Virtual Dispatch

Road conditions and new challenges

Pardon me. Excuse me. Heads up, coming through! This may not be the typical way an article starts. However, the idea is to offer a courtesy. Strong literary minds may find this opening basic, and unusual. After all, there are accepted norms in the writing of most articles. There’s a right way, and a wrong way to do it. So to speak. Similarly, there are accepted norms on the road. Therefore, and according to most driver’s manuals, there’s a right way and a wrong way, to do the road.

With this in mind, a courier weighing in on road conditions, is not a bad thing. Furthermore, who spends more time using the roads, every road, than a courier? The road is about flow, and a courier spends many hours on the road, using every shortcut, and time saving route possible. It’s a matter of necessity. One sure fire way to improve courier pay, is to increase delivery completions.

This strategy is entirely possible. The challenge is the changing road conditions. Road construction is a challenge. However, it is an organized and well advertised road condition. Couriers plan accordingly. It is almost unlikely that anyone using the roads, particularly on a regular basis for many years, will not detect some changes. Particularly in the volume of traffic. Additionally it seems unlikely no one has noticed the uptick in breakneck speeds. Seriously, is it really necessary to hit a hundred and ten before the next red light?

Road Conditions

If you answered yes to the previous question, the rest of this article won’t make any sense. This is mainly because the courier, and the driver using the road for pay, know all about excessive speed. Most likely they have witnessed, or seen the aftermath of a miscalculation that brought about ruin and destruction. But the time saved racing to the next red light…wasn’t really worth it. Road conditions matter.

Responsible use of the roads is one goal of road safety laws. However, assuming that everyone using the road, understands and abides by the rules of the road, can lead to trouble. These days assuming anything on the road, can be dangerous. It is the assumption, that leads to the action, that brings about destruction.

This is cause and effect. For example, waiting at a red light. When the light changes to green the compulsion is to bolt from the line. Then race across the intersection with tunnel vision. The horizon and that next red light are the focus. If there’s a particularly good podcast playing in the background so much the better. Zipping across the intersection is okay because the light is green. The red light for the opposing traffic works every time. No one ever blows through it, after it turns red. Oh wait…

New Challenges

Defensive driving is an important mindset in these situations. Even though the compulsion is to hurry, a deliberate and observant mindset is key. This is entirely possible, and becomes more effective, when combined with reduced speeds. Making an assumption that every other driver on the road knows the rules of the road, much less adheres to them, isn’t the best safety approach.

A defense driver doesn’t make assumptions. Simply assuming that opposing traffic stopped at an intersection, without visual confirmation, is not safety conscious. In fact it can be down right dangerous. Careful observation of the road conditions matter for every driver. Not just couriers.

There is more to this topic than one article can cover. Therefore this article will be the first in a small series of articles about changing road conditions. Stay safe out there.