Co Driver Habit 1: Look Well Ahead
Lane of Least Resistance
One of the goals for new drivers is to be proactive and to respond to situations before they become critical.
In this case, choosing the lane that makes sense is the right way to go. With no other drivers or traffic around, you should use the right lane. This is part of what we call using the lane of least resistance or risk. Driving in the left lane is not necessarily wrong, if current conditions provide for a better flow, visibility or less risk, then the left lane is the best option for that moment.
Mentioned in the video clip was “covering the horn”. You’ll see the new driver drop one hand from either the 10 or the 2 positions and cover the horn. The new driver is not getting lazy; covering the horn reduces response time. The act of covering the horn shows the new driver is thinking; “if the other driver moves my way, I’ll honk…” is it a good sign to see the new driver covering the horn and a sign that you should be aware of potential risks the new driver is concerned about.
Safe Following Distance
The average time to interpret what you see is 3⁄4 of a second, it takes an additional 3⁄4 of a second to do something about it.
That is a total of 1.5 seconds to see something and respond to it, all the while the driver in front is already braking.
A glance at the mirror, as an example, takes about 1⁄2 a second, if you are glancing at the rearview mirror the moment the car in front began braking, you would need time to bring your eyes back to looking at the car ahead. Therefore, the total time used up could be as high as 2 seconds. That’s how a safe following distance of 2 seconds was determined. This following distance must be increased in adverse conditions such as rain, or darkness. Your new driver needs to be able to figure out if they are following at a safe distance.
MELT
M.E.L.T. stands for Minimum Eye Lead Time. We use 12 to 15 seconds ahead of us to give us warning of upcoming traffic or dangers.
M.E.L.T. lets drivers know how to respond to the road, such as changing lanes when a bus is about to stop or a delivery truck is parked with the emergency lights flashing.
Ask your new driver what they see well ahead. What do they need to do now? Early coaching will help them get into the habit of thinking well ahead of time and scanning what’s ahead at all times.
When a new driver doesn’t know what’s around the curve, they will need to slow down and allow for 12 to 15 seconds of viewing space. Through experience, drivers will learn to anticipate if the lane ends around the corner or not while inexperienced drivers, need to be taught to ask “what if” as they approach a curve. For example, “what if there is a bus stopped in this lane just around the corner?”
Go With The Flow
A driver’s goal should always be to fit into the traffic flow in the safest possible manner.
To accomplish this, your new driver will be taught to go with the flow, to move at the same rate as the traffic flow of which you are part. This is not an endorsement of speeding. We do not teach speeding. However, in order to be safe, it’s sometimes necessary to exceed the speed limit for a short time. You’re in a flow as long as you have a car in front, and a car behind. If there is no flow, then the speed limit must be observed.
This method, while causing your new driver to occasionally drive in violation of the law, is the safest way to drive. On a road test, this practice will not work, the speed limit must be followed. If you are in the right lane travelling at any speed that is different from the lane on your left and you wish to change lanes to the left, what would the safest practice be? It would not be to force other drivers to take some sort of defensive action to let you in. This can only be done if your speed matches theirs.
Drivers at any experience level should always apply this technique within reason. If the lane next to you is travelling at an extremely high-speed relative to your speed, it would be better to not change lanes at that time. The new driver should use common sense.