Editor's Note: Sharing the road safely

“Safety is everyone’s responsibility.” It’s a frequently heard phrase in the occupational safety and health community. But a small news item in this month’s issue, coupled with some recent observations, has reinforced for me how this truth extends beyond the workplace.

I used to have a very short drive to work, but a recent move has increased my commute considerably and I now take two major expressways. Every day I witness some seriously unsafe driving behaviors from both passenger vehicle drivers and commercial drivers.

But the one that makes me cringe above all others is when cars – with their drivers frequently talking on cellphones – dart in front of semi-trucks with what sometimes seems like inches to spare. That’s why “New video offers tips on sharing the road safely with trucks” caught my interest. The video it highlights is part of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration campaign called “Our Roads, Our Safety.”

In it, a veteran truck driver urges motorists to drive distraction-free and reminds them that “what they don’t see is a guy like me that has a family, has grandkids – we’re just like them. We’re just doing a job, just like them.”

The campaign’s webpage offers other videos and features specific sections with tips for passenger vehicle drivers, truck and bus drivers, and bicyclists and pedestrians. You’ll find some great information you can share with your employees.

Many groups, including the National Safety Council, are pushing for a day when all cars and trucks will be autonomous, and driver error will be eliminated. But until that day comes, let’s take responsibility for keeping ourselves and everyone else on the road injury-free.

The opinions expressed in “Editor’s Note” do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.