4e – Defensive Driving
4e – DEFENSIVE DRIVING
It's a War Zone Out There !...
You may be an excellent driver but most of the time the danger is not from you but the others, and it may come upon you at any time.
You have probably seen a war movie, or played war games on a console, so imagine you are patrolling in a war zone. Everyone could be the enemy so you are paying attention to everything and keep watching all around you. As a driver, you are in charge: your life and the life of your friends depend on your awareness and readiness.
Be aware, be prepared, always!
BE CONFIDENT, NOT OVER-CONFIDENT
You should be relaxed when driving but at the same time, you must be very vigilant as you know the enemy is somewhere and may come upon you anytime. Watch over your shoulder!
In Nature, animals act the same way; try to surprise a bird on its branch or a resting cat… Like any animal they are ALWAYS IN ALERT MODE, they can even see what is coming behind them as if they had a rear-view mirror. It is a matter of survival!. Same thing on the road for any driver; everyone else must be considered a potential enemy.
The thing is, the enemy does not know he/she is the enemy, but their negligence or inexperience makes them dangerous, not counting any potential mechanical failure.
As a driver, you must spot them and avoid them without causing an accident yourself. Your subconscious mind must analyze in a split of a second what’s the best action to take. And to do this, you must NOT ALLOW ANY DISTRACTION IN YOUR CAR. (and the best way to train your subconscious mind is; ( you guest it ! ) Read your topics and do not guess quizzes answers… 🙂
it’s a war zone out there! Watch this video to see what I mean:
AND TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND BY READING YOUR TOPICS, SO IT WILL KNOW HOW TO REACT WITHOUT ASKING QUESTIONS, OR GUESSING.
HOW THE SUBCONCIOUS MIND WORKS:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND?.
What is Defensive Driving?
This picture may be a bad example because EVERYONE pays attention when driving on this road. no driver is going to turn around to talk to passengers… EVERY DRIVER IS IN A DEFENSIVE STATE OF MIND.
The mile-long treacherous road has 3,300 feet of sheer vertical drop (1000 meters).
As a long-distance bus driver for snow ski trips in the Alps from Paris, I used to drive this road weekly in the ’70s. (It has been upgraded since)
( Comb Laval Road, Col de la Machine, Vercors, France.), In some narrow curves, the “retaining” wall was no higher than 1 foot to allow buses to take the curve. From the driver’s seat by looking at the side window, I could see the bottom of the canyon right under my feet 3,300 feet below… a cow would look like a simple dot.
Pierre
So you see, people think this road is VERY dangerous. I say it is not because people pay attention.
A deserted road in the countryside is way more dangerous because any potential danger is hidden, and you are paying less attention to the road.
Distraction is the killer!!!! Defensive driving is being aware to prevent any potential danger wherever you are.
Col de la Machine, Vercors, French Alps, 3,283 feet vertical drop
Nice scenery! But you do not want to look at it if you drive
NO DISTRACTION ALLOWED
ANTICIPATE THE WORST:
Imagine that you are driving on a highway and you see a car coming from a small crossing road on your right. It should have a stop sign and you should not be worried about it, right? Yet, instinctively, your eyes should check your back and left mirrors. WHY? Because in case that car does not stop for any reason, your subconscious mind will know that you can safely swerve on the left if needed to avoid an accident. If not, you may create an accident and put yourself in the wrong for getting out of your lane.
That is why your subconscious mind HAS TO BE AWARE OF THE SURROUNDINGS ALL THE TIME.
Your eyes are its radar! If a danger arises, it would be like in the movies when the action is played in extreme slow motion
Remember “The Matrix”? – Many things happen in a split second. Your brain “thinks” but its reaction time is way too long. Your subconscious mind does not lose time thinking, it is acting on impulse and it is called instinct. You will react before you even realize what happened as if “someone else” had taken the wheel, thanks to knowledge, experience, practice, and awareness.
Anticipate potential danger and be ahead of the game!
Always anticipate what may be coming behind hidden curves.
As an example, be aware that a bus needs to get to the opposite lane in sharp turns.
Defensive driving is being alert, being vigilant at all times, and reacting accordingly, preparing yourself for all unexpected events.
Even if you follow all the traffic laws, rules and regulations, and safe practices, you are not alone on the road.
When you’re driving, there are other vehicles around you and some of the drivers don’t always follow the rules. On top of this, numerous unexpected hazards including mechanical failure can come up at any time, triggering a chain of events that could spell disaster.
Being vigilant is carefully noticing problems or signs of danger and you will be surprised at how the human brain works. In a split of a second, your subconscious mind senses the imminent danger, engages itself as an auto-pilot, and takes control, commanding your body.
.Because of the extreme emergency, your subconscious mind bypasses the brain chain of command and acts instinctively according to your previous training or experiences you had.
In a split of second, before your brain has even the time to think, your subconscious mind analyses all options available according to your surroundings and does everything that is needed to avoid catastrophe before you had even the time to realize what happened.
Awareness, knowledge, and training are key.
Like in the army, the QG is powerless without info from the intelligence. Your eyes are the QG’s drones and must be constantly aware of the surroundings. Do not let any distractions ruin your life.
Awareness
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Predict, prepare, avert: being constantly aware of your surroundings helps you predict potential dangers and other drivers’ reactions to you. This could also be a chain reaction triggered by unexpected events several cars ahead of you.
This will prepare you to properly react in time and avert any possible accidents.
This chain of events takes only a few seconds to develop, that is why it is important to be constantly aware of your surroundings and be vigilant, even (and especially) when you least expect an incident to occur. If you are aware and prepared, always knowing what is around you, you will never be taken by surprise. Strangely enough, each second will seem to last forever as you will see everything happening in slow motion, thus giving you plenty of time to take the proper action. That is your subconscious mind at work! I call it my co-pilot, someone may call it a guardian angel, but if you switch off the radar (your eyes and full attention) your “co-pilot” will be sleeping and will not be responding in time.
KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING AT ALL TIMES.to effectively be aware of your entourage and spot a possible danger. Although they are very slow to move, Chameleons do it all the time, this is for their natural defense.
This action is widely known as S-I-P-D-E
The S-I-P-D-E process is a system taught in Driver’s Ed classes to help drivers drive safely.
S-I-P-D-E
What S-I -P – D- E stands for?
It is a five-step procedure to help you get alert and aware of your surrounding.
- S — SWEEP/SEARCH/SCAN (SSS is better than SOS) thus the Chameleon who does it all the times!
- I — IDENTIFY HAZARDS,
Look at road-way features, take notice of things that could cause trouble or danger -Use your left side mirror, ahead of you, rear-view mirror, right view mirror, and back.
A fast and simple glimpse is enough; do not keep looking at the scenery. The most danger comes from the front as you are traveling, but roadsides, and even behind you are important. - P — PREDICT POTENTIAL DANGER
which hazards could potentially come into conflict with you. Predict 2 things:
1- Worst case scenario,
2- Possible actions. - D — DECIDE ON A SAFEST ACTION –
That is when you have the time to think. Sometimes, that is done by your subconscious mind as the human brain is way too slow. So keep your subconscious mind aware of your surroundings. - E — EXECUTE SAFE ACTION
but most of the time, as explained before, if you are aware of your surroundings, you do not have to think about it to execute the proper action, your subconscious mind has already done everything that was needed, thanks to AWARENESS, training, and experience…This process saves drivers from getting into accidents. It did it for me over 55 years of driving any type of vehicle on the most dangerous roads.
Scanning – Identifying
These skills should be practiced on multi-lane arterial streets with some traffic present. Speeds should range from 35 to 45 mph. It is important to reinforce visual search and following distance skills.
The new driver must learn how to anticipate the actions of other drivers and other roadway users such as bicycles, pedestrians, and animals. There are important habits you need to develop.
• Scan ahead: This gives you the time and space for decision-making and vehicle control. Reinforce the practice of searching ahead at least 12 seconds.
• Scan the ground: Looking at sidewalks, parked cars, and the vehicles in front of you will alert you to pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles about to change lanes, kids, or animals about to cross the road.
• Keep scanning: Don’t allow your eyes to rest in one area. Keep them moving to see all of the changes in conditions as you drive up your intended path of travel.
What is the other driver or the pedestrian doing? Where is their attention directed? Are they aware or distracted?
Try to predict the chain reaction. Anticipate other drivers’ reactions that may interact with your path.
Identify possible conflicts well in advance and take the proper action to compensate. Slowing down is not always the answer, it may sometimes make things worse.
STAY ALERT
Be ready for the unexpected
If a cat suddenly dashes in front of your wheels, that means it is probably chased by a dog.
If you see a ball bouncing across the street expect a kid running after it, followed by his mother in a panic.
If a car is stopped at a green light before a pedestrian crossing, for no apparent reason, ASK YOURSELF WHY AND BE PREPARED FOR SOMETHING YOU DO NOT SEE YET. That may be because a blind person or a kid is crossing or maybe a duck family… If a dog is crossing, a kid maybe running after him, etc…
How to Stay Centered in Your Lane
Beginner Drivers & recommended driving distances
THE MINIMUM FOLLOWING DISTANCE IN NEVADA IS (TWO) 2 SECONDS.
Less than 2 seconds is considered Tailgating.
It does not seem much but in 2 seconds at 60mhp yo cover 160 feet. Many instructors recommend 3 or even 4 seconds for beginner drivers. (like the video below)
As you will gain experience and confidence you will realize that in two (2) seconds it is still a safe distance as you are watching way ahead of the car in front of you. On busy traffic, especially on the left lane, if you leave too much space, cars will cut in front of you constantly and that may be potentially dangerous too.
You do not HAVE to follow at 2-second-distance if you do not feel comfortable but if it is the case you should not travel on the left lane of a freeway.
When you have a great space ahead other drivers will try to fit in. If you notice a car passing you expect the same car to pull right in front of you, maybe a bit too close as the driver may be upset and want to show it to you. Do not accelerate then. That will make the other driver more upset, just let it go and even slow down a bit so it will not cut you off too short, or drive on the right lane.
REMEMBER THAT THE FASTER YOU GO, THE LONGEST THE GAP IS IN A 2-SECOND TIME.
LESS THAN 2 SECONDS IS CONSIDERED TOO CLOSE. See lesson 5 /topic 5a.
And as a reminder, this 2-second minimum distance is only IF weather and road condition allows it.
VIDEO FOR BEGINNERS: (3-seconds beginner’s rule)
End of Topic 4e ” Defensive Driving”
Next Step: Topic 4f: ” Highway System”