page 21 of 29 G. ROADWAY SAFETY
Unusual and unexpected roadway hazards can cause you to lose control of your car. An emergency situation will result. Driving into deep water, sharp curves, and objects on the roadway also can result in emergencies.
All of the previously mentioned designs, objects or hazards in the roadway are situations that every tower will encounter.
• Damaged roadways present a problem to every driver, but towers will encounter them more often. Some these damages include, potholes, pavement drop-offs, and construction. Be sure when you are going to an incident, not to become involved in another incident.
Drive carefully when encountering damaged roadways. Drive slowly through potholes, and be aware of a sudden pull on your steering wheel when meeting a drop-off. Construction is another hazard that drivers must contend with, and you should always be prepared to respond to workers at the site.
• Bridges present another challenge to towers, in that many of them have no emergency lanes, and some of them are narrow, even to the point of a single lane. An incident under those conditions requires that a tower exercise extreme caution. When approaching a bridge, make sure that you have the room to maneuver out of the way in case of an emergency.
• Sharp curves and steep hills will cause other drivers to not see an accident that a tower is working at, and in this case, placement of warning devices is crucial. You also need to slow down when approaching, and during, curves and hills, due to fact of a loss of vision and maneuverability with these hazards.
• Everyone has encountered an object on a roadway, be a board, rock, or even sink. Always keep attuned to the road, to watch out for these hazards. You should also be aware that the driver ahead of you could hit an object and send it into your truck, and there is even a possibility of something falling off of a vehicle that is in front of you.
• Wet and slick roads, particularly icy roads, are great concern to all drivers. Towers commonly encounter these conditions on the way to an incident, and should therefore, be aware that a loss of traction occurs when these conditions are present. You should always slow down, because stopping times increase and control can be lost.
• Animals crossing a road can sometimes cause quite a surprise, and therefore, an instinctual reaction to slam on the brakes or veer sharply to one side. There has been more than one accident involving animals. This something that may not be seen until the last moment, so a tower will have to think fast for the best course of action.
• Pedestrian are another roadway obstacle, and you should take care when driving, particularly in urban areas, when making right turns. These are the most common of auto-pedestrian incidents.
• Bicyclists are another problem on roadways, in that in Texas, they must obey the same laws as general traffic. This puts some of them in the flow of auto traffic, and you should focus on their movements because of their differing mobility issues.
• Another roadway issue is that of fallen trees, poles, lines, etc. The primary cause behind these hazards is storms. When you encounter these on a roadway, it is usually necessary to steer around them, thereby making your truck a roadway safety issue. A tower, and other drivers also, should always take care when trying to avoid these hazards.
• Probably one of the most encountered of the roadway safety issues, certainly in urban areas, is that of an intersection. An intersection is usually a three way or four-way traffic flow situation, with as many as twelve different paths that a vehicle may take. This leads to many collisions among autos, which is not even bringing into the equation, pedestrians. A tower must show extra caution when going through an intersection. Slow down, look all ways, even if you have the light, then proceed.
• Railroad crossings are infamous with their history of fatal collisions. A train will go through almost any vehicle, and is unforgiving when an incident occurs. Some railroad crossings are uncontrolled, so that it is up to the driver to use the caution needed to avoid being hit by a train. As a tower, if helping a stranded vehicle while on the tracks, all caution must be used. Never position your truck on the tracks, make sure that all bystanders are out of the way, and make sure that your vehicle is far enough away, that if a train approaches, you can at least keep your truck out of the way.
• One of the most unpredictable of the roadway safety issues is that of other drivers. As a tower, you will encounter many drivers that are using bad judgment, or are drunk, or elderly, or inexperienced. Watch the other driver, because an incident with another vehicle is the most common, and can be very violent. Do not attempt to pass other vehicles that are swerving out of their lanes, be aware that older drivers are not as quick with their reflexes, and that younger drivers are quick to make a mistake, such as pulling out in front of you.
IN THIS NEXT SUB-SECTION, A DISCUSSION WILL BE MADE OF ROADWAY SAFETY ISSUES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF TRACTION.
Traction is friction/adhesion between the tires and the road. Traction is needed for steering and braking purposes. However, there are some conditions that could reduce traction on the road. Some of these are slippery surfaces, hydroplaning, curves, hills, gravel roads, etc.
Slippery surfaces: Road surfaces become slippery when slightly melting ice will make ice wet. Wet ice is very slick, and when met, is very hard to control steering or to stop in a timely manner. Black ice is a thin layer of ice that allows you to see the road underneath it, watch out for black ice. As with wet ice, maneuverability becomes an issue. Bridges will freeze before roads when the temperature drops, because cold air flows against the bottom and the top of the bridge. Even wet roads from rain will become slick. In these conditions, your vehicle will take longer to stop and be harder to steer without skidding. If you do start skidding or sliding, steer in the direction of the skid, gently tapping your brakes until you regain control. It is always wise to slow down in these conditions, because the stopping time increases and steering mobility is lost.