Unit 6 - Review and adjust driving

This unit describes how you can learn from experience and become a better driver.

To review and adjust driving you do these things:

1. Watch your own driving and improve it.

2. Think about and change how you behave on the road.

3. Watch how other road users behave.

4. Watch out for and remove things that cause risk.

6.1.1. When your driving is getting poor, do something to improve it immediately.

Drivers start to drive badly when too much is happening at once for them to take in. Symptons that show your driving is getting worse include: 

• sudden braking or steering movements 
• not responding to other road users 
• not responding to environmental conditions
• staring straight ahead 
• a clenched grip on the wheel
• sweating
• shallow breathing
• sitting stiffly.

Things you can do about it include: 

• more scanning of what’s happening around you
• doing nothing else but driving (not eating, smoking, drinking, using mobile phone)
• stopping distractions (asking passengers to be quiet, turning down radio/ sound system)· taking a rest break.

6.1.2. After making a mistake, get your driving back to normal.

‘Mistake’ means that your performance slips below an acceptable standard. You need to be able to tell that you have made a mistake, and describe how you have changed your driving as a result.

6.1.3. Do not repeat your mistakes.

The steps to avoid repeating a mistake are:

• Spot the mistake.
• Know why it happened: was it lack of skill, not paying attention, not knowing how to do it, or was it not wanting to do it correctly?
• Work out the difference between what happened and what should happen.
• Take action to avoid repeating the mistake.

6.1.4. Compare yourself to this Standard when rating your performance.

Don’t judge yourself against other drivers.  If you compare yourself to your opinion of other drivers, you can end up thinking you are better than you really are.  This can make you overconfident.

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6.2.1. Look out for yourself taking an unacceptable risk, and change your driving to avoid doing it again.

An unacceptable risk is one that could have a result that you would be unhappy about.

6.2.2. Know when you are likely to be breaking the law on the road, and change your driving to stop it.

6.2.3. Show by the way you drive that you know you are at least partly responsible for any driving incident that happens to you.

A ‘driving incident’ is any event that you would prefer not to happen.  When people explain these events in a way which recognises that they are at least partly responsible for any driving incident, they are taking a ‘my mistake’ view of driving.  A ‘my mistake’ view can help you learn from your mistakes. 

The way you describe a driving incident will show the way you think.  Generally you will have either the ‘my mistake’ view or the ‘I had nothing to do with it’ view.  Obviously, if you think you had nothing to do with it, you are unlikely to learn anything from it.

6.2.4. No matter how often you may have ‘got away with’ risks in the past, be still cautious about risks and risky driving.

Driving can be dangerous, but crashes, and even near misses, are very rare events for most drivers.  The result is that most drivers do not feel that driving is dangerous.  They have become ‘hardened’ to the risks, because they have been in so few crashes.

You should be cautious about risks, no matter how often you have ‘got away with them’ in the past.

6.2.5. No matter how many safety features your vehicle has, still drive cautiously.

Safety features may include things like airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control and high-performance roadholding and handling features.

Some drivers believe that because their vehicle is ‘safe’, they themselves don’t have to try so hard.  Studies have shown that some drivers with anti-lock brakes (ABS) fitted to their vehicles drive faster in wet conditions, and follow closer to other cars, than they did before they had ABS.  They end up at the same level of risk as they were before.

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6.3.1. Watch how other road users behave, and think about why they do things.

Don’t rate other drivers as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ — especially not ‘bad’, as this can make you too confident about your own driving.

Watch what other drivers do, and think about why they do it.  A driver who makes a gap to let you out into the traffic, for example, is being courteous.  If you add some of that courtesy to your own driving, you will gain something from it, and so will the next person.  If you see someone being impatient, think about why they are impatient, and watch for it in your own driving.  Take note of all the drivers who are doing the right thing (and you’ll see that most of them do, most of the time).

6.3.2. When you see another driver make a mistake, remember it so that you can avoid the same mistake in the future.

Mistakes, no matter who makes them, can be learned from.  The more you use mistakes, the more chances you will have to improve.

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6.4.1. Be aware that risk is higher when you drive at night - particularly on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

6.4.2. Do not drive with alcohol, or any drug that can affect your driving, in your body.

6.4.3. When your friends are in the vehicle with you, keep up your safe driving.  Don’t show off.

6.4.4. Know when you are tired and do something about it.

Symptoms of tiredness include:

• not keeping the vehicle on a steady speed or course
• constantly adjusting ventilation
• constantly adjusting radio/tape/CD
• rubbing your face
• moving around in your seat
• yawning often
• heavy eyelids
• dry mouth
• sore eyes
• shivering
• double vision.

Things you can do about tiredness include:

• stopping as soon as possible;
• resting; and
• sleeping.

6.4.5. Take action to avoid getting tired.

Things you can do to avoid getting tired while driving include:

• stopping and taking a rest break at least every two hours or 200km;
• eating light meals rather than heavy ones;
• drinking plenty of water;
• keeping the vehicle cool inside;
• scanning (looking around) your driving environment as much as possible;
• keeping the fresh air coming in; and
• paying attention to the way you sit.
• Things you can do before driving include:
• planning to avoid driving during normal sleeping hours;
• avoiding driving after a long period of hard work - either physical or mental;
• getting enough sleep;· avoiding heavy meals;
• improving your physical fitness;
• arranging regular eyesight checks;
• not drinking alcohol; and
• cutting down vehicle noise inside the cabin.

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