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The Ultimate Guide To Driving Around Heavy Vehicles
The larger the vehicle, the higher the stakes. While road accidents with large vehicles are far and few between, there have been some unfortunate notable cases locally. While you may not be in the driver’s seat of a heavy vehicle, this article is still for you: follow this guide for road behaviour you should observe to minimise potential hazards.
In Singapore, Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) are vehicles with a maximum laden weight from 3,500kg to 16,000kg.
Beware of View Obstruction & Debris
We don’t mean to unlock a new fear for drivers but this is definitely something to be wary of. When driving behind a HGV such as a truck, allow for two car lengths between your car and the large vehicle, which will broaden your visibility of the road ahead of the truck.
This also grants you leeway in the event that there are other potential hazards, such as debris accidentally being kicked off the back of the large vehicle.
While driving closely behind a large vehicle is sometimes unavoidable due to traffic conditions, always try to avoid lingering.
Stay Alert & Don’t Break Suddenly
This tip may seem quite obvious at first glance, however, it is all the more important when you are driving in front of a large vehicle. HGVs take longer to come to a stop, even more so when your vehicle is only a short distance from them.
Breaking swiftly and suddenly may result in the large vehicle hitting your vehicle, of which the impact would be severe for a smaller vehicle.
Watch For Turns
When a long HGV turns at an intersection, avoid the vehicle’s blind spots on the side. As the large vehicle turns, it usually enters the lane via the inner corner of the turn due its length.
Keep Visible At All Times
You should not attempt to cut off a HGV as the vehicle has lower visibility and as mentioned above, is slower at breaking. When merging with a heavy vehicle, make certain that there is enough space to signal clearly. A good rule of thumb to follow: if you can see the heavy vehicle’s rear view mirrors, the driver of the vehicle is able to see you.
Avoid Overtaking
https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/no-overtaking-traffic-sign-vector-25844043
Most heavy vehicle drivers leave an additional gap between them and the traffic in front of them. This is because they usually need the additional distance to brake after a stop, specifically in instances where the vehicle needs to come to an emergency stop.
Now that you have been equipped with these notes on driving around HGVs, go forth and yonder! Bookmark this page to brush up on this refresher course as and when the opportunity arises.
