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What happened?
A driver and a passenger were driving on a single way two-way country road, heading towards an oilfield.
The driver was trying to overtake a truck when they saw a vehicle coming their way with its headlights off. The vehicle was approximately 100m (330ft) away.
The driver drove onto the road shoulder on the other side of the road.
The driver in the incoming vehicle did the same manoeuvre (it was the shoulder corresponding to his drive lane).
The first driver then veered back to the road – although still in the lane opposite to their driving direction.
The incoming vehicle drove back into their lane – copying the first driver.
The first driver drove back to the opposite shoulder, but the two vehicles ended up crashing when the incoming vehicle drove back to the shoulder also.
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Why did it happen?
Driver did not properly assess the overtaking manoeuvre and the risks it involved. They did not consider road conditions, traffic at that time etc.
Driver did not keep a safe distance. Manoeuvre was attempted with insufficient space and at high speed (over the speed limit).
Defensive driving procedures were not followed (precautionary distance and speed, visibility requirements, ‘three second’ rule).
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What did they learn?
Vehicle driving should be added to the list of critical tasks.
Reduce the number of trips done to worksites by maximising the number of people being transported in one trip (maximum of 4 per vehicle).
Implement a system to evaluate the effectiveness of driving training courses.
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Ask yourself or your crew
What are the factors that increase the risk of road incidents?
What should you look out for before attempting to overtake a vehicle?
Is your defensive driving training up to date? What should you do if not?
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What happened?
A driver and a passenger were driving on a single way two-way country road, heading towards an oilfield.
The driver was trying to overtake a truck when they saw a vehicle coming their way with its headlights off. The vehicle was approximately 100m (330ft) away.
The driver drove onto the road shoulder on the other side of the road.
The driver in the incoming vehicle did the same manoeuvre (it was the shoulder corresponding to his drive lane).
The first driver then veered back to the road – although still in the lane opposite to their driving direction.
The incoming vehicle drove back into their lane – copying the first driver.
The first driver drove back to the opposite shoulder, but the two vehicles ended up crashing when the incoming vehicle drove back to the shoulder also.
Why did it happen?
Driver did not properly assess the overtaking manoeuvre and the risks it involved. They did not consider road conditions, traffic at that time etc.
Driver did not keep a safe distance. Manoeuvre was attempted with insufficient space and at high speed (over the speed limit).
Defensive driving procedures were not followed (precautionary distance and speed, visibility requirements, ‘three second’ rule).
What did they learn?
Vehicle driving should be added to the list of critical tasks.
Reduce the number of trips done to worksites by maximising the number of people being transported in one trip (maximum of 4 per vehicle).
Implement a system to evaluate the effectiveness of driving training courses.
Ask yourself or your crew
What are the factors that increase the risk of road incidents?
What should you look out for before attempting to overtake a vehicle?
Is your defensive driving training up to date? What should you do if not?
A driver tried to overtake a truck when a car was coming on the opposite side of the road. Both cars made various lane changes to try to avoid an accident, but the cars ended up colliding.
