Road Craft: The System of Car Control PDF

Learning outcomes The learning in this chapter, along with driver training, should enable you to: e explain the system of car control tt demonstrate how to apply the system to any hazards. 24 Roadcraft - The Police Driver’s HahdBog^r ’'-'...

Learning outcomes The learning in this chapter, along with driver training, should enable you to: e explain the system of car control tt demonstrate how to apply the system to any hazards. 24 Roadcraft - The Police Driver’s HahdBog^r ’'-' m.:. The need for a system of car control This chapter explains the system of car control used in police driver training. It outlines the competences that will enhance your ability to master a wide range of traffic situations. Driver error is a feature of nearly all collisions on the road. The system of car control aims to prevent collisions by providing a systematic approach to hazards. It’s a decision-making process that enables you to efficiently assess and act on information that is continuously changing as you drive. Using the system gives you more time to react, which is vital in complex and demanding driving situations. If you use the system consistently with the information-processi ng, observation and anticipation skills discussed in Chapter 3, it will help you anticipate dangers caused by other road users and avoid collisions. Your progress will be steady and unobtrusive - the sign of a safe and competent driver. Integrating a range of competences As described in Chapter 1, driving to police standards requires more than just the ability to control your vehicle. It’s essential to develop honest self- assessment of your own capabilities, understanding of traffic situations and situational awareness’ - your ability to read the road. Many hazards that drivers meet are unpredictable. The system gives you a methodical way of processing information, and applying observation and anticipation so that you recognise and negotiate hazards safely. See Chapter 1, Becoming a better drive.r  25 Chapter 2 - The system of car control Human factors/ The traffic Vehicle control the purpose of situation Translate intentions the journey Scan the and thoughts into Take into account environment, physical action - personal factors and recognise, anticipate manoeuvre your attitudes and the and prioritise vehicle accurately goals of the journey hazards, and form and smoothly. that might influence an achievable Are you familiar your driving driving plan. with the behaviour. What are the capabilities of Are you aware prevailing your vehicle? of your own weather and road driving abilities conditions? and limitations? How are other road users likely to behave? What is the system of car control? The system of car control increases your safety in a constantly changing driving environment by giving you time to react to hazards. A hazard is anything that is an actual or potential danger. See Chapter 3. page 47, What is a hazard? The system of car control is a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is methodical, safe and leaves nothing to chance, it involves careful 26 Roadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook observaton, early anticipation and planning, and a systematic use of the controls to maintain your vehicle’s stability in all situations. Driving hazards fluctuate; they come singly and in clusters, they overlap and change all the time. The system takes account of this continual flux as: it has a centrally flexible element - you, the driver it draws together all levels of driving competence into a logical sequence of actions to help you deal with hazards and respond to new ones safely and efficiently. How the system works The system of car control consists of processing information and four phases - position, speed, gear and acceleration. Each phase develops out of the one before. n 'X'’ A 'A r Inforrr ation Position Speed Gear Acceleration Processing information is central to the system - it runs [O] through and feeds into all the phases. Start by asking yourself: ' What information do I need to gather about the road conditions, the behaviour of other road users, and actual and potential dangers? '' What do other road users need to know about my intentions? Then work through each of the phases in turn. As road conditions change, you’ll need to process new information and this will mean re-entering the system at an appropriate point, then continuing through it in sequence. If a new hazard arises, re-apply the system and consider all the phases in sequence.  27 / 1 ii.F Chapter 2 - The system of car control The importance of information Your ability to process complex information is essential to becoming a better driver. introduces the system and continues throughout. Processing information Remember TUG - take, use and give information. See Chapter 3, page 42, Processing complex information. You need to: take and use information to Use Give plan your driving Take give information whenever Information other road users could benefit from it. Develop your competence at assessing the continuous flow of information. This competence underpins the entire system and enables you to adap to changes in road circumstances. See Chapter 8, Driver’s signals. Mirrors and signals Whenever you consider changing position or speed, always check first what is I ina happening to the front, sides and behind.Y. You must check your mirrors at A you this point. Give a signal whenever it could benefit another road user. Sound your horn when a >>>; Cl you think another road user could benefit but remember its purpose is to tel! other -not to rebuke them. people you are there  28 Foadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook i X-'. 7 ^ r Information Position Speed Gear Acceleration V i' ‘ I--'. y The system of car control The system of car control is set out Smells such as diesel or a bonfire in detail here. Use this information can alert you to hazards such as in conjunction with the other spills or smoke. chapters in Roadcraft for a See Chapter 3, Information, observation complete understanding of the and anticipation. system. When and how you read each chapter depends on your Use information own study plan. If you’re using Roadcraft as part of a course, Use information to plan how to ask your instructor for advice. deal with the hazards you identify. Use the system to decide on your Information next action. If new hazards arise, consider whether to rerun the Processing information runs system from an earlier phase. throughout all phases of the system. See Chapter 3, page 48, Planning. Take information Give information Look all round you. Scan to the Give a signal if it could help other front and sides, including your road users, including pedestrians blind spots. Use your mirrors at and cyclists. Use indicators, appropriate points in the system. the horn or flash your lights. For maximum benefit, give your warning Obtain information through your signal in good time. You may also other senses as well as your eyes. need to signal to override lane- Sounds such as a horn or siren changing technology. can warn you of other road users.  29 Chapter 2 - The system of car control Be aware that the position of your Brake/gear overlap can be vehicle gives valuable information used in specific circumstances. to other road users. It must always be part of a See Chapter 8, Driver’s signals. planned approach. Please turn to page 37 for a full discussion of this point. Position Position yourself so that you can negotiate the hazard(s) safely Acceleration and smoothly. Apply the correct degree of See Chapter 9, Positioning. acceleration to negotiate and leave Take account of the size of your the hazard safely. vehicle and other road users, Taking account of your speed, including pedestrians, cyclists the presence of other road users, and children. and the road and traffic conditions ahead, choose an appropriate point Speed to accelerate safely and smoothly away from the hazard. Adjust Adjust your speed as necessary. Use the accelerator or brake to give acceleration to the circumstances. you the correct speed to complete See Chapter 5, page 93. Using the the manoeuvre safely. Make good accelerator. use of acceleration sense. See Chapter 5, page 97, Acceleration Continuously assessing sense. information runs through every phase of the system. Use your anticipation skills so that you make all adjustments in speed smoothly and steadily. Gear Once you have the correct speed for the circumstances, engage the appropriate gear for that speed. See Chapter 5, page 101, Using the gears. 30 r i^oadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook A Use the system flexibly The sys em works if you use it intelligently and proactively and adapt it to circumstances as they arise: Consider al phases of the system on the approach to every hazard, but you rnay not need to use every phase in a particular situation. Take, use and give information throughout to constantly re-assess your plans. Be ready to return to an earlier phase of the system as new hazards arise. With practice, the system will become second nature and form a sound basis for developing the finer points of your driving skill. It will help you process information, make decisions and plan your approach to hazards so that you’re able to avoid, or give yourself plenty of time to react to, potential dangers. ! See Chapter 3, page 42, Processing complex information. I  31 Chapter 2 - The system of car control Applying the system of car control When you begin using the system, it may help to name each phase out loud as you enter it. After you practise using the system, review your performance: Do you take, use and give information throughout all phases? If not, what can you do to improve? What can you do to ensure you consider each phase systematically? Do you think about all aspects of each phase? Where you've identified problems in using the system, work through them one by one, solving the first before you go on to the next. Also, think about human factors that might create difficulties in using the system, such as work pressure, stress or tiredness. If you're distracted or preoccupied, consider giving a running commentary to help you to focus on working through the system as you approach each hazard. We now look at how you can apply the system to four common hazards, a left-hand turn, a right-hand turn, a roundabout, and a potential hazard - in this case, children on the pavement. Before you look at these examples, make sure you know the Highway Code advice on road junctions and roundabouts.  Chapter 3 Information, observation and anticipation A Learning outcomes The learning in this chapter, along with driver training, should enable you to: explain how your brain processes information and how you can your ability to process compiex information when driving improve expiain the three main types of hazard you wiil meet on the road show how to use the information you gather from observation to plan your driving actions demonstrate good observation and anticipation skills identify human and physiological factors that can affect observation and anticipation, and show how you manage these.  -5.^ 42 Roadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook -e Processing complex information To develop your driving to police operational standards, you'll need to expand your ability to process complex information. Practice will help you to do this. The diagram below is a simple model that explains how your brain processes the information that you receive through your senses when you drive. Your brain uses this information and past experience to understand the situation and decide what to do. It then continually monitors and, if necessary, adjusts the action as you carry it out: Decision-making You see a vehicle You slow down Input waiting to pull out in case the driver Output at a junction. does not see you. Feedback Input Vision is the most important sense for driving but you should learn to use ail your senses to build up the fullest possible picture of yourself, your surroundings and your situation. Your brain uses your observations - and information from your previous knowledge and experience that’s stored in your long-term memory ~ to build up a detailed mental map or ‘picture’ of your situation.  c IW" Chapter 3 - Information, observation and anticipation 43 Decision-making Your brain compares this mental picture with situations from your experience, identifies what actions you took in the past and chooses a plan of action for the current situation. Your brain assesses the suitability of the proposed plan by comparing it with actions that you've carried out safely in similar circumstances before. You use several types of judgement: anticipating how events are likely to unfold assessing the proposed plan for risk, noting hazards and grading them based on previous experience assessing your space, position, speed and gear. Output Take action - make an appropriate response. Feedback As you put your plan into action your brain takes in new information and continuously checks it so that you can modify your actions at any time. Developing this ability to a high standard takes experience, practice, alertness and full concentration. The ability to judge a situation, grade risks and anticipate how things are likely to unfold is essential to safe driving, especially at high speeds. Improving your information processing The highly demanding nature of emergency services driving means that the brain’s information-processing capacity can become overstretched, reducing driving performance and compromising safety. When information-processing capacity is stretched, it can lead to; increased reaction time errors of perception  ; i. 44 Roadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook a decreased focus of attention issues with memory storage. If you understand these, you can take steps to improve your information processing ability. Reaction time Your reaction time is the time between gathering new information about a hazard and responding to it, Reaction time = decision time + response time Decision time is the time Responsetime is between observing the hazard the time to start the and deciding what to do. physical response. V.' \ r-a-^Pi ' jrsv 4 Most drivers have a similar response time but they vary greatly in the amount of time they need to decide what to do. As situations become more complicated, you need more decision time and so your overall reaction time is also longer. As an emergency services driver, you may be dealing with situations requiring many complex decisions and judgements - often under pressure and at high speed - where a delayed reaction can have catastrophic results. The system of car control gives you a structured method for rapid decision-making. This reduces decision time and gives you more overall time to react in complex situations.  11^ Chapter 3 - Information, observation and anticipation 45 If you’re using a radio, be aware that your reaction time for spotting hazards w,li be ionger because of the greater deZal on your attention. ake steps to reduce these demands wherever possiL if you are also oing a particularly challenging driving situation. Errors of perception In demanding situations like high -speed driving, it’s sometimes possible , to misinterpret the information that you ''eceive through your senses. Common errors of perception are; ® Errors of judgement for exampie, less experienced drivers often perceive a bend as being less sharp than actually is so they negotiate It too quickly and risk loss of control or a collision. SeeC/iapter 10. Cornering. ' their --attention is directed elsewhere r ^ p-eptuai ® Habit and expectancy - when habit can prevent tirive regularly on familiar roads you from spotting a hazard that you don’t expect such as a vehicle emerging from a disused garage forecourt. Regression effects - drivers who switch vehicles regularly can, When under a lot of examniP r ''®''®tt to previously learned - routines - for mple, confusing the position of the to make sure you know where controls. Do a pre-driving check are on an unfamiliar vehicle. all the controls and technology devices See Appendix 2, is your vehicie fit to drive? page 275. Focus of attention several the nature of or'theSio or me radio ma mayT divert attention from "ScTonTJrh can affect your as passengers more important information. 46 Roadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook.i With training and practice, you can learn to filter complex information and concentrate on the priorities. Part of driving safely is having an understanding of how in-vehicle distractions can compromise safety, and taking steps to mitigate this wherever possible, Memory storage The brain can’t always deal with all the information it receives, In complex and demanding situations, your brain may fail to process adequately the information your senses are bringing in. This means that the information may not pass into your long-term memory, so that you cannot recall it later. Tips to improve information processing Regularly practise driving techniques and manoeuvres so that you can do them accurately and efficiently. Sharpen your observation and perception, and develop your situational awareness. Use the system of car control whenever you drive so that you make decisions methodically and quickly (Chapter 2). Learn to hold on to important pieces of information until you need them by repeating them, relating them to things you know well, or using other memory techniques. Try to avoid distraction so that you’re focusing your full attention on the task in hand. Why observation and anticipation are essential for better driving The ability to process complex information will give you more time to anticipate hazards accurately when under pressure. An important goal of police driver training is to develop sophisticated anticipation skills.  Chapter 3 - Information, observation and anticipation 47 Anticipation is the ability to identify hazards at the earliest possible opportunity. eco Looking well ahead and anticipating potential hazards reduces fuel consumption by cutting down on unnecessary acceleration and braking. See Appendix 3, Fuel-efficient driving, page 279. What is a hazard? ^ “ r,r' “ -« physical features (e.g. junctions, bends road surface) the position or movement of other road users (e.g. drivers, cyclists, pedestrians) weather conditions (e.g. icy road, poor visibility). A hazard may be immediate and obvious, such as a car approaching you just as dangerous - for example, a biind bend could conceal an obstacle in your path. Failing to recognise hazardous situations is a major cause of collisions. yTurspoThazarZ ?eac iu can th 'hink, anticipate and dangeZsIurns " 48 Ro.adcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook Sight is the most important sense for observation when driving. But also make full use of your other senses, such as: hearing (horn sounds, children) smell (e.g. new-mown grass could mean slow-moving grass-cutting machinery) physical sensations such as vibration {e.g. juddering from road surface irregularities). Good anticipation involves more than just good observation, It means ‘reading’ the road and extracting the fullest meaning from your observations. Remember that distraction can affect observation and hazard perception, making the anticipation of hazards much harder. Planning Safer driving depends on systematically using the information you gather from observation to plan your driving actions: anticipate hazards prioritise decide what to do. Generally, things don’t just happen; there’s usually enough time to anticipate how a hazard might unfold. Good planning depends on early observation and early anticipation of risk. The purpose of the plan is to put you: in the correct position at the correct speed with the correct gear engaged at the correct time  VS'- Chapter 3 - Information, observation and anticipation 49 Annina planning ,s a continual process of forming and re-forming plans, iternmf" interpret andH act on your observations. VOU to 1. Observe 2. Anticipate 3. Prioritise o o 4. Decide what to do brake o o  ♦y t- 7> 50 Ftoadcraft - The Police Driver's Handbook ^ t'-T- St, Anticipate hazards You can: develop your ability to anticipate hazards through specific training in hazard perception. But you can also learn to anticipate through experience, if you honestly assess your o\A/n performance and that of other road users each time you drive. Young, inexperienced drivers tend to react very quickly to simple hazards but react more slowly to complex traffic hazards. This is because they lack experience of the kinds of hazardous events that can lead to a collision. As they’re not aware of the risks, they fail to anticipate them. Trained drivers spot the early signs of possible trouble and anticipate what might happen, so they react early and appropriately. They’re constantly monitoring risks at a subconscious level so that they’re ready to respond quickly if the situation develops. Observation and anticipation reinforce each other. On a familiar route, for example, you may know from experience where there are likely to be hazards, even if your view of the road is blocked by vehicles. Anticipating hazards means that you search the road for visual clues. From this careful observation, you gather new visual clues that increase your ability to anticipate. You can develop your competence at anticipating the actions of other drivers by carefully observing their progress and behaviour, and their head, hand and eye movements. Even careful drivers can make mistakes, so [earning to anticipate other road users' intentions can give you and them an extra safety margin. Anticipating hazards gives you extra time. The more time you have to react to a hazard, the more likely it is that you can deal with it safely.  ‘.-It.. Chapter 3 - Information, observation and anticipation 51 A useful technique to help develop your anticipation is to do a running commentary in your head as you drive. Describe v/hat hazards you can observe and how you plan to deal with them. Remember to observe other drivers as well as their vehicles. Ask yourself 'What ifwhen you observe a hazard. For example: ‘What if that driver waiting at the junction pulled out without looking?’ ‘What if there’s a parked vehicle just round this bend?' With practice you should find that you observe more hazards earlier and in more detail, and gain more time to react. Prioritise hazards Where there are multiple hazards, deal with them in order of importance. The level of danger associated with particular hazards varies with: O the hazard itself o how close it is to you road layout whether the hazard is stationary or moving how fast you’re approaching it. The greater the danger, the higher the priority, | but be ready to re-adjust your priorities as the situation develops. Practise applying the three stages of planning during every journey until you do it automatically. even when you’re driving under pressure.  f 52 Roadcraft-The Police Driver's Handbook Decide what to do The purpose of your plan is to decide on and adopt a course of action that ensures the safety of yourself and other road users at all times, taking account of: I what you can see I what you can't see * what you might reasonably expect to happen which hazards represent the greatest risk what to do if things turn out differently from expected (contingency plans). If you plan your driving, you should be able to make decisions in a methodical way at any point and without hesitation. While you’re driving, you should be continuously anticipating, prioritising f hazards and deciding what to do. At first, you might find it difficult to consciously work through these three stages all the time but, with practice, this will become second nature and prove a quick and reliable guide to action.' Forward planning beyond the next hazard I Dealing with the hazard immediately ahead is only the start to the process of managing hazards effectively, particularly when travelling in urgent situations'. Look beyond the next hazard and consider what other hazards you can see. It’s no help to identify the first bend as a relatively minor hazard in isolation if the result is that you’re travelling too fast for the hazard beyond it. Similarly, an opportunity to overtake may appear to be available, but if you adopt the speed necessary to overtake safely, it may mean I you’re travelling too fast for the approaching bend beyond it. The process of identifying and prioritising hazards is an ongoing one. Continually make adjustments in your planning to allow for how an upcoming hazard may affect how you deal with a closer one. Be prepared to re-visit the system of car control if priorities change.  M': m Chapter 3 -.Information, observation and anticipation 53 Planning through a series of hazards - sometimes effectively treating them as one complex hazard - can help you make progress, as well as prevent unsafe driving. Quickly observing the road ahead from the furthest you see back towards where you are now, rather than working away from can yourself towards the horizon, can help with this. Use as much information as you can gather to help you plan effectively. Improving your observation Observation and anticipation depend both on visual skills - how you use your eyes to observe the environment - and on mental skills, such as information processing and concentration. These vital skills are interlinked. Scanning the environment Our ability to handle information about the environment is limited so we tend to cope with this by concentrating on one part of it at a time. But rivers who rapidly scan the whole environment looking for different kinds of hazards have a much lower risk of accident than drivers who concentrate on one area. Imagine your field of view as a picture - you can see the whole picture but you can only concentrate on one part of it at a time. This is why you need to develop the habit of scanning repeatedly and regularly. When you use a radio, you largely focus your visual If you concentrate your vision on a attention on one point - small area, you are less aware of the usually directly ahead - and whole picture. fail to look across the scene to peripheral areas.