I was driving past a van owned by the local utility company. On the drvier’s side of the van, behind the driver’s door, was a sticker saying “Circle Your Vehicle” as if to remind the driver to do something, I suppose. What does this mean? Perhaps it means to walk around your vehicle to make sure you’ve picked up all the traffic cones? - Jinx
They’re probably trying to prevent the type of accidents that occur when the driveer backs out and runs over a small child behind the van. Those things have a pretty good sized blind spot behind them.
Perhaps they’re being urged to inspect their vehicles for underinflated tires as a safety precaution?
Many utility companies have safety program called “Circle of Safety”. As **Bill Door **said they are trying to avoid running over small children, pets and other objects not visible in their mirrors.
About 2,500 kids are run over each year by their own parents in backing up accidents.
I just remember the old Police Quest adventure game. If you didn’t do a walk-around inspection before driving off in the cruiser, you’d get about half a block before it broke down.
Every utility truck I’ve ever seen parked, even in a parking lot, places cones at the back and front of the vehicle. This way, the driver is guaranteed to inspect the area around their vehicle before they move it.
Cite?
This page from the St Louis Children’s Hospital mentions “almost two (children killed) per week”, but I can’t find anything on the number of non-fatal accidents.
For non-fatalities, I’ve also found stats saying one Australian child is run over each week, so do the maths on a population of 21 million for something which might give an estimate for the United States.
When I worked for the government, we were supposed to do a daily vehicle
circle check
Kind of silly, of course, but that’s the government for you.
I’m guessing the same line of reasoning why cable and other utility trucks are often required by the company to put a orange traffic cone behind it when parked. I recall reading about how it started when several years ago a truck reversed over a kid who was for some reason, playing behind it. The cone I guess forces the driver to physically go back to the rear and retrieve the cone, and at the same time making sure there’s no obstacles there.
here is a simple tip,
back your vehicle INTO the parking space and then drive it out.
the idea is basic, you want to do your backing when you can see the dangers involved and as you approach your driveway or parking space its very easy to see whats going on and things are less likely to change in a few moments than they are in hours or overnight.
That advice would have benefited the two chuckleheads in a Comcast van that I passed on my way home last night. As I turned the corner onto my street, they pulled away from the curb at a house down the street from mine and the spool of coaxial cable that had been sitting on their rear bumper fell off and rolled across the street toward me, at an angle, so I had to slam on the brakes. I got out and put it back by the curb where they had been sitting. Maybe they’ll be back for it…
Idiots.
Circle the vehicles! The Direct TV renegades are comin’ over the ridge!
When I’m out at a disaster in my ARC Chapter’s ECRV, we do a walk-around. We have jacks that we put down when we put up the 52’ antenna mast or the satellite dish, we can’t see out the back because of an equipment rack tah spans the entire width and height of the interior, and with all of stuff we unpack from the back, who knows what we’d forget. It’s always a good idea, especially when you have limited visibility from the driver’s seat.
Vlad/Igor
Assuming their sources are correct, 52 x 52 = 2,704 per year. My previous post implied they all were killed but that’s not what I meant. Sorry for any confusion.
Aren’t they also supposed to lay down a chalk line to contain the demon energy inside their vehicle?
a) I bet this is it as I’ve heard the company is BIG on this practice, but!
b) I don’t get it. Like, you won’t hit anyone backing into a space? People and cars behind you are thrown off-guard by this practice because you MUST first drive past the spot you intend to take! Ergo, it looks like you passed up a parking spot to the car behind you. And as for pedestrians, they can come up from all sides at any time unexpectedly passing near your vehicle without a care in the world.
So, how is this any safer than head-in parking? - Jinx 
Exactly my thoughts. You forget to walk around and check you tires one time and the second you got on the road you lost control and died game over. I wouldn’t have hated it so much if checking your car ever found anything. It was only if you didn’t check it.
Circling your vehicle is smart.
It lets you check for kids, and other things you may not want to back over, look at the tires, and make sure that the back doors of your van are closed and secure, that you haven’t forgotten to load a box or other materials, and if an incident does occur, you have a good reason to assert that “that dent/scratch/flaming hole” wasn’'t there when I started out.
nerdy but not pointless, I guess…
Regards
FML
I agree with those who think it is silly. I think it should all stop along with pre-flight checks and check lists for aircraft. Nothing ever is caught by those things. Heck, just ask me, I know because I are smart… If it makes no sense to me, it can’t be right…