Black ice, dense fog, storms, icy roads, extreme temperatures – these are just some of the weather conditions that significantly increase the risk of accidents on the road and lead to many dangerous situations. How to deal with them? The Dutch Association for Crisis Management in Transport (Stichting Incident Management Vrachtauto’s in short STIMVA) found a way to do it.
The association has created a special leaflet-instruction, which applies to whether alarms used in the Netherlands. The report on bad conditions is announced by the Royal Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Depending on how difficult the conditions on the roads are, the institute issues the appropriate code in yellow, orange or red. The leaflet is a collection of tips for truckers gathered in one place. It contains information about how the driver should behave when the alert is announced.
Yellow code – be alert
The alert is announced up to 48 hours before the possible occurrence of bad weather conditions. During the yellow code, it is worth pulling the leg off the gas and being careful.
Recommendations for the planning department: inform your drivers
Recommendations for drivers: follow messages
Orange code – be prepared
Alert is issued 24 hours in advance. High risk of hazardous phenomena. If possible, plan routes to avoid areas with difficult conditions. During the orange code, it is also important to avoid critical points such as tunnels and bridges.
Recommendations for the planning department: consider changing the route
Recommendations for drivers: consider a stopover
Red code – take action
A red alert is extremely bad weather conditions that can cause significant damage and create dangerous situations. The warning is issued no earlier than 12 hours before the potential occurrence of dangerous weather events. STIMVA recommends stopping transport in regions for which a red alert has been issued.
Recommendations for the planning department: delete the route from the plan
Recommendations for drivers: stop as far as possible from the region marked with the red code
The alerts published by KNMI are being translated into recommendations for all drivers. The Water Management Board (Rijkswaterstaat) is responsible for this. Information on warnings will be provided via the media (including official Twitter accounts – KNMI, Rijkswaterstaat).
You can find more information in the English version of the leaflet prepared by the STIMVA association.
Extreme conditions – how else can you deal with them?
We remind you of several universal tips that you should keep in mind when driving a truck during a storm and strong wind.
Remember to:
– take your foot off the gas to adjust the speed to the conditions prevailing on the road,
– during the deteriorating weather, plan a route to avoid driving over bridges, viaducts and forests,
– hold the steering wheel with both hands, which will facilitate faster reaction to changing road conditions,
– during a strong wind, stop the vehicle, especially if you are dealing with side wind – this way you can avoid pushing or tipping the truck.
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