SECTION FOUR Driver Duties and Responsibilities
Knowing your Vehicle and Load
Vehicle
Whenever you are using a new or unfamiliar vehicle, always take time to familiarise yourself with the controls and ensure that you know its operating characteristics.
Load
As a driver, whenever you take a vehicle out on the road you are responsible for that vehicle and the load. You must secure the load so that no danger or nuisance is caused to other road users through shifting or falling from the vehicle. Drivers are not permitted or expected to take a vehicle on a public road with a load that is; unsecured, unstable or overweight. If you have doubts you should seek advice from the traffic office before proceeding. It is the driver’s responsibility to adjust the load following deliveries to ensure axle weights are not exceeded. Vehicle Stability Keeping the load evenly distributed across the bed of the vehicle improves vehicle stability, the C entre o f G ravity ( COG ) rises when a vehicle is loaded
COG UNLOADED COG LOADED
UNSTABLE OR OVERWEIGHT LOADS AFFECT VEHICLE STABILITY
Vehicle Stability and Dynamics
The Laws of Nature
Like everything around us, we are all affected by the laws of nature. These laws ensure that: We don’t fall off the planet If we throw something it will keep going in a straight line away from us A person walking into a tree will probably injure themselves but a person running into a tree will injure themselves more out of all proportion to their increase in speed If you wander onto ice you stand a really good chance of falling over
These same principles apply to our vehicles and, while they cannot be totally eliminated, they can be controlled and their effects minimised.
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