Mirrors are an essential piece of safety equipment. A skilled driver should know how to use mirrors to help manage the space around the truck and avoid crashes while changing lanes, backing, turning, and during startups. Read the information below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills, by using your truck’s mirrors more effectively, to help reduce the risk of a crash.
PRE-TRIP VEHICLE INSPECTION
Before operating your truck, inspect the mirrors for the following:
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Broken or defective parts.
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Secure attachment to the tractor.
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Proper alignment.
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Cleanliness.
CRASH PREVENTION TECHNIQUES
Use your mirrors to help you prevent the following types of crashes:
REAR-END CRASH PREVENTION
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While maintaining proper following distance with traffic ahead, make frequent, quick glances to the mirrors to monitor traffic around the truck. Return your focus to the traffic ahead immediately.
LANE CHANGE CRASH PREVENTION
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Use the mirrors to monitor the space around the truck.
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Be mindful of vehicles in your blind spots.
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In conjunction with other lane change crash prevention techniques, monitor your mirrors until the maneuver is completed.
BACKING ACCIDENT PREVENTION
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In conjunction with other backing accident prevention techniques, use the mirrors to monitor the space around the truck and visually confirm signals from your spotter.
The information in this article is provided as a courtesy of Great West Casualty Company and is part of the Value-Driven® Company program. Value-Driven Company was created to help educate and inform insureds so they can make better decisions, build a culture that values safety, and manage risk more effectively.
Note: These lists are not intended to be all-inclusive
This material is intended to be a broad overview of the subject matter and is provided for informational purposes only. Joe Morten & Son, Inc. does not provide legal advice to its insureds or other parties, nor does it advise insureds or other parties on employment-related issues, therefore the subject matter is not intended to serve as legal or employment advice for any issue(s) that may arise in the operations of its insureds or other parties. Legal advice should always be sought from legal counsel. Joe Morten & Son, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, action, or inaction alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the information contained herein. Reprinted with permission from Great West Casualty Company.