The SAS Survival Driver’s Handbook. John Wiseman
in a similar accident within the next year.
All too often when we take risks, we try to justify them instead of taking a critical look at our attitude and driving practices. That needs to change if you want to be a safe driver, because otherwise you will go on repeating those risks and having accidents or narrowly avoiding them.
Start by making an adjustment in the way you assess your own performance as a driver. Recognize your limitations. If you are middle-aged, don’t think that because you are experienced you cannot be involved in an accident. If you are a mature driver, adapt your driving habits to fit your physical abilities. Drive shorter distances, stay out of heavy traffic, and try to stick to familiar routes. Drivers of all ages should review their driving from a safety angle. Do you routinely leave for work at the last minute and use aggressive tactics to get you through rush-hour traffic regardless of the risks? Can you honestly say that you always match your speed to your vision and the prevailing road surface conditions? Do you enjoy the thrill of danger? Do you think that your fast cornering, rapid acceleration and breathtaking manoeuvres impress others? In safety terms, you’re a disaster. It’s definitely luck rather than judgement that has kept you alive thus far.
The more routine an action becomes, the harder it can be to change. Advanced driving lessons can help you to re-evaluate your driving and improve your standards, and there’s the added incentive of a reduction in insurance premiums if you pass the advanced driving test at the end.
• Each child in turn adds up the number plate of the car coming in the opposite direction. The highest score wins.
• Each child picks a colour. Every time they spot a car of that colour they score a point. The winner is the first one to 30.
• Play ‘first one to spot…’ Before setting off on the journey give each child a list of objects which they must spot — bridge, church, canal, types of animals, trees, road sign, etc. Each of these can be a point of discussion and explanation.
No driving test can assess attitude — for the duration of the test all candidates are on their very best behaviour, suppressing negative tendencies like aggressive behaviour and risk-taking. Unfortunately, once the test is over, there’s a tendency to forget about the rules of the road and the need for courtesy to other road users. Getting there in a hurry becomes all important, and drivers will risk their lives to gain a few seconds. As traffic grinds to a halt on congested roads and motorways, stress levels can reach the point where drivers show no tolerance for one another and ‘road rage’ breaks out.
Why do otherwise normal, law-abiding people turn into violent maniacs when they get behind the wheel? Research surveys show that most road-rage offenders believe themselves to be the victims of someone else’s bad driving. They interpret some simple incident like being overtaken or cut in on as a threat, and respond aggressively. Or they react to antisocial behaviour, such as driving too slowly or hogging the overtaking lane, by setting out to teach the other driver a lesson. This leads to headlight flashing, horn tooting, obscene gestures and verbal abuse, which can in turn escalate into tailgating or deliberately obstructing the other vehicle’s progress. While this sort of activity is going on, those involved get so caught up in the battle that they lose sight of the risks they are taking. They ignore the traffic around them, the condition of the road surface, and the rules of the road, particularly the speed limit.
To combat road rage:
STAY CALM. Avoid letting yourself get stressed. Concentrate on your driving. Don’t get into the car fuming over a row you’ve just had — that’s giving road rage a head start. Don’t set yourself an impossible deadline which the traffic won’t allow you to keep — leave plenty of time for your journey, plan for delays. Play soothing music, think calmly and logically about the task in hand — giving a running commentary on your driving may help to focus the mind. When you feel the stress mounting, try counting to ten or deep breathing exercises, or pull over when safe to do so and take a break. If you know you are overwrought and having difficulty controlling your emotions, don’t drive. Seek counselling or take steps to sort yourself out before you do something you’ll regret.
BE TOLERANT. You’re not a mind reader, so why assume that the other driver is deliberately trying to annoy you? Chances are it’s a genuine mistake, so let it go. And when you make a mistake yourself, take an apologetic and courteous attitude. Most people respond in kind, so courtesy will smooth over a potentially explosive situation, while abuse will make it worse.
CONCENTRATE on your driving. Remember, safety is paramount. Think of the consequences dangerous driving can have.
DISENGAGE. Don’t let it get personal — even if you’re certain the other driver’s action was deliberate, do not retaliate or engage in vehicle combat. It’s not your place to teach anyone a lesson. Sooner or later, dangerous drivers get their just deserts with no help from you. When someone drives like an accident waiting to happen, your priority should be to get out of the disaster zone before it’s too late. Even though it’s galling to let them have their own way, in the interests of self-preservation you must resist the impulse to take up their challenge. Let them think you’re a coward — better that than to be pronounced dead.
For further tips on what to do if you become a victim of someone else’s road rage, see Under Attack.
Drivers don’t only take risks when aggression and stress cause them to lose all sense of caution. Some do it for the thrill of danger, or to impress others, or because they enjoy the illusion of being in control of a powerful car at high speeds. Young male drivers are particularly at risk. Often they think that the speed of their reactions is fast enough to cope, but in many cases a fast reaction will be the wrong reaction, because they haven’t allowed themselves time to consider all the possible implications. Even on an empty road, with no other traffic to contend with, speeding kills. In nearly 20 per cent of accidents, no other vehicle is involved.
Driving without due care:
• overtaking on the inside
• driving too close to another vehicle
• driving through a red light.
Driving without reasonable consideration:
• using headlamps or foglights to dazzle other road users
• forcing other drivers to give way by flashing headlights
• using the wrong lane to avoid queuing
• remaining in an overtaking lane
• unnecessarily slow driving or braking without good cause
Dangerous driving:
• racing or competitive driving
• inappropriate use of speed for prevailing road conditions
• intimidatory driving, e.g. cutting in or tailgating
• deliberate disregard of traffic lights or other road signs
• persistent or deliberate bad driving
There does not have to be an accident for police to bring a prosecution for motoring offences.