Professional drivers adopt a positive approach to driving. This means
- Looking after your passengers, yourself and your vehicle
- Planning well ahead - taking account of road and traffic conditions
- Practicing good observation
- Keeping in control
- Anticipating events.
It's essential that your vehicle is under control at all times. You must drive it with skill and plan ahead so that your vehicle is always travelling at the correct and speed and ready for your next manoeuvre.
You need to develop your awareness so that you know what is going on around you at all times. This can be achieved through
- Planning well ahead
- Anticipating - experience will soon tell you what other users are probably going to do next
- Being in control. Always plan your actions.
You must show that your standards are high at all times by driving
- Responsibility
- Carefully
- Considerately
- Courtesy.
Consider the environment. You may often have to wait for a fare, if you have to wait more than a few minutes, turn off your engine to reduce emissions and noise pollution.
As a professional driver, you have a responsibility to use your vehicle in a manner which is sympathetic to the environment. Use your skills to set an example to other road users.
Seat belts - It is always safer to wear a seat belt when driving; however taxi drivers are not required by law to wear a seat belt at all times. Drivers of hackney carriages don't need to wear a seat belt when they are on duty, but private hire drivers are only exempt when carrying a fare-paying passenger.
Communication and in-car equipment - Don't allow the use of any such equipment to distract you from driving carefully and safely. It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone or other similar device when driving. Never use a hand-held microphone when driving. Find a safe place to stop before using such equipment.
If your taxi is fitted with communications radio or telephone, you should only use it whilst driving if it's fitted with a hands-free microphone. However, even using hands-free equipment is likely to distract your attention from the road. It's far safer not to use any such equipment or try to tune the radio while driving.
Tiredness and distractions
As a professional driver you may be driving for long hours. Even though your hours aren't restricted like those of bus or coach driver, you should be aware that being on the road for a long time can be very tiring. You have a duty to yourself as well as your passengers not to drive when you're tired.
It's recommended that normally you should take a break of at least 15minutes after every two hours driving.
As a professional driver, you must make sure that you are always fit and able to concentrate for the whole of your shift.
If you know that you will have a long journey at the end of the day, for example an airport run, plan your day and rest periods so that you can accommodate this journey.
Remember, if you're carrying passengers. You can't stop in the middle of a journey to take a nap.
There are particular problems associated with driving for long periods at night and the smallest lapses of concentration can lead to loss of control. Factors causing fatigue include
- Time of day - natural alertness is at a minimum between midnight and 6am
- Lack of sleep
- Continual glare from oncoming headlights. This is very tiring on the eyes and can lead to general tiredness
- Limited lightning (street lights, pedal cycles) causing strain on the eyes when reading signs, looking for premises or seeing other vehicles.
Remember - tiredness can kill.
Be aware of distractions from your passenger s when you're driving:
- Your passengers may be talking among themselves, make sure you're not distracted by their discussions
- Your passengers may try to engage you in conversation, especially if they're not familiar with the area and are trying to obtain local information - be polite, but make sure that you are not distracted and that you can concentrate on your driving at all times.
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