Pay Attention
April 14, 2014
I have been a licensed driver both
in the State of Virginia and the State of Tennessee for many years now. Up to
this point, I’ve had one speeding ticket and thank the Good Lord above; I’ve
not had any accidents. Up until a few years ago, I had never really given much
thought to the subjects that I would like to talk about today. But, having been
on the other end of both situations, I thought they would be valid topics and
something a little different.
We are all taught to not let things
distract us while we are driving – however in this ever changing, instant
gratification society with cell phones, we are constantly connected with texts,
emails, calls, etc. that all come flying at us when we’re behind the wheel – it
seems nearly impossible to not get distracted even if only for a second or
two. When I pass drivers that are paying more attention to their phone
than to their driving I just want to have a loud speaker on my car where I can
scream at them to “Shut up and Drive!!!” Alas, as agitated as I get with
the cellphone drivers, this is still not either of the two subjects for this
writing.
Where I live is very rural. There
are all types of farms all around the area. Farms mean tractors, hay wagons,
trucks pulling trailers, and this kind of thing on the road with all of the
regular traffic. I have always tried to be respectful to the farmers that I’ve
passed along the road. Like when I get behind the big tractor of my dairy
farmer neighbor out on the main road, I slow down, put my flashers on, and laze
behind him until he turns off or until I do. He’s got just as much right to be
out on that road as I do. But until my husband and I started doing some minor
(very minor) farming of our own, I had never really paid much attention to how
my fellow road riders treat slower moving or loaded down vehicles.
In my eighteen plus months of
dealing with horses, I’ve only ever ridden in a truck pulling a loaded horse
trailer twice. I have never driven a vehicle pulling a horse trailer period. Now
common sense would tell that it is harder to stop a vehicle pulling a trailer
even if that trailer is empty. Even if that trailer has brakes of its own, they
still will not stop on a dime. Also, if you’re not very careful, that trailer
could jack knife and come around the side of the truck, and possibly flip over if
you try to stop too quickly. But, if you have livestock – horses, cows, etc. –
in a trailer you really cannot stop suddenly as you’ll cause the animals to
fall and possibly be seriously injured. Now I don’t know how many of you
reading this know much about horses, but that trailer floor is not skid
resistant and their hooves are not like the non-skid treads on the bottom of
your favorite hiking boots. I can also just about guarantee you, that as soon
as you load a horse into a trailer one of the first things they’re going to do
is poop and more than likely, before you get to your destination, they’re going
to pee. Keep in mind that all of this goes on the floor of the trailer and that
does not help in any way, shape, or form with the slippery part. So combine the
moving trailer with a slippery floor and an animal that doesn’t have non-skid
boots on, and you’ve got a possibility any time you put one in a trailer of
getting one seriously hurt. For any of you out there that have hauled animals,
I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the load you’re hauling is far more valuable
than any ding-dong that pulls out in front of you. So my words of advice to
those drivers out there not hauling animals around in a slippery, moving box
behind your truck: PAY ATTENTION to what you’re doing when you see these
vehicles coming toward you. Remember that they can’t stop quickly. Remember
that all turns and some curves are going to be taken wider than a normal
vehicle. Remember that the left wheel of the trailer will generally need to
stay on the yellow line in the middle of the road so that the right wheel
doesn’t run off the shoulder. Remember that you need to not follow so closely behind
that trailer – you are not practicing your NASCAR drafting, as you will not be
able to stop if something happens with that truck/trailer combination. Remember
that if you’re stopped behind one of these vehicles at a red-light that more
than likely, the driver is going to let the vehicle ease back ever so slightly
as the gears engage and it starts to pull off – you cannot burn rubber with a
load of animals in a trailer. But MOST IMPORTANTLY, remember, if you cause me
to wreck because you’re being stupid and you hurt one of my animals, you’d
better be prepared for my wrath unless said wreck completely knocks me out or
kills me in the process (I’m betting that last statement goes for any animal
lover who is transporting their beloved pets).
Whilest on the subject of farming
and trailers, not only do you need to pay attention to trailers full of
animals, but trailers hauling tractors/farm equipment and trailers hauling
loads of hay. Same thing applies here for the not being able to stop part but
with hauling hay, that’s usually done by pulling a hay wagon which is NOT your
typical trailer. These wagons were not meant for speed. They were simply meant
to follow behind a tractor/baler combination and carry bales of hay to the
barn. For some farmers, their hay fields are miles away from their barns and
that requires them to pull these loaded hay wagons up and down roads to get to
their destination. These wagons also tend to weave as they get up to a certain
speed on paved surfaces, which makes them a little more difficult to handle.
Same “Remembering” rules apply to this to. I guess more than anything to
remember here is just simple, common courtesy. These folks have a right to be
out on the road. Sure the speed might not be that fast and sometimes they take
up the majority of the road. But really, is it going to kill you to pull over
to the edge of the road to let them pass or to be more courteous or patient
while they’re traveling near you on the roads?
The other rant that I have for this
writing is to pay attention to those riding motorcycles. With the warmer
weather now, there will be more and more of these on the roads. As a car
driver, I’d never really paid much attention to the motorcycle riders. As a
motorcycle rider/driver however, I most definitely paid attention to being out
on the road with all of the bigger, enclosed vehicles. Trust me when I tell
you, even though motorcycles are smaller and do not weigh as much as a car,
they are twice as hard to stop as your average car or SUV. You CANNOT stop
quickly on a bike. If you do, one of two things is going to happen. You’re
either going to lock up the front brakes and go over the handlebars, or you’re
going to lock up the back brakes and lay the thing down. Either way, you’re
going to wind up with road rash – even if you’ve got on leathers – and quite
possibly a concussion – even if you’re wearing a helmet – or worse. So DON’T
pull out in front of an oncoming bike just because you think you’ve got plenty
of time and you’re bigger than the bike is. Keep in mind when you’re on a
multilane highway that a motorcycle rider could possibly be in your blind spot
as you start to change lanes so look and look carefully. Some motorcycle models
don’t have a loud Harley sound to them so you might not even know that one is
nearby. Trust me when I tell you that that rider is not only focusing on
operating that bike, but they’re also focusing on the mass of vehicles around
them. It is not an easy job. Do not tailgate a motorcycle in any way, shape, or
form. You never know when something could go wrong or when the driver could
lose control of the bike. Would you be able to live with yourself knowing that
you’d just run over someone because you were playing “It’s Bristol Baby” on the
local highway? Remember to PAY ATTENTION to these riders out there. Be sure
that if you see a large group pass you by that you wait a few extra moments to
make sure that they all have passed by. Again, it is simple, common courtesy
that needs to be followed when out there on the highways!!
I know that there are many days when
I get to the house and don’t remember anything of my roughly seventeen mile
trip. We all have tons of things on our minds, we get distracted by a phone
call or text message sounding on our cell phones, we’re paying too much
attention to singing the song on the radio at the top of our lungs, or any
other number of possible things that could detract from the job of driving a
7,000 pound speeding bullet down the highway. All’s I’m really saying here is
PAY ATTENTION to what’s around you. Look out for each other and think that one
day you might be that person pulling a trailer full of livestock that needs a
break from the drivers around them, or you might be that person pulling a fully
loaded, weaving hay wagon down a curvy road where everyone you pass wants to
crowd you, or you might be that motorcycle rider that everyone and their
brother has pulled out in front of on any given day. Ask yourself if you’d be
rednecking those drivers if it was your dad, mom, brother, sister, grandma,
grandpa, or anyone else that you hold near and dear to you; because that rider
or driver is someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, friend, wife, husband.
That license that we carry in our wallets that says that we are legal drivers
of those motor vehicles are more than just a piece of plastic – or at least
they should be more. They should also remind us that we’re responsible when we
are out there on the road, not only for our own safety but for the safety of
those that we pass. Don’t be the distracted car driver that takes out a
motorcycle because you reach down to check the newest text message on your
phone. Don’t be the one that is responsible for someone having to put down
several horses because you caused the truck and trailer hauling them to wreck
and they’re hurt more seriously than they can be helped by conventional
medicine.
So…PAY ATTENTION…and come back to
read another blog story/rant at a later date!!
Stay Safe Out There!!!!
