Commissioned by the Directorate General of Freight Transport, AVV Transport Research Centre has investigated to what extent misunderstandings between truck and passenger car drivers about each other's situation lead to truck-car accidents. Other possible accident causes have also been looked into. Part of the research has been performed by AVV, and part of the research has been contracted out to the DHV Group. The study consisted of a literature study, an analysis of accident statistics and a qualitative part, in which the opinions and ideas of car drivers, truck drivers, transport managers and several experts were considered. The current report contains the recapitulation of all these activities. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: (1) The types of road on which most accidents between trucks and cars take place, are not the types of road car drivers and truck drivers mainly experience problems with each other; (2) Car drivers do not bear in mind several characteristics of freight traffic. This mainly concerns the braking distance, the dead angles, and the necessity and recognition of certain manoeuvres; (3) Among truck drivers, there is impatience and irritation concerning car drivers. This leads to dangerous behaviour, in particular to driving behind a passenger car at a short distance; and (4) truck drivers often work under a lot of time pressure, because they are the last link in a logistic chain. This adds to their impatience.
Abstract