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Exercise 11

This exercise can also be given in either phase 1 or phase 2. We are now dealing with it as a phase 1 exercise. The general advice given in previous exercises equally applies to these exercises and the use of visual aids is essential.

The Examiner will select any two of the first four subjects plus awareness and anticipation. You will not be expected to deal with all the exercises at once. He will introduce the exercise by telling you that he has been having lessons in a similar vehicle and his instructor had told him that today he would teach him how to deal with: Meeting vehicles safely, overtaking other vehicles safely, crossing the path of other vehicles safely, allowing adequate clearance for other road users and stationary vehicles, how to show awareness and anticipation of the actions of other road users. He will ask you to teach him the exercises he has selected and to correct any faults you see in his driving.

We will now deal with all of the above subjects but in the test you will be given only three of the above as previously mentioned. Visual aids similar to those shown on the right will be necessary. Make the usual introductions and ascertain his previous knowledge by asking him of his experiences and knowledge of the subjects.

MEETING OTHER VEHICLES SAFELY

Using the meeting diagram focus the pupil's attention on the left hand illustration by covering the other two. Begin by pointing to the car at the bottom of the page and say, I would like you to imagine we are driving this vehicle and we notice the vehicle parked on the opposite side of the road. We must recognize the fact that the presence of this vehicle has created a hazard because it has reduced the width of the road at that point. We deal with it in the same way as we would deal with a narrow bridge. We use two mnemonic codes which are L A D and M S M. Ask if he knows what they stand for and if he doesn't explain: Look Assess Decide and Mirror Signal Manoeuvre.

Continue by explaining that on seeing the obstruction we immediately:
Look beyond it and notice the vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. So we:
Assess how wide the road is at that point and if both vehicles could pass each other without being too close to each other or the stationary vehicle. If the road is too narrow for the vehicles to pass each other comfortably then we assess what the other driver is about to do. If for instance we see that he is already deviating and about to cross the centre line we would assess that he is coming through. Then we would:
Decide to slow down and give way. Having made this decision we would check the
Mirrors consider a: Signal ( the brake lights would be sufficient in most cases)
Position (that may not need to alter, so we should just keep to the left).
Speed we would reduce and we would keep:
Looking to see the other driver safely through the gap and no other vehicles are following.

Now explain what we would do if we had noticed the other driver slowing down on his half of the road. In this case we would:

Assess it would be safe to proceed so we would:
Decide to continue and go through the gap so we would check the:
Mirrors to check on the state of the following traffic.
Signal we wouldn't need to.
Position need not alter.:
Speed we would probably maintain the same but we keep
Looking in case the driver changed his mind.
Invite questions and deal with them basing answers on defensive driving.

Reveal the second illustration and again pointing to the car at the bottom of the page, explain that on seeing this parked vehicle we:
Look beyond the vehicle and realize we have two tasks. We have to meet the oncoming vehicle and we have to deviate, so we:
Assess the available width will be insufficient so we:
Decide to wait and allow the oncoming vehicle through the gap. Then we check the:
Mirrors and consider a:
Signal, in most cases one would not be necessary other than brake lights.
Position would need to alter, so now reveal the final illustration and explain we would have to move into the extended position. We would position just left of the centre.
Speed we would reduce and if we had to wait for the other vehicle we would stop well back so that we could:
Look past the stationary vehicle to see if any other vehicles were following. When it is safe from oncoming vehicles, check the mirrors again and move round on a smooth line.
Ask and deal with any questions basing answers on defensive driving.

Crossing Approaching Traffic

Begin by dealing with turning right at a junction from a major road into a minor road using the left hand diagram. Explain the approach using the MSM Procedure, after you have dealt with taking up position say now we come to speed and look. As you are approaching the junction you should be looking not only at the junction but also for oncoming traffic and you should try to regulate your speed so that you arrive at the junction after the oncoming traffic has come through. You will not always be fortunate to arrive at the junction without there being any oncoming traffic. If there are any vehicles approaching, you must not turn if by doing so you would cause the driver of an oncoming vehicle to swerve or reduce speed. If necessary you stop with the front of your vehicle more or less level with the centre line of the road you are about to enter and wait until it is safe to proceed. It is going to take about 4 seconds to complete your turn so if any oncoming vehicles are going to arrive within 4 seconds then you must wait. Another way to try and judge if there will be sufficient time to complete the turn safely would be to imagine yourself as a pedestrian and asking yourself if there would be enough time to leisurely stroll across without the risk of being knocked down. If the answer is no or you have any doubt you must wait.

Using the next two diagrams explain that at crossroads it can be more difficult because you can meet an oncoming driver who also intends to turn to his right. At very wide intersections or when turning right into or out of a dual carriageway, the safest method is to turn offside to offside so each driver has an uninterrupted view of the oncoming traffic. However at most crossroads in the north of England this is not always possible and drivers must turn nearside to nearside. This method is fraught with danger because each driver creates a zone of invisibility. If you find yourself in this position you will not be able to see if there is any oncoming traffic, so do not presume it is safe. Creep forward very carefully until you can see and be sure it is safe. If you are going ahead at a cross road and there is a vehicle ahead of you turning right, be careful if you overtake him on the left, always expect a driver to be turning across your path and make sure your road speed will be sufficiently low so you would be able to take evasive action should it be necessary.

Overtake Safely

Ensure the pupil understands that overtaking can be a very dangerous manoeuvre because it often involves driving at high speeds on the wrong side of the road. However you do not have to overtake to reach your destination, you will get there eventually. However not many people would want to follow a slow moving vehicle for miles, so we have to use a safe system. When overtaking you want a good speed differential, you do not want to be overtaking a vehicle travelling at 59 MPH in a 60MPH area, because you would be passing at 1 MPH but travelling on the wrong side of the road at 88 feet per second. That would not be very healthy. It would be much better if the slower vehicle was only travelling at 30 MPH and you were travelling at 60 MPH. You would be on the wrong side of the road for a lot less time and distance.Before you can overtake safely you must have a long straight piece of road without any feature which would hinder your vision such as a bend or brow of a hill. There must not be any feature which could lead you into contact with any other road user such as pedestrian crossings, road junctions, crossroads etc. Above all else it must be legal to overtake. It often happens when we begin to close on a slower moving vehicle it is often at a place where the Highway Code either prohibits or advises against overtaking. So this is how we go about it. We turn the MSM procedure round a little as follows:

MIRROR As soon as we see the slower vehicle ahead and realize it is an unsafe place to overtake, we check the mirrors. Then we
POSITION our vehicle in the extended position, which is similar to a turning right position, just left of the centre line and far enough back to be able to see along the offside of the slower vehicle but close enough to it so that we are able to catch it easily once the way ahead is safe. Then we consider the
SPEED Now if the slower moving vehicle was travelling at 30 mph and the speed limit was 60 mph we would want to be able to accelerate to 60 mph as quickly as possible once it is safe to do so. Therefore we would realize that it will be necessary to change down to third gear once we can see it is safe. So we now
LOOK Ahead to find a safe quarter of a mile or more in which to overtake without breaking any Highway Code rules or endangering any other road user. When we are satisfied with the road ahead we look into the
MIRRORS To see if it is safe to pull out and consider a
SIGNAL When considering whether to signal or not, do not forget the driver ahead, because whilst following in the extended position we have a zone of invisibility in front of the vehicle ahead and he may be just on the point of deviating to pass a parked vehicle which we haven’t seen. Then
MANOEUVRE Change down if necessary, accelerate firmly and pull out on a nice easy line, steering well clear of the vehicle ahead, so you do not scare the driver. When you can see him again in the nearside mirror begin to return to your normal road position.You may find that when you check your mirrors you discover someone is in the act of overtaking you. In that case you must start the whole procedure again and as many times as necessary until it is safe to overtake.Never take chances, only safe opportunities.

Adequate Clearance

Explain to your pupil that we live in the space age and the more space we have around our vehicle the safer we are. For example, if we are 100 miles from another road user we have no chance of hitting him. However if we are only 100 millimetres away then there is every chance of collision. When passing stationary vehicles we should be aware of several dangers. Stationary vehicles create zones of invisibility so drivers cannot see the pavements, pedestrians are hidden from view and may step out from between vehicles at any time. Car doors can open and vehicles can move off. For the above reasons we must leave 3 to 4 feet clearance (at least a door’s width) safety margin. If traffic conditions are so congested that it is not possible to leave 3 to 4 feet clearance, does not mean the dangers are not there, they still exist. Therefore if the safety margin is eroded we must compensate by reducing speed, down to a crawling pace if need be.

Passing pedestrians and cyclist can be very hazardous because both are able to change speed and direction very rapidly without warning. Therefore a clearance of at least 4 to 5 feet is required.

Following behind other vehicles can be very hazardous and result in serious and fatal accidents. Many drivers, particularly so called professional drivers, drive dangerously close to the vehicle ahead. What they do not realize or tend to forget, is the fact that the vehicle ahead could stop dead, and could, if involved in a head-on collision with a vehicle heavier than itself and travelling faster than itself, would in fact come back towards them. It would be the same effect as you hitting an insect flying towards you. Therefore the overall stopping distance, and having regard for the state of the road, should be the minimum.

In good conditions the two second rule works well up to 40mph because at 40mph you are travelling at roughly 60 feet per second. At 70mph you are travelling at roughly 105 feet per second so 3 seconds would be needed to give 315 feet which is the overall stopping distance. To operate the two second rule you should wait until the vehicle ahead is level with a landmark such as a lamp post or bridge. Then you say to yourself either, 'only a fool would break the two second rule,' or, 'one thousand and one, one thousand and two.' If you have passed the landmark before you have finished speaking, then you are too close.

Stopping in traffic always leave sufficient room between yourself and the vehicle ahead so that you could move round the vehicle without the need to reverse if the vehicle ahead was to breakdown. If everyone stops bumper to bumper and one vehicle has a breakdown, a traffic jam is created. To avoid this always stop so you are able to see the rear tyres of the vehicle ahead in contact with the road surface.

Awareness & Anticipation

Awareness and anticipation are required the whole time we are driving if we are to drive with due care and attention. It means we should be making judgements using our experience to regulate our speed so that we can cope with every eventuality. The fact we have seen a vehicle ahead go round a bend in the road does not mean it is safe for us. He could be involved in an accident just outside our field of view, so we must adjust our speed so that we can easily stop well within the distance we can see to be clear. Approaching a bend without footpaths, we should realize that pedestrians can be on either side of the road, and, even if they are on the opposite side they can still present us with the problem of oncoming traffic being on our side.

Once the vehicle is in motion every opportunity should be used to pass on to the pupil the benefit of our experience. Also every opportunity should be made of situations which are occurring on the lesson which may not present themselves on every lesson, for example: Suppose it is raining hard or has been raining hard and water is collecting at the side of the road. This fact should be brought to the pupil's attention and they should be taught how to plan their driving to avoid the pools of water, particularly if they happen to be in the vicinity of pedestrians who would become sprayed if the pupil was to drive through it. You should make every endeavour to cultivate a responsible attitude in your pupil so they will drive with due care and consideration for other road users and they will see every potential danger.

Top of page ¦ Meet other vehicles safely ¦ Crossing Approaching Traffic ¦ Overtake Safely ¦ Adequate Clearance ¦ Awareness & Anticipation
Back to Exercise 10 ¦ Forward to Exercise 12
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Always be aware of what is going on anticipate the likely actions of other road users. Be prepared for the unexpected and have regard for speed, state of the road and traffic conditions. When your visibility of the road ahead is reduced you should adjust your speed so that you can pull up within the distance you can see to be clear.

In the top picture notice no pavements, pedestrians could be in the road. Is anything going to emerge from the opening on the left?

In all three pictures can you be sure there are no vehicles coming towards you?

In the final picture you will need twice your overall stopping distance because you will both be using the same part of the road and you will be on the wrong side.