What a stupid question I hear you say, does he think I don't know how to drive. I have been driving for 20/30/40, plus years.
O.K.,O.K. of course I don't think that! Please take a moment out and listen to what I've got to say. After all, for 20 years I have taught the most questioning drivers, Police Officers. I have opened their eyes to develop their driving to the highest level for roads in Britain.
What I am referring to in this article is to do with attitude of mind. I will be explaining things to you when you may have slipped into a comfortable rut, with no one to tell you otherwise. Thereby lies danger, every bit as dangerous as a young person with the ' I'm immortal ' approach.
Do you say to yourself " This could be the day I die in or on this vehicle?" No, of course you don't, if that were in your mind, you may never want to drive. Some times I wish that particular drivers would genuinely think about it, when they are driving without due care or even outright recklessly.
Again you hear, "see that junction, or that bend, it's dangerous." Try standing in a safe place by these so called dangerous spots and count how many vehicles negotiate that hazard safely, in 30 minutes, or an hour, or what ever period you think proves my point. If all of those vehicles negotiated it safely why do some say it's dangerous? Take away the drivers and there would be no danger.
Many of the drivers who have accidents are actually locals. This is often down to a complacency that comes over drivers " Oh I'm nearly home I can relax, I know this area like the back of my hand."
It's even more scary because they have been round a bend or through a junction so many times it's going to be as clear as it was when they did this yesterday and the day before and the day before that.
Why on this occasion should there not be a car stopped on the left-hand side of the road just round the bend, with it's off-side door open, and a lorry coming the other way just as you swan round that same old corner.
It always happens to someone else. Try to adopt an attitude of driving on roads you know well, as if you have never driven on them before.
Let's look at a real life situation that could have been one of those where someone could have 'died in the right,' but my experience thankfully helped to saved the day.
I was travelling south on the A.9. on a two-lane dual-carriageway with a 70 mph speed limit towards a junction. This was before the recent changes that have improved safety all round.
Before reaching the actual junction, which is on the left with an inter-section in the middle for north-bound right turners. The dual-carriageway reduces to one lane on the near-side, with a ghost island, that's the diagonal white lines painted on the road surface that on this occasion had short dashed white lines bordering it's left-hand side for it's full length.
There was also a reduction in the speed limit down to 50 mph with a speed camera and the appropriate road signs and markings.
As is usual most of the drivers who would never look at an over-take on the following two-way section of this road, do their best to get past just that last car before coming in to the near-side lane as was clearly indicated by road markings and large signs, well back from this part of the forthcoming hazard.
I was at the front of a closed up line of about 7/8 followers of various cars/vans. I had shown my brake lights early, because of the speed limits and in case some might have missed the fact that a speed-camera was imminent.
I could see an articulated lorry turn from my left, just as I reached the junction. It was now going along a short slip-road to join us on the single south-bound lane. He was determined with his indicator on to come straight out into my lane as I was now just past his tail-end.
Bearing in mind who and with what attitude was following me, I changed down to third gear, signalled right and accelerated onto the ghost-island and away from the lorry. Two others followed me, maybe because I was positive, I don't know.
I know that because of my back-ground I could legally do this, even before it happened. See the new Highway Code Para 130 refers. The particular words that say you can go onto these ghost-islands with the short dashed white-line boarders are :- ' if it is necessary ' In my view it was absolutely necessary purely for safety reasons. Knowing this made my move very calm, positive and easy.
More recently, the bordering line of the above ghost island, is now a solid white line. Given all the above circumstances, you are still allowed to do the same thing as I did above. You can cross or straddle a solid white line if it is safe to do so.
Dying in the right? The attitude of some drivers is as follows " He should not come out of a side road, onto a main road without giving way to traffic on that main road "
Only those drivers taught to deal with emergency calls would cover this sort of situation in their training. I am therefore aware of a large gap in all drivers training that can save lives, this is the main reason behind my articles.
For now, just one more situation you will see every day .You are on a two-lane dual-carriageway or Motor Way, a slip-road off is coming up about 1 mile ahead with slow heavies in front of you in the near-side lane.
Use your mirrors, signal and move out as you approach the slip-road off.
When drivers do this they often return straight back to the near-side lane, because they were taught that, according to the Highway Code, once you have over-taken move back to the near-side lane as soon as possible.'
Again without doing any other training, it breeds a certain black and white attitude to some situations. The above is one such set of circumstances.
The potential danger after returning to the left-hand lane is the slip-road down/up from the near-side, for traffic joining your road. The awkward angles for those vehicles joining your road may cause them to miss you as you could easily be in their blind spot.
Even after signs that point out that ' traffic is joining from the near-side, ' drivers are often seen coming into the near-side lane particularly when the joining slip-road initially looks empty. There are often lamp posts on the slip roads, as another clue to where it actually is.
Stay out until you can see the slip road in your near-side mirror, then signal when the left-hand lane is clear, and still using your mirrors, come over steadily.
One of my phrases often used in tuition ( see above situation ) " you are a reactionary driver, rather than what we are trying hard to make you, an anticipating driver. This is really the secret to safety at any speed, but the faster you go the earlier you need to start doing something in anticipation, and that is implementing the System of Car Control, or the police method of driving.
Many a student thought they were on an Advanced Driving Course when in fact they were on an anticipating course. If you read all my articles and comply with the advice, it will make you more of an anticipating driver. Therefore safer and alive. You can still get lots of enjoyment out of doing things early and saying silently to your self, “ I knew that was going to happen.”genuinely.
Think of this :- Step out 15 large steps. It is approximately 44 feet in old money. That is how far you travel at 30 mph in one ( 1 ) second. Then of course you have to start doing something, thinking, braking and weather conditions, all add to the overall stopping distance.
Step this out and put a person at each end and ask yourself 'how many people could get between them, for instance in a bus queue?' Who drives at 30 mph all the time? We are all human and with all the training in the world you will find yourself over the speed limit on occasions. Most drivers cannot resist the temptation, some do not care.
It's a sobering thought to just think how far you travel at say 40/50/60/70/80/90/100 100+ in one second. Too many drivers go at those speeds with very little training, scary. It brings me back to my original word, anticipation. It's not the total answer but by heck it helps.
Look out for my next tips on anticipation, they could save your life.
TAKE CARE OUT THERE, NO ONE CAN DO IT FOR YOU.
DAN MOONIE
No comments:
Post a Comment