CITY SMART / How to thrive in the urban environment of Southern California : This Question Follows a Lot of Drivers Around

Even the coroner’s vans now have them.

They are those ubiquitous “How Am I Driving?” signs on the back of commercial vehicles from 18-wheelers to delivery vans.

Does anybody ever call?

“Calls have increased dramatically as car phones have proliferated,” said Alex Crawford, executive vice president of Driver Check International, which fields about 5,000 calls a month for trucking companies. “Our phones really ring off the hook these days.”

Callers report dangerous and discourteous drivers. Sometimes, they report illegal activity, such as the trucker who either forgot or didn’t care that an 800 number was displayed on his rig as he pulled over to the curb in a notorious red light district.

Every now and then, compliments are phoned in--about drivers, for example, who stop to aid stranded motorists.

The program is more than a way for motorists to get back at big bad truckers. It can reduce a company’s insurance costs.

And it has been so successful that parents of teen-agers are applying stickers to family cars reading, “How Am I Driving? Call Mom or Dad?” and listing a toll-free number.

The most common complaints about truckers are speeding, unsafe lane changes and tailgating.

Signs can be found on all kinds of vehicles, including exterminator trucks. (“Is My Driving Bugging You?”) Most county vehicles have the signs.

John DiPrato, whose Florida-based Driver’s Alert fields calls for trucking companies, said his clients now include ambulance companies.

“They want to find out before they have a problem,” he said. In one case, the company received a tip about a driver smoking in an ambulance carrying explosive gas.

A worker at a fuel stop noticed that one trucker was acting in a peculiar fashion and called the 800 number. Operators alerted police, who stopped the driver just as he was taking his tanker truck onto the freeway and arrested him for driving under the influence of drugs. Truck hijackings also have been reported.

Crawford said his Atlanta-based service requests the caller’s name and telephone number so the trucking companies can follow up if they need more information.

“We’re very sensitive to false and vindictive reports,” he said. “If the caller refuses to give his name and telephone number, we’re not sure whether the report is totally credible.”

He said that 94% of callers give their names. Even if the callers refuse to identify themselves, the services pass on the information to the trucking companies, and let them decide whether the tip is legitimate.

Companies take a range of action against drivers, depending on the frequency of complaints. Discipline can range from a warning to firing. Drivers receiving compliments are sometimes rewarded with bonuses.

Truckers have mixed reactions to the signs. Some don’t mind. Others say “How Am I Driving?” signs ought to be on cars, too.

Indeed, CHP figures show that car drivers are to blame for a majority of fatal and injury accidents that involve big rigs.

“Car drivers need to be very much aware of safety as well,” said James H. Lewis, spokesman for the American Trucking Assns.

“Don’t cut in front of a truck,” he advises. “A truck going 55 m.p.h. needs a football field to stop.”

“Don’t linger alongside a truck,” he added. “Don’t follow too closely behind a truck. If you cannot see the driver of the truck in the side view mirror, then the truck driver cannot see you.”

As for the signs, one trucker said, “They all but say, ‘This driver is going to do something stupid, unsafe, illegal and probably criminal, and we want you to catch him.’ How do I feel about it? Angry, betrayed, very upset.”

Another driver put his own sticker on his rig: “If you don’t like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk.”

“The good drivers like it because they get patted on the back,” Crawford said. “The bad drivers don’t because they get caught.”