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Tales
from the Road
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Three States of Mind for Drivers
posted by The Lonely Rider
As a former racecar driver, advanced driving instructor and more recently the Founder of RoadAwareness.ca, I constantly advocate that people take additional courses to learn how to improve their skills. Without a doubt they can be a lifesaver. I've often said that the greatest problem on our roads is a lack of skill and situational awareness, although our behaviour is a huge factor too. Even if everyone had the skills of professional racecar drivers, collisions would still occur if our state of mind were a problem. In my teachings, I make a point to teach drivers such essentials like situational awareness, forward thinking and the techniques of smooth, precise driving. But no matter how good you are as a skilled driver, our state of mind will always play a factor. A bad day at work or a fight with a significant other can change the way we drive. Ever found yourself driving more aggressively after having a fight with someone at work? Be honest now...we all have. Have you ever given any thought as to how your state of mind actually affects your driving and how your driving affects other drivers around you? Probably not.
Last winter, I sat in on a Winter Driving Course hosted by Ian Law's Car Control School that focused on advanced driving techniques on snow and ice. Ian Law himself is a racecar driver whom I have shared the track with many times and he also writes for Wheels.ca. Although not imperative to the course, the instructors took the time to discuss the "Three States of Mind" exhibited on our roads, which is a concept that Ian discusses not only in his training course but also in some of his articles. Here I will try to summarize those concepts although with my own twist.
Child State
We see this one all the time. The "Child" drivers are the ones that speed along excessively, weaving in and out of traffic, seemingly without a care in the world or any consideration for other motorists. They are the ones seen cutting people off, tailgating and generally putting everyone (including themselves) at risk of a collision. They believe that the road is theirs and theirs alone and are frustrated that you are in their way. Or worse...think the road is their personal racetrack. If you will forgive the generalization, they are usually younger males who think they are invincible and that they have the skills to perform risky manoeuvres time and time again without any consideration for those around them. They have no sense of personal responsibility for the task of driving a vehicle and are generally want-to-be racers, driving supped up cars or super sport motorcycles. However the only proper place to race is on a racetrack, which is also a foreign concept to "child" like motorists.
Parent State
We see this one a lot too. The "Parents" are the ones that for whatever reason think that it's their job to teach other drivers a lesson of some sort. When someone cuts them off, they will tailgate or worse pass them and cut the "offending" driver off too in an attempt to teach them a lesson. They are also the ones seen "closing the door" on drivers who are attempting to merge into their lane but wait for the last moment to do so, refusing to let them in. "Oh no you don't! You waited too long...I'm not letting you in now". For whatever reason, they feel that they need to enforce their own ideas of the rules of the road. This type of behaviour can be just as dangerous (if not more so) as the "Child" state. When they see a driver behaving dangerously, they tend to add to an already dangerous situation in their attempt to teach others a lesson. This often escalates into road rage, which can in turn become very dangerous, especially when squaring off against "children" who retaliates with their own "I'll show you" attitude. The child becomes a parent too and now two "parents" are going head to head and things only get worse from there.
Adult State
The "Adults" are the ones that, I believe, we actually see the most, although recognize the least. They are the ones that always take a deep breath and think rationally and calmly. These are the drivers that, by their own actions, reduce the number of collisions on our roads because they don't allow dangerous situations to escalate and allow for a dangerous situation to become a safer one. They don't drive recklessly or erratically. When someone cuts them off, they ease off the throttle to open a safe distance and when someone needs to merge into their lane...they let them. These are the safe, courteous drivers on our roads and the ones who should be commended for remaining calm and attentive to their surroundings. They recognize dangerous drivers and give them space and thusly avoid collisions far more often.
We see examples of all three each and every day on our roads but we should all try and be "adults". Skill and situational awareness are hugely important but so are our attitudes and behaviours.
So next time you go for a drive or a ride on your bike, ask yourself...what State of Mind are you in?
posted by The Lonely Rider
More Information on Ontario's New Distracted Driving
posted by The Lonely Rider
REDUCE COLLISIONS, INJURY AND DEATH IN TORONTO: More Information on Ontario's New Distracted Driving
posted by The Lonely Rider
Hands-Free Law Gives False Sense of Security
posted by The Lonely Rider
Earlier this year, Ontario passed a law banning the use of virtually all hand-held devices while driving. The law will finally take effect on October 26th but for the first three months, offenders will only receive warnings until February 1st, 2010, at which point offenders can expect a $500 fine. Ontario joins three other provinces including Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Manitoba is expected to follow suit soon. By enacting such a law, it would appear that on the surface, the government is being proactive about implementing laws in an attempt to make our roads safer. I can't help to wonder how much safer will Ontario roads will really be? It seems to me that although this law will save face with many concerned voters about the use of cell phones while driving, it may only be another knee-jerk reaction by the government and serve as a handy cash grab at the same time.
Now, before everyone starts swamping me with emails saying "of course this is a good law", it's important to note that Ontario will be the only province to not be applying a point penalty against offenders' licenses. Additionally, fines will also be the highest in the country. When Quebec enacted a similar law, the fine was set at $450 and came with a point penalty against the offender's license. This means that if a person incurs enough penalties (for whatever reason), they would be considered a proven danger on the road and have their license revoke for a period of time. With the way the Ontario law is written, it will have no impact on those who pose a history of dangerous driving practices. Quebec also issued over 4.5million dollars in fines in a 10 month period...did Ontario just find another economic bailout?
Let's take the economic benefits to the government out of the equation and consider the actual cause and effect that everyone is looking for with laws like this one. There is no doubt that talking on cell phones is dangerous. Not only is this a perceived danger in the eyes of most people but it's also been statistically proven to be truth. Many studies have been done, especially in Europe, showing that talking on a cell phone reduces a driver's judgement, sense of awareness and reaction times. Many real-world testing have shown that talking on a phone while driving actually impairs a driver's judgement much more than having a blood alcohol level of 0.08%, which is considered legally impaired. Many will argue that they don't see a difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger in the vehicle. But what they don't realize is that a passenger also has a sense of situational awareness to what the driver is doing that the person on the other end of the phone call doesn't have. They naturally stop talking when needed so that the driver can focus on the road. The key here is, that it's been shown that a driver cannot consciously decide what to apply more brainpower too...the conversation or the road. When talking on the phone, a large part of a driver's attention is focused on what the person on the other end of the phone is saying. A passenger instinctively stops talking when needed and the driver's brain instantly applies all their attention to the task of driving again. It's quite amazing how our brain divides our attention in an attempt to multitask without our conscience input.
So are we safer with the new law? Dream on. This new law is actually considered an "anti-hand held device" law, which also bans checking and sending emails with your cell phone and bans the use of MP3 players, DVD units and pretty much everything that involves you holding an electronic device to use. However, GPS units are ok but only if properly mounted on dashboards or windshields.
Yes, this covers a wide range of devices and their use but does that really absolve us from in-car distractions? Not even close, especially when drivers are now being encouraged to use hands-free kits for their phones so that they can still carry on conversations. Wait a minute...shouldn't the point of this law also address the whole concept of talking on a phone?
Unfortunately, it totally misses the mark in that regard. What's being ignored is that those same UK studies that many people are referring too for statistics also clearly indicate that using a hands-free kit vs. not using one, makes no improvement to a drivers judgement, reflexes or situational awareness. They are still as mentally impaired as being legally drunk! Just because you are freeing up a drivers' hands, doesn't mean you are freeing their mind. I'm sure Matrix fans are snickering a little but there is a parody that can be drawn here much like taking the blue pill vs. the red one. Do we really want to know the truth about in-car distractions or would we rather remain ignorant and just sit back believing that the "powers that be" (in this case our government) have everything in hand and that they are taking care of us?
Let's be honest though. The drivers who realize that using a cell phone is dangerous already (hands-free or not) abstain from doing so. Those who don't will continue to do so until they are caught but even then it will likely not stop them from doing it again (much like speeding). Offenders may change their habits for a while but will eventually offend again. Of course anyone who can afford a cell phone, can also afford a simple hands-free earphone kit but this still doesn't address the bigger issue...in-car distractions...period.
Where do we draw the line though? First hand-held devices and then what? Reading a newspaper? Sure. Painting your fingers? Sure. Applying make-up or shaving? Sure.
Why stop there? What about changing the radio station or talking in the car at all? What about banning children from cars because they are often a distraction and source of stress to a driver? Am I getting carried away? I'm sure you get my drift.
What about taking a different approach? What about educating drivers about the dangers of in-car distractions of any kind? What about teaching drivers to realize that the most important thing while driving a car should be...driving the car? Of course education programs like that cost a lot of money and don't make any. Passing laws like this one does make money and provides a false sense of security in that our roads will be safer as a result.
We can't ban every in-car distraction and only the most ignorant will believe that this law will make our roads significantly safer.
In the end, it really comes down to each of us to make a choice. Either you choose to drive safe and avoid in-car distractions or you choose not too and risk a collision.
Safer roads start with safer drivers, so please...pay attention and drive safe. Labels: ban, cell phone, distracted driving, hands free, text
posted by The Lonely Rider
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