Driving and nerves

Sassafras said:
JPINVF, I'm going to print this out. I "know" some of it. But rereading it may help me out a lot. I get laughed at because I am a stickler for the 4-5 second rule and if the warning sign says to take the curve at 30 mph, I'm taking it at 30 mph and not a mile faster. They won't let me drive long distance transports yet because they say I'm too slow LOL. But I am driving the speed limit. I just can't justify speeding for a stable interfacility transport. It seems to produce more risk to the patient than necessary.
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I'm going to preface this by saying I'm from Southern California. Southern California speed limit is 65 in most areas, the speed of traffic is 75-80, and the highway patrol is passing people. I've seen heavy traffic conditions where the speed was still in the 80s, and I've seen light traffic where the speed of the number 1 and 2 lanes were in the 90s in urbanized areas.

In my opinion, speed doesn't cause accidents. Poor driving causes accidents and speed can make it worse. However, speed differences cause accidents. A person going 65 when the speed of traffic is going 80 is a danger. Similarly, most speed limits are not set properly (85th percentile based on traffic surveys), so I'll admittedly take speed limits with a grain of salt if it's not strictly enforced. What's more important, regardless of the stability of the patient or the length of the transport, is never going a speed that you're uncomfortable with. If the top speed you're comfortable going is 55, than regardless of the speed limit, go 55. Just stay to the right in those situations.

Similarly, I've been on 1, maybe 2, off ramps where I felt that the speed was appropriately set (yes, if the average speed is 45-50 and the sign advises 35, it's poorly set). However, driving a larger vehicle, especially with people in the back, controlling the speed is more important and shouldn't be guided by a sign. How much centripetal force is being generated in the back is more important than anything else (I'll guarantee you, if you're going at a speed that properly minimizes it, you'll be going slow enough for the roads). My gauge for turns, stops, and starts, is if I'm bracing myself as a driver who can anticipate starts, stops, and turns, I'm probably going too fast or hard. Next time you go driving, consciously think about what your body is doing as you start, stop, and turn. Is your core tensing up as you turn? Are your arms tensing up as you stop? It's something most of us do without thinking about it, which is why it's a good indicator if you can tune into it.

Also, another thing. Make sure to communicate. You will, at some point, slam on your breaks. It happens. If at all possible, a loud, "Hard stop!" can give who ever is in the back enough time to grab onto something or sit down. Similarly, things like train tracks, bumps, and dips should be announced.
 
I ride an ambulance of type II for a few years. For my experience, advices that they write in this forum are all correct ones. In Spain, when we have a service of urgency, we can drive over the speed limits, always and when we do not put in danger our own life and the life of the others. At any time, agents of the authority can stop us or follow us, and when we come to the hospital, can fine us.

My advices are these:
Never overcome any more than 10 % or 15 % of the speed limit of the road.
Tries to stop always of soft and gradual form.
Uses always the direction indicators and puts up signs on all the maneuvers.
Uses the siren and the emergency lights.
If you do not feel insurance with your limits, never test you. As we say in Spain: " We do the tests in our house and with soda ".

And... enjoy it!!!
 
If you know someone in driver education, see if they have a smith system video you could borrow. You could buy the video but they are expensive and not mass produced.

Or, just look up the Smith System Website and read over their five keys of space cushioning. The theory is if you keep a cushion of space between your vehicles and the others you will never crash.

The biggest thing most people do is follow to close or when getting cut off, trying to swerve around something instead of just slowing down and letting someone go. (You have to remove your emotions and ego when driving.)

For anyone good at hunting down .pdf files online, there is a document floating around about non-emergency driving for LEO's that has some good material. I had a hard copy of it somewhere in my apartment.

Driving is one of those things that can be boring and dangerous at the same time. That is why even if you think you can, you can not text or have long drawn out phone calls while driving. Even with a head piece.

You need 100% of your focus to be on the road and the other vehicles and being able to know when something is going to happen in advance and how to react. It is not just not causing a crash oneself. You also need to compensate for the bad behavior of other operators.

That is the "job" of driving. Avoiding the crash regardless of 'fault' and their are ways to do that.

http://www.smith-system.com/

The training is sort of costly. I have heard of trucking or car service drivers having their employers send them. I am not sure if ambulance services have ever done it.
 
I used to drive an ambulance like I drive a motorcycle. Accelerate and slow down in a straight line. Set your entry speed for a turn well before you get there. Very light positive throttle to settle the chassis during the turn. An everyone around you is out to hit your truck, so drive so that you're in the safest place possible. When backing, eyeball the space you want to be in first, when you start backing, continue checking the approach path with your mirrors. Pick a line on the ground and make sure your rear inside (to the turn) tire is on that line all the way to the stall. Use your mirrors to ensure you're not about to collide with another object or a person. Go slow. When in doubt, try to find a way to back straight in or nearly so. I'm actually better now backing into tight areas than I am pulling in. I haven't driven an ambulance in a few years now, but I guarantee that I can back one into a parking stall very, very precisely. I still drive an RV with worse rearward visibility from time to time... ;)

It's going to take time, practice, and experience. Oh, and yes. If your mirrors will fit, your ambulance will too. Just don't forget overhead clearance too. Know how tall your ambulance is to the inch, including antenna stubs, bases, and roof mounted AC units.
 
One thing I haven't seen mentioned in detail yet is to learn your clearance. I've driven a number of large vehicles, including combine harvesters, and knowing how big the vehicle really is helps a lot.

When I have to drive something large that I haven't driven before, I make a point of checking my assumptions. If I think the back is within a foot of something, I go check, and see if it's really a foot. Ditto the front and sides: are they really where I think they are? I keep doing that until I'm comfortable.

I believe that (as others have said) it will become much more automatic and second nature to you as you continue to drive the rigs.
 
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