Traveling safely

[GratefulCitizen]

The holiday traveling season is here.
Driving motor vehicles is among the most dangerous activities Americans do.

Here are some thoughts on how to mitigate risks, particularly with highway travel.
This might not be information that you specifically need, but you probably have a friend or family member who would benefit from knowing.

My background:
-Nearly 20 years driving for UPS, primarily highway driving.
-Mainly drove class 4 trucks on dangerous two-lane highways in all weather, lighting, and traffic conditions.
-Spent 3 years driving tractor trailers (usually double trailers), primarily on a dangerous mountain freeway, in all weather, lighting, and traffic conditions.

Here are 4 general areas of concern, in order of importance:
-Space and visibility
-Fatigue
-Road conditions
-Loading

Space and visibility

The best thing a driver can do to mitigate risk on the highway is to stay away from other vehicles.
There are limits to how much of this you can do depending on traffic, but it is by far the most important consideration.

Don’t become part of a “convoy”.
Look for gaps in traffic and adjust speed to fit in those gaps.

Don’t be a tailgater.
If someone is tailgating you, change lanes, slow down, or even pull over in order to let them pass you.

Give space to tractor trailers.
These vehicles don’t have fender-benders, even a minor collision with one will kill you, kill everyone in your vehicle, and possibly cause several other accidents.

Don’t hang out in the lane beside a big rig, ESPECIALLY on the passenger side, and don’t pass on the right.
They might not be able to see you, any sudden moves on your part or theirs would be very bad for you, and a blowout from a tire could seriously damage your vehicle or cause you to have an accident.

NEVER pull into the “space cushion” right in front of a big rig.
The nature of air brakes causes a delayed reaction time, and if your vehicle suddenly slows for any reason (like a blowout), you will almost certainly die in the accident.

If you see a big rig driving like an idiot, or more likely see cars driving like idiots around a big rig, give them plenty of space.
It’s not worth your life.

Fatigue

If fatigued, pull over and take a nap, even if it’s only for 5 minutes.
Better to be late than not arrive at all.

Road conditions

Space and visibility applies even more when traction is poor.
Slow down and stay away from other vehicles.

Know the stopping abilities of your vehicle FOR SURE by occasionally testing brakes when you have sufficient space behind you.
Four wheel drive doesn’t mean eight wheel stop.

In poor visibility where you have to slow to 15 mph or more below the speed limit, turn on your flashers.
In fog, check your speedometer frequently, your ability to sense speed is severely impaired.

If visibility degrades too much, exit the highway.
Don’t pull over to the side of the highway in poor visibility as a stopping option unless you have no other choice.

Loading

Know the load limits of your vehicle.
Make sure your tires are sufficiently inflated, especially the rear tires.

Do not put too much weight toward the rear of your vehicle if it’s not a pickup truck.
Having a center of gravity too far to the rear creates dynamic instability and is the cause of many wrecks, especially rollovers.

It’s safer to use a car top carrier than a bumper carrier.
Better to have the center of gravity too far forward than too far back.

Don’t carry dense objects like tire chains in the passenger compartment, but if you must (like in an SUV/crossover), make sure they’re secured to the cargo area.
In an accident, dense objects can severely injure or kill someone inside the vehicle.

For pickup trucks, sometimes weight in the back is a good idea to improve traction on slick roads, especially for a dually or a truck with wide tires.
Don’t put something unsecured in the back which might come crashing through your back window (if you don’t have a headache rack) in a sudden stop or accident.

Sand bags or bags of salt can be a good idea, as they’re multi-purpose.
If you have very stiff rear suspension, hitch weights made for farm tractors might be useful.


Discussing some of these things over a holiday dinner might save a life.
Take the time to shepherd your herd.

[adal]

Considering where you drive, all great reminders. Thanks. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[GratefulCitizen]

Considering where you drive, all great reminders. Thanks. Hope all is well with you and yours.

You’re well aware of the consequences in your line of work.

Hope all is well with you and yours as well.
Happy Thanksgiving, Adal.

[JimP]

Thanks GC!! Good gouge.

[JJ_BPK]

Thanks, by your leave, I will copy and distribute to friends.. :lifter:D:lifter

[Golf1echo]

Appreciate that GC, timely advice. I think you have given me a clue regarding an issue I had experienced on two occasions while driving on ice. The information on weight being forward rather than in the rear is what I refer to, I’d saw this regarding a trailer but didn’t consider the vehicle itself, makes sense.

Trailer demo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6mW_gzdh6to

[GratefulCitizen]

Appreciate that GC, timely advice. I think you have given me a clue regarding an issue I had experienced on two occasions while driving on ice. The information on weight being forward rather than in the rear is what I refer to, I’d saw this regarding a trailer but didn’t consider the vehicle itself, makes sense.

Trailer demo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6mW_gzdh6to

Think of it like an arrow and an arrowhead.
The heavy end wants to be in front.

Most vehicles are nose heavy and all the tires are inflated to the same pressure.
This, combined with the particulars of the suspension, creates dynamic stability where the nose of the vehicle wants to stay forward.

Some vehicles (usually performance sedans and sports cars) have a 50/50 weight distribution and the rear tires are wider or are inflated to a higher pressure than the front.
This makes the cars more maneuverable, but still retains a degree of dynamic stability.

Tow/haul vehicles have long wheelbases, are very nose heavy without a load, have very stiff tires/stiff rear suspension, and sometimes have dual rear tires and/or multiple rear axles.
This keeps a reasonable degree of dynamic stability when the center of gravity is rearward.

Typical passenger vehicles don’t have very stiff tires and aren’t designed to carry heavy loads, especially towards the rear of the vehicle.
Even half-ton trucks have surprisingly light payload capacity.

When carrying additional load in a normal passenger car, it is very important that the rear tires be inflated to the maximum pressure listed on the tire.
This stiffens the rear tires and keeps the car more dynamically stable.

With 3/4 ton or heavier trucks, sometimes they actually handle better (and most certainly ride better) with some load.
This is because they are designed to be operated with a load.

[Golf1echo]

To elaborate and add to variables you mentioned.

I’m learning about weights of the vehicle and different matched suspensions needed. Also the factory rake ( angle/ balance ) of the vehicle and the importance of maintaining that regardless of any modifications. In the case of an 80 Series LC it drives well but it is heavy, has a single front axle, somewhat short wheel base and 5 or 6 driving modes which may contribute to the issue I mentioned. The issue is not the death wobble that some 4X4s can experience but I suspect new shocks and bushings Would mitigate those rare events. I learned to test shocks by shaking the vehicle and look to it’s response, with coils and shocks that test probably isn’t as relevant?
Edit: Your advice caught my attention, last year about this time I ended up traveling through one of the worst snow situations I’ve been in, 21 hour drive most of it blizzard. 100s of cars and trucks off the road, Jack knifed, spinning backwards. This was up on I 90.
Most cars that had plowed off the road didn’t appear to have cleared the snow away from the exhaust pipe and stopping to help would have blocked the one lane. National Guard And professional wreckers had begun to extract some. The trucks chaining up West of Bozman went on for miles.

[Old Dog New Trick]

I always liked filling my P/U bed full of snow (gotta shovel it somewhere.) Adds a couple hundreds pounds and melts away; usually after the ground snow is gone.

All good info GC!

Keep the gas tank at a minimum 1/4 to 1/2 full in the winter too, in case you get stuck in traffic or a bad road.

Water, blankets, energy snacks and a small stove stored somewhere too.

[GratefulCitizen]

Tire choice will make a huge difference on snow and ice.
All season tires and especially winter tires are made of a a softer compound which gets much better traction in colder temperatures (in addition to different tread patterns).

Older tires tend to fare worse on cold roads, even with good tread depth, because they’ve hardened.
Narrower tires always do much better on snow and ice.

[The Reaper]

Obviously, if you bring a stove and are stuck in your vehicle, please observe the safety warnings and cook/melt/heat OUTSIDE your car to avoid becoming a carbon monoxide victim.

I would be cautious in an unvented vehicle with open flame, even a can of Sterno or a candle.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

[Old Dog New Trick]

^^^I would hope no one chooses to light up a stove inside their vehicle for cooking or heat but if the Darwin runs deep, well… that’s on them.

[Badger52]

Many thanks sir.
First post's cautions into an emailable PDF, for those who want to mentor the herd.
I just had this discussion with 2 oldest grand-daughters who have fled the nest but commute back for hearth & kin. Winter driving up here is a thing; fortunately they are sharp kids and not too proud to take advice.

Serious appreciation of the importance you give to loading & the weight/balance of the vehicle.

p.s. Question I couldn't answer was related to why some semi- drivers going 1 mph faster than the guy in front will still jump into left lane to take 10 miles (seemingly hours to car drivers) to pass their OTR colleague. For me it goes back to not being part of a 'convoy' as you say & best tactic is not to play in that game of backed up cars. I suspect most folks can't visualize the actual turbulence that is going on with such a klusterflop.

[GratefulCitizen]

p.s. Question I couldn't answer was related to why some semi- drivers going 1 mph faster than the guy in front will still jump into left lane to take 10 miles (seemingly hours to car drivers) to pass their OTR colleague. For me it goes back to not being part of a 'convoy' as you say & best tactic is not to play in that game of backed up cars. I suspect most folks can't visualize the actual turbulence that is going on with such a klusterflop.

The slow passes are due to most tractors having a speed governor set somewhere between 65-72 mph (UPS tractors for hourly drivers were set at 68, mileage drivers at 72).
Most OTR drivers are paid by the mile (not UPS, we’re mostly hourly), and they’re just trying to get down the road.

Sometimes drivers will end up repeatedly passing each other on highways with frequent slight grade changes.
One rig will have a higher power to weight ratio (better hill speed) and the other will have a higher governor (better flat speed).

In practice, it’s a bad idea to run up against the governor, especially downhill.
The best way to stabilize a rig which is becoming unstable is to apply power, and you can’t do that when you’re up against the governor.

[Badger52]

The slow passes are due to most tractors having a speed governor set somewhere between 65-72 mph (UPS tractors for hourly drivers were set at 68, mileage drivers at 72).
Most OTR drivers are paid by the mile (not UPS, we’re mostly hourly), and they’re just trying to get down the road.

Sometimes drivers will end up repeatedly passing each other on highways with frequent slight grade changes.
One rig will have a higher power to weight ratio (better hill speed) and the other will have a higher governor (better flat speed).

In practice, it’s a bad idea to run up against the governor, especially downhill.
The best way to stabilize a rig which is becoming unstable is to apply power, and you can’t do that when you’re up against the governor.Thanks. I figured some "governor junk" had something to do with it. (still frustrating, but I get it) The thing about power to stabilize makes sense to me although to some it probably seems counter-intuitive.

Anyway, you brown guys are still our heroes up in this neck of the woods and kick everyone else's ass. I did see in the neighborhood for the first time the other day a kid in brown uniform delivering out of a U-haul truck. Unusual because we still usually see 4-6 small trucks ("real" ones) doing their cross-swap thing in the hardware parking lot around 1730 or 1800. Ho-Ho-Ho.

[GratefulCitizen]

The thing about power to stabilize makes sense to me although to some it probably seems counter-intuitive.


Better to have the power unit pulling on the towed equipment than the towed equipment pushing around the power unit.
A pulled rope is more stable than a pushed rope.

That actually reminds me of an advanced safety addendum applicable to regular vehicles, heavy vehicles, or combination vehicles (towing).

What to do if you have a blowout.

If you have a sudden tire pressure loss (blowout), or any other sudden asymmetrical stability issue, don’t hit the brakes.
Apply moderate power and establish control over the vehicle, then gradually decelerate.

The relative sideways force vector becomes less significant when there’s a forward force vector.
The angle of deviation from centerline for the summed force vectors decreases.

This is direct from my training both as a package car driver and for my CDL.
They actually showed us an animation of the force vectors for such an incident.

Same rule applies whether it’s a front or rear tire.
Apply power, establish control, gradually decelerate.

[pcfixer]

Many thanks sir.
First post's cautions into an emailable PDF, for those who want to mentor the herd.
I just had this discussion with 2 oldest grand-daughters who have fled the nest but commute back for hearth & kin. Winter driving up here is a thing; fortunately they are sharp kids and not too proud to take advice.

Serious appreciation of the importance you give to loading & the weight/balance of the vehicle.

p.s. Question I couldn't answer was related to why some semi- drivers going 1 mph faster than the guy in front will still jump into left lane to take 10 miles (seemingly hours to car drivers) to pass their OTR colleague. For me it goes back to not being part of a 'convoy' as you say & best tactic is not to play in that game of backed up cars. I suspect most folks can't visualize the actual turbulence that is going on with such a klusterflop.


All very good tips that most OTR don't abide by. Me I stay away from passing, following all large trucks, including 4x4 that have a superiority complex.

[Golf1echo]

Apply moderate power and establish control over the vehicle, then gradually decelerate.

The relative sideways force vector becomes less significant when there’s a forward force vector.
The angle of deviation from centerline for the summed force vectors decreases.

GC great description! For what it’s worth the recovery I went through reminded me of Crabbing with the Parachute, your looking to do several things at once to get the direction you need...

[mark46th]

Everyone on the road should just get the Hell out of my way.

[Badger52]

Everyone on the road should just get the Hell out of my way.:lifter

[Old Dog New Trick]

Everyone on the road should just get the Hell out of my way.

That pretty much describes my driving… rain, snow, fog, freezing fog and ice on a bridge. Go straight like a bat out of hell… if something gets in your way merge over and pass, left - right it doesn’t matter. Brakes are over rated and the accelerator pedal is your friend. :D (and that’s just on my motorcycle, four wheels is even more terrifying for my passengers!)

[GratefulCitizen]

Just lost a friend to a highway accident.
Preliminary information indicates it was caused by black ice.

He was former fireman working as a flight medic making a long commute.
He knew safety, and had been driving these highways for decades.

Operating motor vehicles is among the most dangerous things we do.
It’s a mundane subject, but still very important.

Don’t be complacent nor let your loved ones become complacent.
Stay safe.

[Badger52]

Very sorry to hear about your friend. It is that time of year.

Good neighbors just lost someone close to the same likely cause. Crested a hill that brings them onto what's actually a saddle of a few miles but parallel to another ridgeline. Black ice and some vicious x-wiinds. Sad, 22 yo. Sometimes you don't get to hang around long enough to learn what you need to.

Y'all be careful.

[Golf1echo]

Sad to hear. Appreciated the tips and timely, thank you.

[Old Dog New Trick]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Driving is a serious matter that people often take for granted or as the new generations think, a God given right, but give little actual thought to the absolute importance of not just operating a motor vehicle but controlling it at all times. Even during the boring parts.

As a life long motorcyclist with well over 200,000 miles (don’t know how many 4-wheel miles but probably closing in on a million) I can tell you the number of people operating a car with more than two distractions going on at the same time is close to if not actually eight in ten.

(Phone - talking, texting, reading) *
(Phone, while f*cking with radio!)
(Phone, while stuffing face with food)
(Phone, while putting makeup on)
(Phone, while yelling at uncontrollable children in the car)
(Phone, while reading some other printed material…)
(Phone, while doing any multiple of two above)
(Phone, while doing any multiple or three or more above simultaneously)
(Hands free phone, talking)
(Two hands on wheel, face up and forward, checks mirrors often, gets out of the way of others coming up from behind and returns to the right lane after passing, and does a full head check before changing lanes or pulling out from side roads… these are the rare breeds and usually much older.)

* it’s been proven time and again, operating a handheld phone while driving is equivalent to being legally drunk (>0.08 BAC) and it doesn’t matter what - talking, texting or listening… it’s the activity that is the distraction not the device, and some conversations are more distracting than others.

And then there are the thousands or more on any given day, hour, minute that are impaired by prescription and OTC medication or other controlled substances and alcohol driving around next to us just waiting to claim other innocent lives.

Be safe always, but I disagree with the experts that say drive defensively… driving offensively has served me well. Be the action, not the reaction unless that’s all you have left.

Sorry for the long rant, just triggered me that we live in a society where giving someone the keys to a 4,000# missile and a “drivers license” for a taking a test so easy that a fifth grader could pass and zero hardline enforcement afterwards for bad behavior is something so absolutely absurd.

Guns - Dangerous (no body needs one, nobody!) Just ask the ACLU!
Cars - Not dangerous at all (everyone should have at least one on their sixteenth birthday and for life thereafter; and the number of DUI/DWI a person can rack up before killing anyone should be held as a personal benchmark for our judicial system to promote.) But, let’s not pass hardline laws about other distracting activities because that would infringe on someone’s God given rights to operating a motor vehicle on public roads.

Rant over!

[adal]

Just lost a friend to a highway accident.
Preliminary information indicates it was caused by black ice.

He was former fireman working as a flight medic making a long commute.
He knew safety, and had been driving these highways for decades.

Operating motor vehicles is among the most dangerous things we do.
It’s a mundane subject, but still very important.

Don’t be complacent nor let your loved ones become complacent.
Stay safe.

He was a good dude. The local HEMS community is feeling his passing.

Sucks.

[GratefulCitizen]

He was a good dude. The local HEMS community is feeling his passing.

Sucks.

Our kids grew up together.
Our sons are still good friends.

He and I worked together at the dam and spent many night shifts discussing life issues.
He was also working in Kayenta at the same time I was working out there.

We grew tight when I helped him get through difficult times during and after his divorce.
Many years later, he was instrumental in helping me get through my split with my wife.

Wouldn’t have made it without him.
He was the best.

There’s a celebration of life for him at the Elks Lodge here in Page at 11:00am on December 22.

[adal]

Our kids grew up together.
Our sons are still good friends.

He and I worked together at the dam and spent many night shifts discussing life issues.
He was also working in Kayenta at the same time I was working out there.

We grew tight when I helped him get through difficult times during and after his divorce.
Many years later, he was instrumental in helping me get through my split with my wife.

Wouldn’t have made it without him.
He was the best.

There’s a celebration of life for him at the Elks Lodge here in Page at 11:00am on December 22.

Didn't realize you two were that close. Super sucks.

I watched him grow as a medic and was one of his many preceptors that made contact with him over the years. Always enjoyed his perspective on things.

Saw the celebration of life posting. Will try to make it. Still on shift then.

[GratefulCitizen]

Found a nice reference chart when it comes to tires/loading.
Appropriate air pressure is dependent upon loading and tire size.

A higher load-rated tire doesn’t directly carry more weight, it’s just capable of handling a higher air pressure.
The tire doesn’t carry the vehicle, the air does.

https://tirepressure.com/tire-sizes

[Old Dog New Trick]

Found a nice reference chart when it comes to tires/loading.
Appropriate air pressure is dependent upon loading and tire size.

A higher load-rated tire doesn’t directly carry more weight, it’s just capable of handling a higher air pressure.
The tire doesn’t carry the vehicle, the air does.

https://tirepressure.com/tire-sizes

That’s a nice chart but I disagree with the statement in yellow above. Tire carcass and materials do matter. Number of sidewall layers and plying dissipate heat better and are more puncture proof than lesser quality tires. An LT (Light Truck) is far different than a no letter or P (Passenger) class tires of the same or equivalent size.

There are different E rated tires and an LT with 8 or 10 ply will carry 500 or more pounds than an E rated 3 to 6 ply tire. Even if both are rated to 80PSI.

YMMV

[GratefulCitizen]

That’s a nice chart but I disagree with the statement in yellow above. Tire carcass and materials do matter. Number of sidewall layers and plying dissipate heat better and are more puncture proof than lesser quality tires. An LT (Light Truck) is far different than a no letter or P (Passenger) class tires of the same or equivalent size.

There are different E rated tires and an LT with 8 or 10 ply will carry 500 or more pounds than an E rated 3 to 6 ply tire. Even if both are rated to 80PSI.

YMMV

We’re not in disagreement.
The higher load rated tires are capable of holding more pressure.

When I said “size” I meant the same size on the listed size chart.
For example:
https://tirepressure.com/lt265-65r17-tire-pressure

The C load rated version of this tire can only be aired to 50psi, whereas the E load rated tire can be aired to 80psi.
At a load of 2000lbs per tire, both the C and E would be fine at 45lbs pressure.

[Golf1echo]

Wheels and tires have come a long way since the split rims and heavy bias ply tires on my grandfathers 1970 Ford eventually I had to switch as no one wanted to service them.

[Old Dog New Trick]

We’re not in disagreement.
The higher load rated tires are capable of holding more pressure.

When I said “size” I meant the same size on the listed size chart.
For example:
https://tirepressure.com/lt265-65r17-tire-pressure

The C load rated version of this tire can only be aired to 50psi, whereas the E load rated tire can be aired to 80psi.
At a load of 2000lbs per tire, both the C and E would be fine at 45lbs pressure.

Okay, I see what you are saying there. (For me at least, I need everything an LT E tire can provide at 80PSI in a 1-ton truck with my camper in the back or towing a heavy trailer. A guy with a Jeep or 1/2-ton would be fine running a C or D tire maxed out occasionally and not want the rough ride of a heavier duty tire even at low pressure. My truck runs just fine at 50PSI rear and 60PSI front when empty.) I even had to upgrade my wheels from 17” to 18” (I now run LT285/65R18 tires) because the max load rating of various combinations of 17” tires was 3195# and the 18” will go up to 3640# for my application.

[GratefulCitizen]

Okay, I see what you are saying there. (For me at least, I need everything an LT E tire can provide at 80PSI in a 1-ton truck with my camper in the back or towing a heavy trailer. A guy with a Jeep or 1/2-ton would be fine running a C or D tire maxed out occasionally and not want the rough ride of a heavier duty tire even at low pressure. My truck runs just fine at 50PSI rear and 60PSI front when empty.) I even had to upgrade my wheels from 17” to 18” (I now run LT285/65R18 tires) because the max load rating of various combinations of 17” tires was 3195# and the 18” will go up to 3640# for my application.

It’s important to look at the specific tire size in question.
I went from P265/65R17 (stock on the “Sport” trim in my truck) to LT265/65R17 because I wanted a tougher tire which wouldn’t get torn up on the rocks around here and would have sidewalls which would better tolerate being aired down for sand and other off-road adventures.

Ironically, the P tire can carry more weight at 35 psi than the LT tire can at 50 psi.

https://tirepressure.com/p265-65r17-tire-pressure
https://tirepressure.com/lt265-65r17-tire-pressure