Safety Tips from your Pizza Driver
April 28th, 2008 by Ana
Saturday night I had some guy tailgating my back bumper on a dark country road. When I turned onto the two-lane highway, he stayed on my back bumper and almost got himself T-boned by oncoming traffic that I was able to easily clear but he shouldn’t have even tried. This is just the latest example of how unsafe some people drive!
As a pizza delivery driver, I see all kinds of examples of unsafe driving and even some very nasty car wrecks. As a “public safety announcement” I thought I would list a few of them here (and to vent a bit).
Unsafe Driving Practices
- SPEEDING: along with killing your fuel efficiency and gas mileage (MPG), speeding is not a safe thing to do! It becomes especially unsafe on the curvy twisting country roads I often deliver on, and is a hazard in town where you might not have the time or distance to stop for a traffic light.
- RUNNING RED LIGHTS: I understand some yellow lights are very short (I don’t know why) and sometimes people can’t stop in time, but running a red light is dangerous because there are folks who feel a need to to do an extreme “quick start” or “jackrabbit start” off the line as soon as their side turns green, and some jump off that line so fast you have to wonder if they drag race in their spare time! I’ve seen T-bone wrecks that require the rescue squad, the “jaws of life” and at least two ambulances or even a life-flight helicopter, not to mention the fire trucks, police vehicles, and of course a flatbed wrecker or two to haul what’s left of the car off. Really, it ain’t worth it … especially if they have to call the coroner instead of an ambulance.
- TAILGATING: This one really chaps my (donkey) big time. I drive a stick shift, which means I will likely slow down without using my brakes! Also, that lighted sign on top of my car says I am WORKING, and if I am going slowly I may be hunting for an address or road … so driving three inches off my back bumper with your high-beams on will NOT make me go any faster. No, you are not “drafting” either, because before you get close enough to actually draft I will have slammed on my brakes to get you to back off. I am older than most tailgaters, and have much better insurance rates … and YOU will get the ticket for failing to maintain a proper following distance.
- FLASHING HIGH-BEAM HEADLIGHTS: I really don’t understand this one at all. Why do people feel a need to flash their high-beam lights at me when oncoming? Do they think they are being cute? Or are they just that much of a total jack(donkey)? People in tall trucks seem to do it much more than small car drivers, and it really does temporarily blind me. It’s even more annoying than those (donkeys) who tailgate with their high-beams on.
Now, for a non-driving but even more important safety tip: MAKE SURE YOUR HOUSE NUMBER IS EASILY VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD!!! As a pizza driver, this would help me immensely in my job. You may even think it’s amusing to see me go past your driveway three times hunting for your house with my lighted pizza sign showing how hard a time I am having … but will it be just as amusing when you have a life-threatening situation and it’s the ambulance, fire truck, or police car who can’t find your house?!? Use reflective house numbers that are two inches tall or larger, and make sure they can be seen from the road even during the late summer when bushes and trees have all of their leaves. Folks, if the pizza driver who is up and down your road regularly can’t find your house at night, the ambulance driver won’t be able to find it easily either.
Now, for a few tips to make your pizza driver feel safe:
- Turn on your porch light! It helps us find your house a little easier, and there are some neighborhoods I’ve delivered into that were not safe in the dark. I carry a large 3 D-cell Mag-Lite flashlight for occasions like that … not just for the light either. I often tell customers that “porch lights attract pizza drivers.”
- Don’t leave things laying across your sidewalk at night, especially if you don’t bother to turn on that porch light. I’ve tripped over all manner of things just trying to get to a house’s porch. If you think I am just whining, pretend I am a paramedic and your child is choking and blue … then maybe it won’t sound as trivial.
- If your dog may be aggressive, put it up. I have nothing against dogs, or even big dogs (I own a 130 pound Rottweiler). But I get a little nervous when a customer is at the door yelling at me to stay in my car while they catch and contain their dog. If you have someone coming to your house, get Cujo in his pen or on a leash … before my tires hit your driveway.
These are just a few safety pointers from my experience as a pizza driver. I am sure other drivers can chime in with more.
Posted in pizza delivery |
April 28th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Great list of safety tips. My brother used to deliver to some rough areas of town and he had a policy to never walk up to a house with no lights on (inside and outside lights, that is). Sometimes it was difficult to tell if the living area was in the back, but his rule of thumb was no lights, no pizza. He even went so far as to call the number provided on the order and ask them to turn their lights on to make sure he was at the right house. If he got no answer, he left - could have been a set up.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:18 am
these venting posts are my favorite ones.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am
People are flashing their lights at you for one of four reasons:
1) Your lights are off
2) Your high beams are on
3) Your headlights are misaligned making them them think your high beams are on
4) There is a speed trap around the next corner
Why complain about them being nice?
April 28th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Wow, I can’t believe that you’ve had enough experiences to have to spell this out for people. That is just sad. What ever happened to manners?
April 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
FrugalDad: I don’t blame your brother one bit. Even delivering in the “safe” side of town I get a little uneasy walking up to a totally dark house.
Nicole: Drivers with manners have become the minority
Every weekend I see rude drivers, but unfortunately I don’t see well-mannered drivers every weekend (they do still exist, and often can make my shift during rush hour!)
Traciatim: I appreciate the possible suggestions
1) “Lights on for safety!” I never drive without my headlights unless the sun is shining brightly. I like to make sure I can be seen.
2) I make sure the oncoming traffic can see me put my high-beams down to eliminate this possibilty.
3) I’ll have to check my light alignment.
4) I know where the speed traps are better than anyone who isn’t a pizza driver LOL and cannot remember a single time when I saw one after being flashed.
About 90% of the time it is a tall truck who waits until they are only 10-20 yards in front of me to flash me. I also do NOT get flashed like this when I do not have my pizza sign on top of the car! The reason I complain is because IT TEMPORARILY BLINDS ME, and if the other vehicle has halogen lights I will literally see spots for about 10-30 seconds after it. So even if the person is trying to “be nice” they are creating a SAFETY HAZARD for the person they are trying to “help” especially if it is at close range.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I’ll only flash people if they’re doing something really dumb like driving in both lanes or drifting into oncoming traffic. Or if they have their lights off (again, dumb at night…but that could be forgetful if they stated in a brightly-lit spot).
All good tips. I’ll try not to run down the pizza taxi!
April 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Excellent tips. I’ve been without a car for about a year…don’t even miss it.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Great tips. As a paramedic, I can tell you that you are 100% right about the hard to find house numbers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven past a house with no numbers on it, only to have some angry person come running outside and get mad at us for not psychically knowing that was the house. Not to mention I know the 911 operator tells them to have someone stand outside to help us find it easier.
Great driving tips, too. Personally I hate it when I see people “playing games” on the road. It is not funny to block cars in or race through traffic.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Excellent advice. I feel really bad for Pizza Drivers. I think you should ALL be allowed to carry. Like the Dominoes driver who would have been killed if he hadn’t been. And then he got fired. Which is why I won’t order from them ever again.
Keep up the great work. You bring convenience and yummies.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Great post! I love the realistic correlation you’ve drawn between getting your pizza faster and having your life saved faster. I mean, come on! There’s a reason we post house numbers! If they’re impossible to read, what’s the point in putting them up in the first place?
April 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Good tips…I hope people listen up, and not just so they get their pizzas on time.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
My biggest pet-peeve/ safety issue when it comes to driving is when people cross the solid white line, and it’s annoying offspring that I call back-cutting. Those solid white lines are there for a reason, not just to irritate you. In Phoenix, AZ, it is illegal to cross into the solid white “triangle” on freeway ramps because cops tend to park there during traffic stops and several have been killed. My problem with it is if I am in front, and the person behind me whips out and starts to pass me, when I am trying to change lanes too (with my blinker on and they usually know way ahead of time), then I have to either stop traffic by slowing down, or speed up and try to get in front of them. I have several times almost hit someone who crosses the line and then gets into my blind spot. And I am a careful driver. And the person who crossed the line is usually irrate. If they had just waited their turn, they would have been fine.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Good safety tips…as a former pizza delivery driver, I have seen a lot of these examples. It is ironic how pizza drivers have got bad reputations over the years about speeding, but in reality, it’s just a microchasm of society. And about the house lights, why many people don’t keep them on at night when they know a delivery is coming is beyond me. My porch light has a short and keeps going on and off, so I pick my pizzas up or order before it gets dark.
Not trying to get off topic but since this is a money blog and you deliver pizzas, have you checked out www.tipthepizzaguy.com? Pretty cool website about tipping etiquette and “road” stories; I blogged about it recently. I think you will definitely be able to relate.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Dave, TTPG is in my list of links to the right —>
I also blogged about tipping the pizza driver a couple months ago
April 30th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Sorry, missed your post on tipping that referenced the site.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:37 am
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