Vantai24h – Date 01/29/2016 – In extreme weather conditions, it is very necessary for drivers who specialize in transporting goods from Hanoi to mountainous areas in the north of Vietnam to equip themselves with driving skills to cope with many different types of weather.
Shipping goods from mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Bac Can, Lang Son, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Son La and so forth usually causes many difficulties for drivers because of rugged mountain roads. Even in sunny weather conditions, these routes are still very hazardous. The temperatures in the provinces of Cao Bang, Lang Son, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Dien Bien fall below 0oC, leading to heavy snow and bad traffic.
Having received from the manager’s order, driver Tham Manh Ha would transport goods from Hanoi to Sa Pa (Lao Cai Province). According to the media, Ha knew at that time Sa Pa’s temperature was only below 4oC and snow was falling heavily, making it difficult for traffic to flow. Therefore, Ha had actively accumulated necessary driving skills to ensure the safety for the journey. Ha said: “ I have never touched snow before so I feel very excited to transport goods to Sa Pa (Lao Cai) this time. Although driving under that condition is quite dangerous due to snow and slippery roads, I still want to go. It is a good opportunity for me to obtain more driving experience and see snow”.
Thanks to practical experience, Hai has accumulated some lessons as follows:
The first thing to keep in mind is to check your tires carefully. If there is any sign of poor standard, it is better to replace for the new one. Worn tires, especially bald ones, can be deadly on wet roads, where the grooves are not deep enough to channel water out from the beneath the tread. The result is hydroplaning, where the tread skims the water’s surface and the vehicle no longer responds to the steering wheel. In the meantime, you should release some air in your car’s tires to increase the area of contract between tires and the ground.
The second thing is headlights. Poor weather conditions can drastically reduce your visibility, so use headlights to make your presence clear to other road users. When driving, avoid looking directly at oncoming headlights as this can cause disorientation. Headlights on a left- hand bend need to be dipped earlier as they will cut across the vision of anyone coming towards you.
When it is snowy, roads will become more slippery so drivers must keep a average speed, control their vehicles and prepare for unexpected situations. In addition, drivers should keep the distance between vehicles in front and behind. The best distance when driving in snow should be twice as the one in normal conditions.
The final thing is that because it is very cold, many drivers often sleep in their trucks’ cabins. This is very dangerous because the possibility of lack of oxygen to breathe. Ha saw one of his friends sleeping in a closed car and became unconscious. Therefore, drivers need to pay their careful attention to this problem.
According to Ha’ s experience, we hope that drivers will have more useful knowledge to ensure safety and efficiency for transport journeys./.
