Driving's Insights and Answers

Home Truths 1

2007-10-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

OK let's get some of these out of the way. Or at least into mind. First in mind, then in will, then in reality...

So: when we talk to each other we automatically look for visual clues. It's part of our make up.

It's also incredibly dangerous when done by a driver. And most do it. I used to, we all tend to. You have to work at it to be able to drive without turning to look at your passenger.

Heaven only knows how many bangs, dings, dents and worse occur everyday because of this one habit. I even watch young mothers who would go out of their way to protect their children looking over their shoulders and conversing with their youngsters in the back seat whilst driving.

It's impossible to turn like that without meandering. And what about what's going on infront meanwhile? Frightening really isn't it? Driving is not natural.

It's all too recent in our evolution. We're still neolithic in construction and function.

But, the good news is because of our incredible brains, the grey stuff that is, not the old brain stem, we can learn simply and easily to defeat these unconscious actions and stay safer as a matter of course.

Anyways, in either case you are into what psychologist call inattentional blindness.

Not unintentional, although it is in reality, it's like so much without improved awareness from continued training. It's unconscious.

We don't even know we're doing it! Check yourself out.

Then work at reducing the incidence to nil eventually. If you're concerned what your passengers might think, simply say that you prefer to keep your eyes on the road ahead and mirrors.

And you're not being anti-social, much the opposite. You value them, and yourself, too much to do otherwise. Tell them. It always gets their understanding and appreciation.

Fixation

2007-09-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest improvements any driver can make straight away is to become aware of what they're looking at when following traffic.
Most, in my experience, and that includes clients, high performance students, friends and family, all tend towards 'locking' on the car in front!

It's 'Old Brain' stuff(locking on perceived predators/threats in or near our territory). That and a lack of training to be aware of and deal with this problem.
Remember, when you were learning you were only driving slowly most of the time with another set of eyes alongside you whilst you grappled with doing all the other things?

This slow urban driving builds the habit of closeness to other vehicles as the norm and focusing just ahead. We were learners then so don't beat up on yourself.
No one taught us differently. It's not our fault!!

You can alter that right now and be free of this vision crippling habit once and for all. You'll be amazed at the difference.

Every time you find yourself 'locking on' become aware of it. Step One.

Now RAISE YOUR EYES. Step Two.

Now try and look through/round/past the vehicle in front and become aware of what's ahead of it. Step Three.

Look up or down the road. Also, back-off and give yourself more room to see. Step Four.

Look through them, to the left of them or past the right-hand side. Crossviews.Then ask yourself, "Who or what controls the flow?" That's the clincher.

Good now give that a go. This is a real investment in you. Your safety. Your Well being. You'll be surprised.
And now, whenever you find yourself looking at the number plate of the vehicle infont or at the point where the rear tyres meet the road. Look up. Move your eyes, move your focus. Well done!

Once you get used to doing this try 'soft focusing' the vehicle in front
Just let the foreground be slightly out of focus with your main attention where it can do you some real good - much further up the road.

And here's another trick: get used to moving your eyes side to side a bit(side scanning), it really helps to break fixation ahead and also serves to give us an even bigger, better picture of what's going on in front and around generally.

It immediately begins to move us away from 'reactive restricted driving' towards 'proactive and more effective driving'. It will move you up a gear, or two!
And - just be aware that your existing habits will continue to 'surface' for a while whether you like or not!

Congratulate yourself on being aware of that when it happens and then break that crippling fixation and move onwards toward Broadband Vision. More on that later.

Good Luck!

Brains and Habit

2007-09-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Habit = Training = Habit! If it's not in your brain circuitry and your muscle memory you cannot possibly act on it. So, first in mind, then in practice until 'onboard' and then in reality = now available to you as needed. We can only do as we've learnt to do, consciously or unconsciously.
So T-A-P into your driving potential. Training - Awareness - Practice.

Innate actions, instinctive or 'knee-jerk' reactions can be totally inappropriate in driving situations. Even fatal.
They were there to help us on foot over the millenia, not our 21st century conditions on wheels. Now at 10-30 times our walking speed!
Training, awareness and practice can overcome these flawed tendencies. But you do need to experience them in a safe environment first!

How many drivers have ever been taught how to drive effectively at today's speeds on all types of road including Motorways?

By the way, it's only the 'comfort' of habit that makes us think we're good drivers. Sad but true.

Because it 'feels' right. Remember, even the worst drivers think they're good. Because they're comfortable with what they're doing. Even if they don't know what it is!

I've been with some incredibly dangerous drivers who have no awareness of how bad their driving is or even that it's bad at all! No one would drive badly or dangerously or inappropriately if they knew better. Not you or me good reader. Heaven forbid.

It's those other buggers out there! Lol. But in reality they don't know any more or less than any other driver. Unless trained to a higher level of awareness we all remain a little above baby driver status. Unconscious of our actions and in ignorance of a wonderful new level of driving just beyond our current reach.
Same roads yet a different reality awaits your arrival. That is truly the Road less Travelled.

In the meantime it's easier to blame everybody else. But remember, "when you point the finger of blame, one finger points forward whilst fully three fingers point back to you!" Chinese saying.

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Now playing: Taj Mahal - Six Days On the Road
via FoxyTunes

Does the Test pass us or fail us?

2007-09-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

Every endeavour requires training, application and practice. T_A_P. And we all seem to accept that whether at work, sport or hobby. Yet for some reason. And definitely not to do with, or involve, us drivers the 'system' fails to support us. The motorist is the most neglected of beasts.

After a pitifully short ab initio learning - 'baby driver' period and barely able to to do more than very basic slow speed manoeuvres we are all abandoned where we got our pass and left to our own devices for the rest of our driving careers. Incredible!

For a Martial Artist it would mean getting the first grade, say yellow belt, and receiving no more instruction or coaching, ever! Imagine a golfer who got their first handicap card of 28 and again received no more coaching or training. No further development. No more input. Evolvement. How far could they go? And hey golf is less demanding than any normal drive on the highways and byways.

The 'Test' for what it is fails us not pass us. It abandons us just when we're ready to start really learning how to develop our skills in the real world, on real roads, in real everyday conditions and on all the different styles of road. Were you trained to drive at real speeds on all types of road and in different weather and visibility?

Not even war takes so many lives and seriously cripples and injures so many every single day of the year throughout the world not just here in the UK. Not just physical injury either - many an eg0 is bashed daily as their pride and joy gets bent, buckled or buggered.

I said it's not us drivers who are at fault. In so many words, anyway. That's true. Their is no real continuing education or training for real driving. Driving in the real world at real speeds on real roads with today's traffic congestion, nanny-state controls and modern cars.
So if you think about it all of us who have passed the test share the same level of official competence. We have a full and valid licence. Actually by my reckoning that makes passing the test the lowest common denominator for all of us!

Numpties, bumkins, plods, personnel managers, health and safety folk(!), magistrates, muggers, MPs, playboys, paedophiles, prostitutes, plumbers, builders, Nobel prize winners, surgeons, salesmen, vicars, vicious louts, gangsters, geeks, nerds, conmen, bullies, beauties, blonds(!), perverts, entrepreneurs, bankrupts, bankers, debtors, businessmen, publicans, PR agents, spin doctors, ad men, old folk, young folk, dummies, dimwits and even members of Mensa. You get my drift. They're all out there with the same official licence as you. And me! And the brighter ones don't tend to it any better. Frightening.

And without further input we remain much the same. Same habits. 99.9 % of motorists share much the same 5 areas of habitual weakness in their driving strategy most of the time. It can't be otherwise at this time. Driving is not yet natural to us. So we have to learn. You could drive a lifetime and never discover these truths, techniques and skills.

But the good news is this - you've done the hardest bit, the initial learning to operate all those levers, pedals and stalks. You drive regularly, you feel confident, hopefully, and you've certainly learnt something since the test. The downside is that you don't know what you don't know. And, the best is yet to come! That's a promise.

And bear in mind no one driver discovered all the answers. Like the rest of life it has been a gradual evolution with input from many across the years. From early pioneers, police class 1 drivers, race drivers, rally drivers, specialist drivers, v i p and anti-hijack drivers, enthusiast drivers and so on all adding their input to improve and evolve the art of real road driving. And at its higher levels it really is an art.

So, surely we're worth more than the lowest common denominator? I know I am. Without further input of some kind the early habits of basic training stay with us for ever. Sorry, but it's true. The best bits are the ones they don't teach at Driving School. I'll elaborate with a good few examples and explanations as we go along.

Thanks for joining me. I want to share what I've got, what I've learnt and what I've discovered with you and hope that your own driving odyssey will benefit from mine.
Driving should be skilful, effective and fun. For some, faster, smoother, safer. And for others, more flowing, smoother and safer.
The initial upgrades are the same. And that's the way to view it. An upgrade. Back soon to begin the journey.