Saturday, September 10, 2016

NO ZONE is NO for a reason. See for yourself.

When we first started driving we were constantly told by everyone to keep a safe distance between semi-trucks (18 wheelers), but why? Why? Because they will literally hit you.

the_nozone_01It is not because they want to, but because of an array of problems such as: having a much larger blind spot, their car taking longer to stop, and the biggest problem- other drivers making incorrect decisions on the road.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 2013, more than 4,000 fatal accidents happen between large trucks or busses. While some car drivers are saying that truck drivers are the bullies of the road, but actually 72% of accidents between trucks and passenger vehicles are caused by car drivers.
Variables such as improper following, failure to make a safe lane change, and driving too fast are often causes of fatal crashes between semi-trucks and passenger vehicles.
With that said, here is a video warning us about the dangers of an improper lane change.
So first, we have the truck driver keeping a modest amount of space between him and the blue truck in front of him. Okay, the black Altima switches into the semi-trucks lane. No worries, he kept a good distance. But what happens next…

What? Now this Volks Wagon wants to switch into his lane? No… you can’t. That space in front of him is so he can stop, not for you to merge into. But what does the VW do? Yeah, the driver kept merging, not knowing the truck driver needed that distance.
You can hear the truck driver in the video upset at what the Volkswagen did.This resulted in a collision where the truck driver couldn’t do anything. By the time he saw what the Volkswagen wanted to do, he was already trapped.
What we also have to keep in mind is that just because you signal for a lane change, it does not give the right to change lanes. We change lanes when the time is right and safe to do so.
The only person who could have prevented this was the Volkswagen. In no circumstances should anyone make such a dangerous lane change. If the Volkswagen followed proper rules of driving near a semi-truck, the whole accident could have been avoided.
Luckily, no one was injured! The silver lining of this accident is that we could learn from this drivers mistake. We should never try to change lanes in such a dangerous situation. Never assume that the space in front of semi-truck is for us to change lanes into, that space is the “no zone.”
the_nozone_01
With what we just saw, we should remember some basic facts about truck drivers.
1. Their blind spots are a lot larger than ours.
2. They cannot make abrupt stops, their stops take a lot more distance and time.
3. Pass trucks quickly, if you cannot then wait patiently until the time is right.
4. Avoid cutting off trucks at all costs.
5. Be a responsible driver!
We hope you found this snippet educational since the purpose of this article is to keep our family and friends safe. If you want to watch the video of the collision you can find it below.
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Police take shocking photos of two adults overdosing in car with child in back seat

Police take shocking photos of two adults overdosing in car with child in back seat

EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio -- Police in Ohio wanted to send a message Thursday about the heroin epidemic.
And that's exactly what they did. 
The East Livepool Police Department posted two images on the city's Facebook page showing two adults who they say overdosed on heroin in a car with a little boy in the backseat.
"We feel it necessary to show the other side of this horrible drug," the post states. "We feel we need to be a voice for the children caught up in this horrible mess. This child can't speak for himself but we are hopeful this story can convince another user to think twice about injecting this poison while having a child in their custody."
The photos have since been seen by millions of people and spread across the country. 
According to a police report, an East Liverpool officer spotted an SUV with West Virginia license plates driving erratically Wednesday. The officer saw the driver slam on the brakes when the SUV approached a stopped school bus that was dropping kids off, the police report states. The SUV came to a stop in the middle of the road and the officer approached.
The officer said the driver's head was bobbing and his speech was mostly unintelligible. Police identified the driver as James Acord and the passenger as Rhonda Pasek. Acord told the officer he was taking his front seat passenger, who was passed out, to the hospital, the report states.
The officer said he reached into the vehicle, turned it off and removed the keys just as Acord tried to drive away. The officer then noticed a 4-year-old boy in the backseat. The boy was later identified as Pasek's son.
The officer said Acord soon passed out as well. Emergency crews responded and administered Narcan, a drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. Acord and Pasek regained consciousness and were taken to the hospital.
The little boy is in the custody of Columbiana County Children's Services, according to the report. 
Acord is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering children and slowing or stopping in a roadway. Pasek is charged with endangering children, public intoxication and not wearing a seat belt.

Which generation is the better driver?

When I taught behind the wheel, I would remind students that the future of our society rested upon their shoulders. I am sure that there was...