Road Awareness Is The Key Skill For New Drivers, And Here’s Why
Posted by admin at 29 March 2018, at 19 : 10 PM
Car lovers everywhere know that the most important part of car safety is the ability to practice road awareness at all times. This is not something that is negotiable. If you’re not aware of the space around you, you simply cannot be a good road user. This will always be key.
However, this is not something you simply practice and can forget about. This is an effort you must maintain for the rest of your driving career. If you manage to do this, you’ll find that your potential for getting in road vehicle accidents is shrinked. While it pays to understand your progression regarding what to do in the event of a crash, it’s best to prevent that crash entirely. Preparation comes from all avenues.
Road awareness is dictated by many, many different things. It’s a daily variable. Consider it a fire, and not a wall you build. You must continually feed the flames in order to keep this energy source vibrant. This also allows you to keep your awareness functional. If you’re not able to act upon that you perceive, you will struggle to make reactive and on-the-fly decisions that make the most sense. More on that later.
For the time being, let’s discuss how to improve your road awareness to levels you might not have thought possible:
Sleep
Tired driving is absolutely terrible. It reduces your general reaction time, and limits your ability to quickly come to a solution on the road. It might mean you commit more driving mistakes, or are less inclined to simply view the road around you every few moments. You need to sleep well before a long journey, and neglect to drive very tired. A lack of sleep becomes very similar to inebriation in your brain, and this is proven from a scientific standpoint. You wouldn’t drive drunk, meaning that you should absolutely require the same of yourself when lacking sleep. This is why it pays to travel long distance with someone who can also share the burden of driving. It means taking rest stops as often as appropriate, and not being afraid to pay the cost of a hotel room overnight. After all, avoiding a traffic accident is priceless.
At the very least, make use of coffee if susceptible to a lul in tiredness. Being aware means being energized, and able to read the road. Without energy to do that, you cannot fake good driving.
No Vices
The same can be said for vices. Stay away from them wholeheartedly. This means smoking in the car, drinking beforehand or even driving with a hangover, or texting on your phone. Even listening to music too loud or being too rowdy in the car can cause negative consequences to happen. No vices at all must be allowed in order to gift you a competent sober mindset, one that’s rational and able to make decisions.
Inspect Other Road Users
It’s important to be aware not only of your own road behaviour but the behaviour of all other users on the road. This sounds like a very big ask, and of course it is. However, if you’re able to do this, you can be sure that the general ability to avoid road dangers is heightened. This means paying attention to the consistency of speed another road user employs, their straightness or overall reliability in steering, and positional quality on the road. Check how close they are to other cars, and how they react to being cut off. It might be someone you’re driving behind has behaved perfectly up until they are cut off, and then the road rage will express itself. The adage ‘trust no one’ sounds like something stated in a spy novel, but it’s a real and complete attitude you must employ when out on the road and looking for hazards.
If things are truly bad, you can report the driving of another individual. You might choose to do this through a non-emergency police line, or through the emergency line if things look very immediate. Taking the time to pull over and perform this could save someone’s life, so if you’re sure never be afraid of taking the time to do this.
Never Rush
If you’re late, you’re late. That is the fact that’s worthy of accepting right here, and right now. Unless lives are on the line, or you need to see your firstborn in the hospital, there is absolutely zero reason to drive needlessly fast, and even then you must never head above the speed limit. If you’re late for work, you must take this on and try to wake up earlier in the morning. If you’re stuck in traffic, that is your unfortunate temporary fate. It’s never worth attending a personal accident on the road due to your inability to keep patient and calm.
If everyone had this attitude, the roads would be much safer. Traffic accidents might even be halved. This is because when you’re in a rush, speed becomes a priority. Safety takes second precedence. You begin to ignore the road situation in order to handle your car, and this can inadvertently restrict you from handling your car in a reasonable and professional manner. This is not to be encouraged in the least, in fact quite the opposite is true. Stay safe and drive at the speed you should. You’ll thank yourself for it.
Consider Your Company
No matter how careful a road user you are, there are still times when you might find it difficult to keep a clear head. Consider your company within the car. If the people you are transporting are rowdy, distracting and overtly ill-behaved, the chance of an accident goes up. Never be afraid to use firm warnings to ensure that you’re able to drive with grace. Consider the company you keep, and never be afraid to only allow lifts to those whom you know can be trusted. This might be slightly socially awkward, but your road safety will be benefited as a result.
With these tips, you can be sure that your driving career gets off to the best start possible.