Did Truck Driver Training Save a Life in Belgium?

Stunning video footage recorded by an HGV dash-cam clearly demonstrates why it so important that professional drivers never lose their focus. The footage shows an accident playing out on a motorway in Belgium in what could have been much more serious had other drivers not been paying attention. Watching the video for ourselves makes us believe that solid truck driver training may have saved at least one life here.

The footage opens with what appears to be a routine evening driving along the motorway in ideal conditions. Roads are dry, visibility is virtually unlimited, and traffic is relatively light. A few seconds into the video a Volkswagen Golf is seen passing the HGV at an incredibly high rate of speed; the HGV was going just over 58 mph.

As the VW cuts in front of the HGV, it passes another lorry on the left side and then attempts to quickly cut in front of it while maintaining the current rate of speed. The driver loses control, and the Golf begins to spin before running off the road, hitting a guardrail, and bouncing back onto the motorway. The driver of the original HGV was able to quickly swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the Volkswagen.

Impatience and Recklessness Kill

It is hard to believe things like this happen on the roads in Europe. But they do. Drivers too impatient to maintain the legal speed limit put themselves and others in danger every single day. The driver of the Volkswagen in this particular incident is lucky not to have been killed by oncoming traffic when he lost control. As for the HGV driver, his skill behind the wheel appears to have saved a life.

We cannot stress the need for ongoing truck driver training for professionals enough, regardless of how long they have been on the job. We are all human. Without remedial training, we are apt to forget even the most fundamental safety practices that are so essential to professional driving. Ongoing training programmes keep safety at the forefront of the minds of drivers, making them and everyone else on the road safer.

We have no way of knowing who the driver in the video is or where he received his truck driver training. We would like to believe his employer provides ongoing training to keep drivers as safe as possible.

The HGV Training Centre offers ongoing driver training to corporate customers of various sizes. Our training programs can be developed to meet the unique needs of your business while at the same time ensuring your drivers meet their 35 hour CPC requirements. If you are looking for quality truck driver training for your fleet, please do not hesitate to contact us to learn more.

If you are a new driver, we also offer truck driver training that will enable you to get your commercial driving licence. We train hundreds of new drivers every month at more than four dozen locations throughout the UK.

Sources:

HGV UK – http://www.hgvuk.com/crazy-autobahn-driving-highlighted-by-3g-vehicle-camera/