Driver Stress & Fatigue

• Reduce risk of fatigue by making sure you are not tired
• Adjust seat so that driving position is comfortable
• Bad posture causes muscular fatigue and mental fatigue
• Night driving puts heavy demands on eyes and any slight eyesight irregularity can cause stress and fatigue
• Noise and vibration cause fatigue
• Open windows are a major source of noise so keep them closed and use the ventilation controls instead
• Make sure you have enough ventilation to stay alert
• Taking rest breaks is essential to recover from the onset of fatigue
• Most people need rest break of at least 20 min to restore alertness
• On long journeys you should plan a series of rest breaks Continue reading →

The Driver

• Internal and external pressures to driver faster than competence

The Vehicle

• Different vehicles have different handling characteristics
• When driving an unfamiliar vehicle allow time to get use to its controls and handling

Road, weather & traffic conditions

• When adapting speed anticipate and plan for potential as well as actual dangers Continue reading →

Generating & Maintain Safety Cushion of Space Around The Vehicle

• Driving too close to vehicle in front is one of the most common causes of collisions

Take into account the following:

• Road surface
• Weather conditions
• Speed
• Visibility

Entering & leaving traffic stream with minimum interruption to other road users

• What can be seen
• What cannot be seen
• What might reasonably be expected
• Which hazards represent the greatest threat
• What to do if things turn out differently
• Anticipate
• Order hazards in importance
• Decide what to do Continue reading →

Scanning the Environment

• Lower risk of accident
• Move your eyes around and look in all directions
• Look for hazards in any shape or size and from any direction
• Develop sensitivity to variety of possible hazards in different driving situations

Looking but not Seeing

• What we expect to see
• Detect objects that we expect to see
• We often fail to see objects that we do not expect to see

Using internal & external mirrors at least once every 10 seconds

Scan the immediate, middle and distant environment forward of the vehicle

• ‘Pre-Sensitise’ your awareness so you can respond to them quickly

Scan intersections on the approach & throughout turns

Looking

• Looking at the situation all around
• Look at the situation behind the blind spots
• Look where you want to go in corners and curves
• Check behind, before and while braking

Braking and Steering

• Brake the low-risk way
• Brake before corners and curves
• Steer and accelerate the low-risk way Continue reading →