It’s summer time, which means schools are out and temperatures are up. What does that mean for forest operators? You will be experiencing increased traffic on roads, and near public forests where the public is looking to cool off. This can be a challenge for commercial traffic because commercial vehicle weights are higher, roads are narrower, and mixed together with other drivers that might not know courtesies of forest road driving. More pedestrians and more cars equal a hazardous environment.
Here are a few defensive driving pointers to remind your crew and sub-contractors about the importance of driving safety:
Slow down. Its easy to get in a rush in the summer time - your roads are finally not muddy and the sun is out. But, that also means increased vehicle traffic with more public travel on forest roads. Other drivers will most likely not slow down for you, you will need to slow down to avoid them.
Move over for pedestrians. Along with the increased vehicle traffic, you will inevitably experience an increase in foot traffic, especially out there on forest roads near rivers.
Change travel route. If possible, change your travel route to avoid known traffic and pedestrian bottlenecks. This point can be true at any time of the year, you can decrease the risk of an incident by driving on roads that are clearer, have safer intersections, or at least those that have a decreased amount of traffic. Find an alternate route to avoid schools, parks and busy entry points to rivers during the summer.
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