an issue. And while avoiding drowsy driving is certainly one of the top safety tips for truck drivers, it’s really a safety tip for everybody.
Warning Signs
Medical conditions, lethargy, and unknown effects of prescribed medications can make a driver impaired without them realizing it. Being mindful of the potential negative effects of these impairments is the first step to noticing when they affect your driving. But if you notice a difficulty keeping your eyes on the road, or trouble maintaining consciousness, or simple errors in judgement or performance, it’s best to pull over immediately.
Noticing impaired driving in other vehicles can be more difficult. However, there are a number of warning signs to look out for. Anything that makes it seem like the driver is having difficulty maintaining control of their vehicle is a good sign of impairment. This can include issues like swerving, inability to maintain a constant speed, failure to turn on their headlights, or anything else that makes their driving seem erratic.
What you Can Do
If you notice any of these symptoms in your own driving, you should pull over. Try to get some sleep if you are tired, or address any problems if you are having a medical issue. Distracted driving can simply be addressed by putting your phone out of reach.
The first thing you should do if you notice these behaviors in other cars is to put distance between yourself and them. Switch lanes, adjust your speed, do whatever you have to do so they aren’t directly near you. And if the driving is particularly erratic, call the police. They’ll tell you what to do after that.