By K C Pawling, Road Safety and Loss Prevention Specialist
I think most of us have heard the saying “we shouldn’t live life by looking in the rearview mirror.” I do not disagree with this saying, but there are times when we should pay closer attention to the rearview mirror than we do.
After reviewing the last five weeks of liability claim reports that the NIRMA Loss Prevention Department receives, I found four different claims resulting from backing accidents. I know that backing accidents are a common claim seen in these reports, and I can also recall having an incident or two myself while backing.
The first of those incidents that I can recall involved backing a motor grader into a shop door that did not open completely. The door not opening completely was a common occurrence, but it did not happen every time we opened the door. This time the door did not open completely, and I failed to check that I had adequate clearance. This resulted in me backing the machine into the door.
The second incident I can recall was when I was in high school. I had gotten up at 3:30 in the morning to go to work and load market hogs for a 4 a.m. load. I came out of the house, climbed into my car, and backed up as I did every time I left home. But this time I rather abruptly found that someone had parked in my normal backing path. So, as you can see, I have not always been as situationally aware as I should have been.
According to the National Safety Council, backing a vehicle accounts for about 1% of all drive-time. And backing accidents are to blame for 25% of all collisions, causing 500 deaths and 15,000 injuries per year. Keep in mind, these are on-road vehicles, cars, and trucks. This doesn’t include construction vehicles like loaders and motor graders out on off-road job sites.
The following are some safe backing tips that every driver or operator should consider before hopping into the operator’s seat:
- Learn to use both outside vehicle mirrors. I am very often surprised how many people cannot use the mirrors on the sides of their vehicles to safely back their vehicle. This is applicable to all types of vehicles from passenger cars to commercial trucks to construction equipment.
- Keep your mirrors adjusted correctly. There is a correct way to adjust your mirrors to reduce or eliminate the blind spots alongside your vehicle. Todd Duncan discussed this and included a visual guide in a past Safety Shorts article.
- Know your vehicles’ blind spots. Every vehicle is different with varying sizes of blind spots. Get to know where they are located and how big they are.
- Don’t become backup camera reliant. It is easy to become accustomed to backing while only relying on your vehicle’s backup camera but make a conscious effort to be aware of all your surroundings while backing. Keep in mind technology can fail.
- Do a walk around. Before crawling into the operator’s seat, do a complete walk around of your vehicle if possible. Note any objects that are around your vehicle or vehicles that have arrived after you parked.
- Keep your windows, mirrors, and backup cameras clean.
- Get Out and Look. G.O.A.L. is printed on a sticker that is affixed to many commercial truck drivers’ side mirrors. It is a reminder for drivers to get out and look at their surroundings before backing.
- Avoid backing blindside. For those that don’t know, the blind side of a vehicle is the opposite side of the vehicle that an operator sits. It would also be known as the passenger side of the vehicle. Truck drivers refer to it as the “blindside” because it is harder to see that entire side of the vehicle while backing. If you back from the driver’s side, you can always stick your head out of the window if needed.
- Use a spotter. For the more difficult backings, use a spotter to assist you to see all obstacles that might be in your path.
- Use a pull through parking space. When choosing a parking space in any large parking lot, use a pull-through space if it is available. This will eliminate the risk of backing into someone else, especially those parked on the opposite side of the traffic aisle.
- Turn your head. There are times I need to practice this one. I sometimes think I am skilled enough with the use of mirrors that I do not need to simply turn my head, but I should.
If we all would practice the suggestions above, I believe we could substantially reduce the number of collision claims caused from backing. This not only applies while we are at work, but we can put these into practice to reduce our personal insurance claims also. I don’t want to make this sound like it is just about property loss, the bigger goal is keeping everyone safe, healthy, and alive.
If you have any questions, training requests, or any guidance we can provide, do not hesitate to contact me or anyone here at NIRMA. I can be reached at kcpawling@nirma.info, (cell) 402-310-4417, or (office) 402-742-9236.
