Some people like to drive. Some people hate to drive. A good number of people look upon driving as one of the basic rights of life. It should be seen as a privilege.
Driving is now one of those over government regulated start ups that goes along with being an over government regulated teenager. States may have various modifications to the rules, but they are trying to achieve the same end result - safer, more responsible drivers:
At age 14: learners permit - good only when a legally licensed driver is present in the vehicle and capable of taking over the driving.
At age 16: limited driver - meaning that they may drive alone, but may not drive alone with anyone under the age of 18 in the vehicle with them .
At age 18: full driver status is attained.
Children spend a lifetime driving with parents, friends and relatives - learning by example. Children learn what they live. Whatever driving habits, driving attitudes, driving style, driving manners that parents, peers and relatives exhibit over many years, the children will repeat, take on and make part of their own driving life. Breaking a lifetime of habits is a difficult thing to do. One must first be aware of the problem or bad habit and then desire to change it and then make the conscious decision and effort to put it into action.
Driving is a privilege - it is not a right - and it comes with a weight of responsibility.
Driving is 10% physical and 90% mental. Almost anyone can do the physical part. Open the door, sit in the seat, adjust the mirror, turn on the ignition, place foot on brake, put vehicle in gear, place hands on wheel, turn wheel, remove foot from brake and place it on gas pedal.
The human brain is a wondrous complex organ - a living computer. Billions of cells pass continual signals along trillions of synoptic connections monitoring the body's actions and reactions. From a continuous stream of information, it rapidly analyzes and responds to data controlling actions and functions. With the process power of 100 million million operations per second (breathing, heart rate, respiration, balance, perspiration, posture, movement coordination), it is capable of processing 40,000 pieces of information per second (sights, sounds, movements, colors, sensations, feelings). This is the 90%. This is the awareness of the world around you, your place in it and your reactions and participation in all that happens there. This is the greatest factor in safe driving.
Whether you learn and practice the art of driving safely or not, whether you accept and respect the responsibility of safe driving or not, will have an impact on the safety of yourself and those who share the road with you.
Awareness of the world around combines 3 important elements for safe driving - known as the three 'P's - Perceive - Predict - Perform .
Webster Dictionary definitions:
Perceive - To grasp mentally; take note of; observe; become aware of through sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell.
Predict - To say in advance what one believes will happen, foretell future event.
Perform - To act on; to execute; to carry out a task, an action or process. To carry out or meet the requirements of.
In order to perceive, the driver's attention must be focused on the task at hand - driving. Driving may be 90& mental, but it requires 100% of your attention. The first definition of perceive is 'to grasp mentally', the second is to 'become aware of'. A driver must be mentally present and 100% attuned to the act of driving in order to perceive what is going on all around.
Now that we have your attention, let move on the next component - Predict. When you are aware of what is happening all around you, you can begin to make predictions about what is going on.
Perception - the intersection light has turned yellow
Prediction - All traffic will begin to stop
With the awareness of the light change and the knowledge that other traffic should begin to react to that comes the next part - perform.
A decision must be made regarding the appropriate action to be taken and then the action followed through with.
All of the components have come together:
Perception - the intersection light has turned yellow
Prediction - All traffic will begin to stop
Performance - move foot from accelerator to brake
The whole process is that simple. However if you are looking at your cell phone, you do not see the light turn color, you are not aware of traffic slowing and stopping and you do not react to what is going on outside of your vehicle. Now safety depends upon the 90% and 100% other drivers are giving to the act of driving. If they are doing the 90% with 100% attention, they observe your erratic driving and note that you are looking at the cellphone instead of the road. They can predict that you are unaware of the changing light and the slowing, stopping traffic and may not be aware of it until impact. They can react and preform - honk the horn in hopes of getting your attention or try to take evasive action that will keep everyone from impact.
A driver must be have the ability to discern the difference between information which is either vital or incidental. This is another function which requires awareness, focus and attention to the task of driving. Persons impaired by alcohol or drugs lose the ability to make the connection between this information and the ability to make decisions with adequate time to take action.
Again - lets go to Webster for definitions;
Discern - To separate mentally; perceive or recognize
Vital - Affecting, concerned with, necessary or essential to life.
Incidental - Casual, secondary or minor
Vital information is that, then, which has an immediate effect upon what is happening or about to happen. It has a very important bearing in the decisions and actions that must follow recognition or awareness of the information.
Incidental information is that which is less important and may or may not require decision and or action.
Brake lights directly ahead would be an example of vital information, while the car just appearing on the crest of the hill behind you would be incidental. Vital information remains so only until there is no more cause for reaction. Incidental information may or may not become vital. The brake lights may go off ahead and though attention is still needed in that direction, the car which was behind has now moved up fast and is approaching vital. The on ramp coming coming up is vital, but will will become incidental once it is behind.
One more aspect to be considered in driving is - Perception versus Reality. Mirrors are an excellent example of this. Few come without caution permanently inscribed across the surface - 'Warning - Objects in this mirror may be closer than they appear.' The construction of the mirror glass is such that any object seen in it looks as if it is closer than it is in reality. Mud covered tail lights may make them dim enough that they convey the impression that they are further away when they could in reality be feet in front. Hot summer sun shimmering on road surfaces give the impression of water across the road when in reality there is nothing there. Black ice is so thin that there is no indication it has formed upon the surface of the road.
Remember - Driving is 90% mental, but it takes 100% of your attention. Note that every important factor mentioned in the section above is related to mental activity.
Driving is not a game that one gets old enough to play. It is not a right that one gains with age. It is a privilege that one should attain with the right attitude and the right skills. With it,comes the responsibility and regard for safety and lives of others.
