Safety precautions for truck drivers driving on highways and mountain roads

Safety issues at high speeds

Since vehicle speed has a direct relationship with the occurrence and severity of accidents, the dangers of speeding are multifaceted, and can be summarized as follows:

Speeding reduces vehicle safety and reliability, directly affecting driving stability; it also easily causes damage to the vehicle and its components.

In terms of braking performance, for every doubling of speed, the braking distance increases approximately fourfold.

When speeding, drivers experience mental stress, expend significant psychological and physiological energy, and are prone to fatigue.

Drivers may underestimate changes in relative speed, resulting in delayed responses and affecting the timeliness and accuracy of the driver's actions.

When driving on a curve, the lateral centrifugal force is directly proportional to the vehicle's load and speed. The higher the speed, the greater the lateral centrifugal force, which increases the difficulty of operation. If you are not careful, the vehicle may enter another lane or overturn, causing a traffic accident.

Safety issues when driving on mountain roads

When going uphill, drivers must constantly monitor the vehicle's coolant temperature gauge and oil pressure gauge to ensure they do not exceed the normal range. If the vehicle experiences a lack of power, downshift decisively. Even slight hesitation, even causing a brief moment of disengagement, will cause the coolant temperature to rise immediately. If driving on a long uphill section, this may require continuous downshifting, potentially even requiring you to downshift all the way down to first gear before starting again.

The key to making a vehicle go uphill smoothly lies in when to downshift. This requires the driver to have a certain understanding of the power characteristics of the engine in their vehicle. Every engine has its maximum torque speed, and when climbing a hill, the engine speed should always be kept near the maximum torque speed.

Mountain roads are characterized by numerous curves and poor visibility, making it difficult to spot oncoming traffic in time. In such situations, vehicles should stay as far to the right as possible to avoid encroaching on the oncoming lane. When turning, the front of the vehicle should be positioned as far to the left of the center line as possible to provide sufficient turning space for the trailer. When the vehicle reaches the top of the hill, a suitable gear should be selected in advance. The principle is to use the same gear for going downhill as for going uphill, and avoid shifting gears midway. This is to prevent operational errors or excessively low air pressure due to continuous braking, which could lead to the inability to engage a gear, a very dangerous situation. In such cases, engine braking should be used to control the vehicle's speed as a last resort.

Always monitor the tire pressure gauge and prevent it from dropping below the normal value. If the tire pressure is about to fall below the warning line, and the vehicle can still be braked, immediately turn on your hazard lights, pull over, and inflate the tires. If you find that the brakes have failed, remain calm and quickly observe the road conditions ahead to see if you can find a suitable obstacle to stop the vehicle, such as a rock face, trees, or roadside ditches. If none are available, you will have to find a suitable opportunity to jump out of the vehicle. Another important point to note when going downhill is to avoid running the engine above its maximum RPM to prevent engine damage.

When driving on a long downhill section, keep your speed within a safe range, one or two gears slower than on flat roads. This is because the vehicle's significant inertia on a downhill slope increases braking distance considerably. Keep the engine speed below its rated maximum. Just before the engine reaches its redline, firmly press the brake pedal to rapidly reduce the engine speed to below 1500 RPM. Avoid frequent, intermittent braking to slow the vehicle, as this not only reduces braking effectiveness but also causes the brake drums to overheat quickly, potentially leading to brake failure. Always ensure that the brake coolant and exhaust brake switches are activated when going downhill. The engine needs time to reach its maximum speed from below 1500 RPM; use this time to cool the brake system. Frequent, intermittent braking doesn't allow the brake drums time to cool, resulting in them overheating.

When visibility is good and the downhill section is about to end and the next uphill section is approaching, you can accelerate and shift gears while going downhill to make the most of the vehicle's momentum to go uphill and save fuel.