Anti-Social Driving
Being anti-social on the road means isolating your car in traffic. It means surrounding your self with space, in front, behind, and on the sides of your car. On a busy city street this “space bubble” that you have created will provide the necessary time to react, and help you to avoid a collision based on the “poor” actions of other drivers.
On a busy freeway a lot less can go wrong if you drive as a “loner.” The next time you drive on a busy three lane expressway, pay attention to the driving patterns of the cars around you. It is human nature to want to drive in “packs,” surrounded by many cars. These”packs” of cars travel down the expressway together maintaining a close proximity to each others vehicles. If you want to avoid collisions it is always best to drive as a “loner.” Below you will learn two important defensive driving strategies that will help keep you collision free, and teach you to be an anti-social driver .
Strategy 1: Following Distance
Eighty percent of all accidents on our roadways are preventable. Establishing a following distance behind another driver gives you piece of mind, should you be distracted for a brief second from the driving task at hand. A following distance provides you with a necessary “space cushion” to help prevent the dreaded rear end collision. It is most always the fault of the driver behind when a rear end collision occurs.
In the old days we calculated following distance by keeping one car length of distance in front of our car for every ten miles an hour in speed. Modern driver education instructors determined that while this may be sound advice, it was very difficult for the average driver to calculate this critical distance. Thus the emergence of the 2 Second Rule. When traveling at speeds of 45 mph or less it is best to keep 2 seconds between you and the car in front of you. This space can be determined by watching the car in front of you pass a fixed point on the road such as a light pole, street sign or even a shadow in the road. Once the car has passed this pre-determined point, start counting one thousand one, one thousand two and then you should pass that same fixed point. You only have to calculate this distance once, and then try to maintain this critical space cushion for the the remainder of your driving. If the car slows down in front of you, you too must slow down to maintain this important distance. If the car speeds up that’s even better, now you have even more time to react a bad situation ahead.
A 2 second following distance may be great for suburban and city driving, but once you approach highway speeds of 45 mph or more, your following distance must increase to a minimum of 4 seconds. The obvious reason being: increased speed = more time needed to stop the car. Once again calculate this critical distance and keep this space with you as you travel down the highway. 4 seconds will provide you with plenty of time to react should something go wrong in the path ahead.
In bad weather you will have to adjust your following distance based on the roadway conditions. It is suggested you increase your following distance by 2 additional seconds during a rain storm and by 4 seconds during a snow storm. If the road is icy you may need as many as 10 seconds of following distance based on your speed.
If you need further proof to why you need a following distance. AAA has provided a chart to show you how much time and distance it takes to stop your car at various speeds of travel. Within this chart 2 important distances are calculated: 1. driver reaction time distance and 2. braking distance. Reaction time distance is the time when you first spot an emergency in the path ahead, and remove your foot off the accelerator in preparation for braking. Braking distance is the time when you first press the brake up until the time the car physically stops. This is sometimes referred to as the skid distance. These two distances added together make up total stopping distance.
At 30 mph: reaction time distance = 33 feet, braking distance = 51 feet Total Stopping distance =84 feet! And that’s bicycle speed!
At 60 mph: reaction time distance = 66 feet, braking distance = 194 feet Total Stopping Distance = 194 feet! What would be the result if the car you were tailgating stopped suddenly? Needless to say it would not be pretty!
Strategy 2: Visual Lead Time
Visual lead time is simply the distance that your eyes project down the road ahead of you. This lead time allows you to identify any critical objects in your path, and allows you time make an informed decision on such things as vehicle speed and lane position.
A visual lead time will also helps to keep your car in a straight line path. It allows you to see “the lady” backing out onto the road ahead of you, “the kids” playing on the front lawn, as well as the traffic light ahead. Receiving this important information early allows you to make the critical adjustments needed. Remember you always have 3 important controls of your car 1. braking 2. acceleration and 3. steering. These 3 inputs can be used separately or together in order to help avoid a collision.
OK, so what is accepted visual lead time? For speeds of 45 mph or less the experts suggest we use a 12 second visual lead time. This lead time is calculated in a similar fashion as following distance. The next time you drive select the furthest point down the road that you observe. Again a fixed object such as a pole or billboard would be great. Then begin your count one thousand one, one thousand two , and continue until you reach your pre-determined fixed object. Make sure this object was at least 12 seconds ahead of you. If not recalculate. Do this until you have the ideal visual lead time necessary for safe defensive driving.
When traveling at speeds of 45 mph or more, like on highways and freeways you will need at least 20 seconds of visual lead time. Once again this is because you will need more time to bring your car to rest at higher speeds. Once again familiarize yourself with the stopping distances above.
In addition to maintaining a good visual lead time it is equally important to keep your eyes moving. Your eyes should never fixate on any one object! Check your rear view mirror quickly and often to help you isolate your vehicle safely in heavy traffic.
Isolate Your Car
Anti-social driving begins with the implementation of these two important defensive driving strategies. Following distance and visual lead time make it possible to identify any problems in your path and help predict the actions of others. After that prediction is made it is time to decide what course of action needs to take place and then execute that decision. Your decision may involve using one or perhaps two of the controls you have over your car. Many times simply adjusting your lane position or slowing down will help you to avoid the problems on the road ahead.
Maintaining that “space bubble” while driving in the city, and avoiding the packs of cars on the expressways will go along way on your journey to collision free driving. Do your best to use these strategies even when driving on crowded streets and during rush hour traffic. Defensive driving requires work. Defensive driving also means predicting the worst and never assuming the “other guy” will make the correct decision. Good luck and safe driving!
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The Driver Ed Coach