Roadcraft Flashcards
Human factors that may increase your vulnerability as a driver
Distraction due to multi tasking Driving stress Operational stresses Time pressure and purpose of journey Noble cause risk taking Red mist
Competences required for Police driving
Knowledge and skills to drive safely
Understanding of factors that increase your risk of a collision
Ability to accurately assess your driving behaviour
Goals of driver education and how these can help you manage risks and assess your own driving
Human factors that affect your driving eg personal characteristics attitude to other road users, emotions, mood, levels of tiredness, stress affect driving behaviour
The purpose of the journey eg what preparation needed, route is best, distractions and how to minimise them
Traffic situations eg negotiate safely through traffic, scanning, anticipate hazards.
Vehicle and vehicle control eg knowing limitations, knowing what vehicle can and can’t do, familiarise yourself with vehicle before, vehicle fit to drive.
How recognise and manage the human factors that may effect your decision making and driving performance
Don’t get into a personality conflict with another road user
Be dispassionate and concentrate on your driving use neutral none aggressive language to other road users.
Don’t try and imagine what you will find at incident.
Concentrate on driving talking yourself through hazards keeping negative emotions under control.
What is system of car control?
The system of car control aims to prevent collisions by providing a systematic approach to hazards. It is a decision making process that enables you to efficiently assess and act on information that is continually changing as you drive. Using the system gives you more time to react, which is vital in complex and demanding driving situations.
How to apply the system to hazards?
Information Mirror Position Mirror Speed Gear Mirror Accelerate
What is importance of information?
TUG
Take
Use
Give
Where would you use brake gear overlap?
Low speed turns into left and right junctions with a vehicle close behind or approaching
Sharp right left turns with a vehicle close behind or approaching
Going downhill
How can you improve how brain processes information and how you can improve your ability to process complex information when driving?
Input -Decision making - Output - Feedback
Reaction time eg gathering new information and responding to it system car control gives structured method for rapid decision making.
Errors of perception eg errors of judgement, habit and expectancy, regression effects (getting into different cars)
Attention span eg processing information from multiple sources learn to filter complex information and concentrate on priorities.
Memory storage eg complex and demanding situations brain may discard or forget new information.
Improvements
Regularly practice driving techniques do the accurately and efficiently
Sharpen observation and perception and develop situational awareness.
Learn and hold onto important pieces of information until you need them, relating to things you know well or using memory techniques.
What is a hazard?
A hazard is anything which is actual or potential danger
3 types of hazard?
Physical features eg junctions, bends, road surface
The position or movement of other road users eg drivers, cyclists, pedestrians
Planning is anticipate hazards, prioritise, decide what to do
What is purpose of the plan?
Put you in The correct position At the correct speed With the correct gear engaged At the correct time
How do you plan?
Observe Anticipate Prioritise Decide what to do Act
How do you improve observation and anticipation skills?
Scanning the environment to process information, spot hazards, monitor situation as it changes
Looking but not seeing eg when scanning look for solo road users. If you are not expecting them they can become invisible to you.
Peripheral vision eg gives sense of both speed and position on road, registers movement of other road users , acts as a cue for central vision warning of areas to examine more closely
Zones of visibility eg open spaces, curving row of trees or lamp posts, shadows, reflection in windows
Choice of speed eg faster you go further ahead need to look
Stopping distance rule?
Always drive so you can stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear on your own side of road.
What human and physiological factors can affect observation and anticipation and how manage these?
Alertness eg low level stimulation
Tiredness eg reactions slightly slower in morning than early evening, dip in alertness after midday meal, greatest risk if tiredness related collisions between hours of 11pm and 6am.
Irregular shift patterns disrupts body biorhythms
Disturbed sleep patterns deuce brains ability to process information during complex driving
Total time spent at work not just time spent behind wheel eg tired from other duties before start of a journey.
Hazards seen at night?
Unlit roads use headlights on main beam only dip for other road users
Use dipped headlights in built up areas, in situations when dipped headlights are more effective than main beam eg when going around a left hand bend or hump bridge
Heavy rain, snow or fog when these reflect glare from your headlights on full beam
When should you use fog lights?
100 metres or less
What is a micro climate?
Where frost and wet patches linger on some areas after they have disappeared elsewhere eg valley bottoms, shaded hillsides large area of shadow cast by trees or buildings
Surfaces that slope downwards to the inside of a curve help?
Cornering
Surfaces that slope upwards to the the the inside of the curve make?
Cornering more difficult
OUR
Observe eg actively search for road signs and markings and incorporate information
Understand eg being able recognise them immediately
React eg react to a sign by looking ahead and what it refers to and building that information into your driving plan
What are observation links?
Clues to physical features and clues to the likely behaviour to other road users eg cluster of lamp posts look out for probable roundabout, single lamp post on its own look out for junction, when you see no gap in line of trees look out for the road to curve to left or right
When is a moving vehicle most stable?
Most stable when it’s weight is evenly distributed, it’s engine is just pulling without increasing road speed and travelling in a straight line
What is tyre grip trade off?
Tyre grip is shared between accelerating, braking and steering forces. If more tyre grip is used for braking or accelerating, there is less available for steering and vice versa
Moderate braking or accelerating leaves plenty of grip for steering
Excessive braking or accelerating leaves little grip for steering
Vehicle balance when cornering?
Accelerating weight shifts to back
Steady speed weight evenly distributed
Braking weight shifts to front
Cornering weight shifts to outside of curve
Cornering and breaking weight shifts to outside of curve and front
Cornering and accelerating weight shifts to the outside of the curve and to the back
When do you use accelerator?
Depress to increase road speed and maintain road speed eg when cornering or going uphill
Release accelerator to reduce engine speed and slow the vehicle down
How does acceleration alter vehicle balance?
During deceleration the rear tyres lose grip the front tyres gain grip
During acceleration the rear tyres gain grip and front tyres lose grip
What is acceleration sense?
Acceleration sense is the ability to vary a vehicle speed in response to changing road or traffic conditions by accurate use of the accelerator so that you use the brakes less or not all all.
This uses less fuel, causes less wear on the tyres and reduces carbon emissions.
Acceleration round a bend
Using the accelerator to maintain a constant speed round a bend. A constant speed keeps your weight evenly distributed front and rear and ensures maximum tyre grip.
What is main effect of gears?
To transform engine revs into usable power
In low gear engine able to rev more freely which allows vehicle to accelerate
In higher gear lower revs deliver more speed but less ability to accelerate or climb slopes
Intermediate gears allow progress from one extreme to other
A lower gear restrains vehicle speed when defending a slope.
Greater turning power of low gears also affects tyre grip this is why wheel spin can occur when accelerate hard in first gear.
What gear to use when moving slowly in slippery conditions?
Use high gear in conditions such as snow, ice, or mud
Should you change gear while cornering?
No it destabilises the vehicle and requires you to take one hand off the steering wheel
What are the two ways to slow down?
Brakes and releasing or easing off the accelerator
The safe stopping distance rule
Never drive so fast that you cannot stop safely in within the distance you can see to be clear on your side of the road
Also be aware of
The braking capabilities of your vehicle
The type and condition of road surface eg slippery or wet conditions breaking distances increase greatly.
The effects of cornering, braking and vehicle balance and grip
In narrow and single track lanes allow twice the overall stopping distance that you can see to be clear to allow room for any oncoming vehicle to break too.
Safe stopping distance
Thinking distance + braking distance = stopping distance.
Thinking distance is the distanced travelled in the time between first observing the need for action and acting. This is why attitude, observation, anticipation and information processing are vital
Actual thinking distance varies according to the speed of the vehicle, your physical and mental condition, your a attentiveness and whether or not you are expecting something to happen.
How is skidding caused?
Excessive speed
Coarse steering
Harsh accelerating
Excessive or sudden braking
What is understeer?
Under steer is tendency of a vehicle to turn less. Most front wheel drive vehicles under steer
What is oversteer?
Tendency for vehicle to turn more in response to a given turn of the steering wheel. Some rear wheel drive cars oversteer
What is aqua planing?
Occurs when a wedge of water builds up in between the front tyres and road surface. Safest solution remove pressure from accelerator allowing vehicle to lose speed and tyres to regain grip
When should you give a signal?
When if could benefit other road users
What are key principals of safe cornering?
Make sure vehicle in correct position
Travel correct speed
Select correct gear
Use accelerator to maintain constant speed
Be as to stop safely within distance you can see to be clear on your own side of road
What are three forces that reduce stability and tyre grip when cornering?
Steering
Accelerating
Braking
What is camber?
Left hand bend camber increases the effect of your steering because the road slopes down in the direction of the turn.
Right hand bend camber reduces the effect of steering because the road slopes away from how direction of the turn.
What is super elevation?
Where whole width of the road is banked up towards outside edge of the bend making slope favourable for cornering both directions similar to a race track.
What is limit point?
The limit point gives s systematic wT of judging the correct speed to use through the bend.
How do you use limit point when cornering?
On left hand bend you should drive as though the limit point is where the edge of the road meets the central white line (or centre of the road is there is no white line) so that you can stop safely on your own side of road
How does limit point affect cornering?
Adjust speed do you stop safely within distance you can see clear on own side of road
Decide correct speed for approach and negotiate bend
Select correct gear for speed
Decide the point at which to start accelerating
How to use the system for cornering?
Scan traffic front and behind
The road surface and effect weather conditions on it
The limit point
Match your speed to the speed at which the limit point moves away from you, provided you can stop safely within the distance that you can see to be clear on own side of road
What is hazard for overtaking?
Putting your vehicle into path of oncoming traffic
What is overtaking position?
Overtaking position is generally closer than following position and minimises the distance you have to travel to overtake. It also shows the driver in front that you wish to overtake. Safety is vital.
What are human factors of motorway driving?
Tiredness of boredom on long journeys, resulting in poor concentration
Frustration arising out of stop start progress in dense traffic
Complacency in low density traffic making drivers less alert to possible hazards
The behaviour of drivers leaving or joining the motorway from services or slip roads.
What are the three exceptions in law available to drivers of emergency response vehicles?
Exceed speed limit
Contravene a red traffic light, including pedestrian crossings
Contravene keep left / right signs
What is emergency warning equipment used for?
Provide advance warning to other road users
Help you progress through traffic
Protect officers at scene of incidents
Help in stopping motorists, by identifying your vehicle as a police vehicle