The Coach Driver’s Checklist

1 The Coach Driver s ChecklistYour life and the life of other road users depend on your alertness and reactions in an emergency!Professional driving is very demanding,so you need to stay fit, physically andmentally. Eating and drinking healthilyand taking regular exercise will helpyou to feel better, drive better and livelonger!Adjust your seat so you are sitting ascomfortably as possible, with all con-trols within easy reach. Ensure yourhead is positioned to benefit from thehead restraint in case of an sure you sit well back in the seatto avoid straining your your seat-belt if you have oneand don t forget your co-driver and /ortour guide. Going through the wind-screen is not good for you!

2 Respect the legal requirementsrelated to driving and rest or tampering with thetachograph is illegal and implies a lackof respect for human lives yours andother peoples . Use your rest rest!Don t drink alcohol before and dur-ing driving or take any kind of drugsor medication which may impairyour driving heavy mealsbefore and during driving, as these maymake you feel t continue driving if you feeldrowsy STOP! Get out of your vehi-cle, stretch your legs, get some freshair and the necessary IS EVERYTHING ELSE READY?Is everything in good working order?Have you checked the brakes, tyres(pressure and tread depth), coolant andoil? What about the mirrors, windows(can you see clearly?)

3 , windscreenwipers, lights, indicators? How aboutspecial equipment like extinguishersand snow chains? Is there any visibledamage and is the vehicle clean?Are your passengers all seatedproperly, with seatbelts fastened?Do they know where emergency equip-ment and exits are located? Are theexits freely accessible? Is their baggageevenly distributed and properly se-cured?Make sure there is no luggageobstructing the you have all the right documents?Have you inserted the tachograph disk /card? Do you have the legally requireddisks on board? Do your passengershave the appropriate travel documents?How many passengers do you haveaboard? A passenger list may not berequired by law, but could save precioustime should an accident your it include anybridges, tunnels, etc.

4 Where your vehiclemight have a problem because ofdimensions or weight? Try to make bestuse of motorways and avoid residentialareas wherever possible. Have youplanned your trip so you can take therequired breaks at the right time? Haveyou checked the weather forecast?ARE YOU PREPARED?As a Coach driver, you need to drive in a highlyresponsible manner at all times and show yourprofessionalism by anticipating and forgivingstupid or unsafe behaviour by other road users,no matter how annoying. Your behaviour canhelp save lives, improve the image of your pro-fession and help your industry in opposingincreasingly restrictive driven coaches are involved infewer road accidents per km travelled thanother vehicles.

5 However, when they areinvolved in a crash, regardless of who is toblame, the results are often more serious onaccount of their greater weight and largerdimensions. The number of passengers carriedmay also increase the severity of an the road safely a road transport sector initiativeRemember your blind angle preventsyou from seeing smaller road users(cars, motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestri-ans) close to your vehicle. Pay particularattention when turning, reversing andwhen driving on a different side of theroad from the one you are used t overtakeunless you are surethat you have enough room and will notforce other vehicles to slow keep a safe distance from thevehicle in front of you in any case, atleast the minimum legal distance.

6 Don'tforget that, the faster your drive, thegreater the separation you need and thatsafe distances increase with rain, mud,ice and snow, as well as in if your engine, brakes orretarder becomes tproceed until you are sure that there isno further risk of overheating or to anticipate problems. Avoidsudden braking and acceleration whichmay be dangerous to other road users,cause discomfort to passengers, wastefuel and generate extra speed limits and other trafficregulations at all times. Don t adoptthe bad habits of other road safely protects your life, the livesof others and your job!In the event of a breakdown, acci-dent or other major incident, informyour base and/or the local emergencyservices immediately.

7 Programmeemergency numbers into your night, dip your headlights in goodtimewhen traffic approaches from theopposite direction. Are your headlightscorrectly adjusted? Make sure yourlights and reflectors are clean so thatyour vehicle is your driving to weather roads are slippery withrain, mud, ice or snow (remember yourchains!), reduce your speed the samegoes for driving in fog, rain or in twilight,and in only where permitted. Take carenot to obstruct traffic or the vision ofother road users and avoid residentialareas. Make sure the vehicle cannotmove when unattended. Don tleaveyour engine running secure parking areas whereverpossible. Don tpark in isolated, unlitplaces, especially at night.

8 Don t tellstrangers about your passengers oritinerary. Do inspect your vehicle forsigns of unauthorised entry or tamper-ing before resuming your is illegal to use a handheld mobilephone while you need totalk on the move, get a proper hands-free system the trip, report to your companyany problems with your vehicle, theroutes you used, or the places you visit-ed, so that any necessary repairs oradjustments can be made before thenext you are a professional and you will be respected!The IRU and its Member Associations represent yourbusiness. It is their task to obtain the best possibleregulatory framework for the road transport EXTRA CARE ON THE ROADAs a professional driver, you are performing a role thatis essential for the economy and society.

9 Be proud ofyour job, be proud of your driving! 2003 IRU I-0056-1(e) 2003 IRU I-0056-1(e) 2003 IRU I-0056-1(e)