GEMC Driver Improvement Program

How many people in the USA are killed each year in vehicle crashes?

Over 45,000 persons

What’s more important to avoiding collisions. Driver skill. or What’s more important to avoiding collisions? Driver skill or Driver attitude

Attitude is by far the most important factor.

Our basic attitudes are formed by the time we are three to four years old. Attitudes guide us through life like filters on camera lenses. Attitudes are developed by our experiences, the experiences of our parents, and even their parents.

There are three basic attitude states that can cause us problems when we drive. These are: Poor Me Punishing Parent Me First

Poor Me Drivers with this type attitude do not accept responsibility for their actions. They consider themselves as victims of the other driver. “There was nothing I could do.” “ They came out of nowhere.” “They hit me.”

Punishing Parent Drivers in this attitude state think that they are the ones that must punish other drivers for bad habits or mistakes. Much like the way a parent punishes a child for doing wrong.

Me First Drivers in this attitude state are playing a child-like game of me-first. “I got to the intersection first.” “I had the right-of-way.” “They cut me off.”

Any of the three can cause you problems when driving Any of the three can cause you problems when driving. It’s easy to recognize the three attitude states and return to your adult attitude state. If you are in doubt just ask yourself “is this adult way to handle this”. This will force your sub-conscious mind to enter the adult attitude state.

The adult attitude state is where your mind should be when you are behind the wheel.

Is another method that you should use to avoid vehicle crashes. Space Cushion Driving Is another method that you should use to avoid vehicle crashes.

Space Cushion Driving means that you control the speed of your vehicle and the space around it. When maintaining the correct speed of your vehicle you also control time. You give yourself enough time to See, Predict, and Perform.

You must see potential trouble You must see potential trouble. You must predict the appropriate action to take. You must be able to perform an action in time to avoid conflict.

Drivers need good perception Drivers need good perception. Your eyes provide more than 90% of the information that you need to safely maneuver your vehicle and cope with the actions of others

What kind of vision does an eagle have?

An eagle has excellent vision An eagle has excellent vision. They can spot field mice from great heights. When they dive at 70 miles per hour they seldom miss their prey.

What kind of vision does a turtle have ?

Turtles do not have very good vision Turtles do not have very good vision. Turtles don’t need to see very far because they travel slowly.

What about our vision?

The human body was designed to move about 4 miles an hour The human body was designed to move about 4 miles an hour. Our natural instinct is to look just far enough ahead to avoid problems at this speed.

Six Tips to safer driving are: 1. Look Into Your Future 2 Six Tips to safer driving are: 1. Look Into Your Future 2. Get The Big Picture 3. Keep Your Eyes Moving 4. Have An Out 5. Make Sure You Are Seen 6. Avoid Distractions

1. Look Into Your Future You may not realize it but when you are walking at less than 4 mph you are usually only looking about 100 feet ahead. It’s the natural thing to do. But some people only look about 100 feet ahead when traveling 10 times that speed in a vehicle.

Try to look at least 15 seconds into your future Try to look at least 15 seconds into your future. As you focus on the point where your vehicle will be in 15 seconds you can still see nearby activity. Fifteen seconds eye lead time equates to about a block ahead in city traffic and one- quarter of a mile at highway speeds

2. Get The Big Picture. Contains everything that could be 2. Get The Big Picture Contains everything that could be in conflict with your vehicle. Traffic, stationary objects, people, instruction and warning signs, and traffic control devices. In the city it contains everything from sidewalk to sidewalk for 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle.

You must eliminate any barriers that would prevent you getting the big picture. First You must establish and maintain a distance of at least a four to six seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.

By establishing the proper following distance you create a space cushion in front of your vehicle that provides you with time and increased vision. This allows you to see the road ahead and make your decisions concerning potential conflicts. Why rely on the brake lights of another to tell you how to drive.

You can’t get the big picture if you are following too closely You can’t get the big picture if you are following too closely. You can’t get the big picture if you can’t see the everything behind your vehicle when backing.

To get the big picture you must concentrate on the job of driving To get the big picture you must concentrate on the job of driving. You can not be distracted by some of the modern day distractions like cellular phones, computers, and radios.

Bad weather, poor visibility, heavy traffic, and congested areas require you to reduce your speed in order to get or keep the big picture.

3. Keep Your Eyes Moving. When you stare at something 3. Keep Your Eyes Moving When you stare at something you lose your big picture. You should keep your eyes busy scanning the road ahead, both sides, and check your rearview mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds

We have two types of vision We have a clear central vision that provides sharp in-focus images and a fringe vision that is not very sharp and used to call our attention to something

Our area of central vision is very limited Our area of central vision is very limited. At 100 feet the area of sharp focus is only 5 feet wide. At 1000 feet we see clearly in an area only 50 feet wide.

Our fringe vision allows us to see a great amount of area and acts like an early warning system This allows our eyes to shift towards the area identified in our indistinct fringe vision and use our central vision to provide accurate, detailed information

4. Have an Out. Plan and prepare for the. unexpected 4. Have an Out Plan and prepare for the unexpected Create as much as of a space cushion as possible

Ask yourself “what if” Blind spots are areas to prepare for the unexpected Leave an escape route for your vehicle

If you get boxed-in in traffic it may be an indication that you failed to leave yourself an out

5. Make Sure Your Seen. Communicating with others 5. Make Sure Your Seen Communicating with others is essential to safe driving There are several ways to do this such as lights, horn, hand signals, eye contact, and signal devices

You must make sure you are seen and the other driver knows your intentions You must communicate with enough notice that there is time for corrections

You also need to communicate with the drivers behind you Use your turn signals and include the use of hand signals were practical

A small tap on the horn combined with a smile and wave not only alerts the other driver but it is a friendly gesture Make eye contact when possible

6. Avoid Distractions. The number one distraction is 6. Avoid Distractions The number one distraction is the cellular phone Does it matter if the phone is hand-held or hand-free while driving? There are many more common distractions that can cause problems

Always drive as an adult and practice these six tips and it will save you money, time, fuel, and vehicle maintenance If practiced they might save your life or the life of a loved one

Questions ?