Education and communication, viewed as “preventive maintenance” for helping to create measures for making our nation’s highways safe, is the key to decreasing fatalities and injuries. Accidents are preventable when people take the initiative to understand where dangers exist and how to avoid becoming another statistic in the local newspaper. The battle between commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and other vehicles forges on, even today, with all of the high-tech communication networks.
Operating a motor vehicle on congested roadways is a risky proposition for anyone, including drivers who have been driving for years. The slogan “Watch out for the other guy” stands true. The more safety-conscious people become, the less likely they will be involved in an accident. Offenses such as DUI, text messaging or talking on a cell phone while driving, and failing to move over for stopped vehicles or for officers making an arrest along the side of the highway, all carry fines plus court costs because they are major driver distractions that can lead to accidents. One practical approach by the Office of Motor Carriers, known as the No-Zone Campaign or the Share the Road Safely Program, is to educate people on ways to share the highway with CMVs.
The No-Zone Campaign, now employed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Motor Carriers (OMC), has begun exploring other avenues to reach out to the public. Only when safety becomes a national issue will the statistics improve. The hope is to decrease the number of accidents between commercial motor vehicles and cars, thus reducing fatalities, injuries and property damage.
The No-Zone represents blind spots, or limited areas of vision, located around tractor-trailers or other types of large commercial vehicles. If the driver of a tractor-trailer or bus cannot see a passing vehicle or someone following too closely, the odds of an accident happening nearly double. Safe professional truck drivers check their mirrors constantly for vehicles in their vicinity so that if they need to make an evasive move, they can do so without hitting another vehicle or innocent bystander. When the operator of a vehicle is passing or following a truck or CMV, and the driver of the vehicle is familiar with blind spot locations, he or she can avoid a predictable accident.
An independent study and review conducted by the Federal Highway Administration Office of Motor Carriers and Highway Safety documents the Share the Road Safely Program. Originated in 1994, at the request of Congress, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) asked the Federal Highway Administration to “educate the motoring public about how to safely share the highway with commercial motor vehicles. In past years more than 400,000 crashes involving large trucks resulted in 5,300 deaths.
In 2000 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (an agency of the U.S. DOT), in a push to improve truck and bus safety on our nation’s highways, refocused its attention on the No-Zone Campaign, hoping to reduce the number of deaths and injuries involving trucks, buses and cars to no more than 160 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled by 2011.
The No-Zone Campaign Truck and Bus Decal Program is a visual tool used by dozens of approved carriers who have volunteered to place vivid “NO-ZONE” graphics on the sides and rear of their trucks, trailers and buses. Carriers displaying the decals need to have a “satisfactory” safety rating by the U.S. DOT. The decals are clear pictures of blind spots, or No-Zone areas. Vehicle operators will see the visuals and will instantly be aware of the danger areas around trucks and realize the importance of giving CMVs the room necessary to maneuver safely.
One provider of No-Zone decals, the Swann Group in Lynchburg, Va., also offers No-Zone coffee mugs, jackets, safe driver pins and educational information. They provide the “Wide Right Turn,” “If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you,” and other warning decals for commercial trucks and buses. They also provide a First Student Program for safe drivers in local schools. For information on No-Zone decals offered by Swann Group, call owner Franklin Swann at 800-967-9266, ext. 102.
Many carriers display these signs not only during their everyday freight business, but also at public events around the country and at schools as part of a driver education program. The campaign has achieved several accomplishments:
• Law enforcement, educators, insurance, the trucking industry, and state government partners display their No-Zone messages in rest areas, classrooms, conferences, state fairs, malls and driver education classes.
• The No-Zone Coalition and a No-Zone Web site (www.nozone.org) have been established to educate drivers.
• Information was included in driver’s manuals in 34 states.
• No-Zone messages are on radio, TV, billboards, magazines, newspapers, message pens, coffee mugs, lapel pins and paper cubes.
• No-Zone demonstrations, where the public meets truck drivers and are given the opportunity to climb into the cab of a truck, have been held.
• More than 4,400 No-Zone decals have been placed on trailers and buses.
• State-of-the-art messages have been made on CMVs.
A search conducted to find programs using ideas comparable to the No-Zone Campaign showed that out of 381 organizations contacted, 357 responded to the study and 20 had similar programs to the No-Zone program.
Carriers can purchase the No-Zone decals at several merchandizing vendors. The suppliers will then contact FMCSA to obtain information on the carrier’s safety rating. Carriers receiving a satisfactory safety record can display the decals. The decal vendor will then contact the carrier to arrange for customizing their trucks and trailers. FMCSA wants to maintain a consistent visual message for positive results and recognition. Therefore, carriers and other CMVs may not alter the No-Zone decal artwork.
What are the No-Zone warnings?
• SIDE NO-ZONES: Do not hang around either side of a tractor -trailer or bus, as those areas produce major blind spots. Remember, if a car driver cannot see the truck driver’s face, the truck driver cannot see him or her.
• REAR NO-ZONES: Do not tailgate. If a car is following closely and the truck needs to stop quickly, the only place for a car to go is between the trailer and the ground.
• FRONT NO-ZONES: Do not cut off a truck after passing. Wait until the entire truck is seen in the rearview mirror. Trucks need twice as much distance to stop as cars, especially when heavily loaded.
• BACKUP NO-ZONES: Be careful and look. Never drive behind a truck while it is backing up. Hundreds of people have been killed by ignoring trucks backing up.
• WIDE RIGHT TURNS NO-ZONES: Avoid the squeeze play. Trucks making a right-hand turn need to swing wide left to make a safe right turn. Cars trying to pass on the right are putting themselves in harm’s way. Always watch for turn signals and be patient.
Research shows that in 70 percent of fatal crashes involving big trucks and cars, cars are at fault. The percentage of accidents taking place in the No-Zone involving trucks and cars are: front-end accidents – 66 percent; left-side accidents – 10 percent; right-side accidents – 6 percent; and rear-end accidents – 18 percent. Failing to appreciate the No-Zone warnings could result in more than a dented fender.
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