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