What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
Discussion
Hello again,
I’m no longer dipping the clutch very often as per my first post: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... and am learning more all the time as I gain practical experience. One thing that bothers me a bit is that sometimes I’ll encounter a new situation and not know what the best course of action to take is. It’s OK at the moment because as a learner driver I have my instructor or qualified driver sat in the left seat able to advise me.
What’s on my mind is that although I’m looking far ahead, trying to anticipate and plan etc, occasionally no plan presents itself and when you’re a learner that can make you panic a bit. How do you cope in this situation? I understand that you can follow good practice i.e. default to the left (if it’s appropriate), perform lots of observations and slow down, but how do you default to safe behaviour? Is it a case that you just instinctively know what to do as you gain experience? Sorry if this is a bit vague!
I’m no longer dipping the clutch very often as per my first post: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... and am learning more all the time as I gain practical experience. One thing that bothers me a bit is that sometimes I’ll encounter a new situation and not know what the best course of action to take is. It’s OK at the moment because as a learner driver I have my instructor or qualified driver sat in the left seat able to advise me.
What’s on my mind is that although I’m looking far ahead, trying to anticipate and plan etc, occasionally no plan presents itself and when you’re a learner that can make you panic a bit. How do you cope in this situation? I understand that you can follow good practice i.e. default to the left (if it’s appropriate), perform lots of observations and slow down, but how do you default to safe behaviour? Is it a case that you just instinctively know what to do as you gain experience? Sorry if this is a bit vague!
Try and think "what if" - where would I go? What would my escape me? Have I got space around me?
And self review afterwards, try and think what you could have done to avoid a situation or what could you do differently?
That way you'll be constantly learning rather than the "switched off" masses
Read as much as you can too!
And self review afterwards, try and think what you could have done to avoid a situation or what could you do differently?
That way you'll be constantly learning rather than the "switched off" masses
Read as much as you can too!
Relax, try not to get too stressed & have a look at what everyone else is doing.
At the start of your driving career, your experience “bank” is empty and from day one as a learner, you start filling it up. At first, every experience & situation is new and you rapidly start filling your bank with all these new experiences.
As you develop as a driver, you start to call on the contents of your experience bank, comparing the situations you’re approaching with your previous experiences. Eventually, you reach a stage where you’ve encountered a broad range of road and traffic situations, and, even if you’re driving in busy traffic on unfamiliar roads, you’ll have enough experience in your bank to allow you to get through it safely & competently.
It just takes time to get all those experiences packed in.
Passing your test is a good starting point - it gives you the confidence to know you’ve reached the required standard to hold a licence & have enough experience to go out there on your own.
When you do start driving on your own, you’ll be somewhere between delighted at your new-found freedom, and terrified because you’re on your own. These feelings are normal - just do everything you’ve been taught & you’ll be fine.
The first weekend after you pass your test, get a road atlas & plan yourself a route for a long drive. Go out, get lost on unfamiliar roads, take yourself out of your comfort zone a little & your confidence & abilities will continue to grow.
And don’t stop learning. After you’ve passed your test, keep your skills up & seek out some advanced driver training.
Good luck!
At the start of your driving career, your experience “bank” is empty and from day one as a learner, you start filling it up. At first, every experience & situation is new and you rapidly start filling your bank with all these new experiences.
As you develop as a driver, you start to call on the contents of your experience bank, comparing the situations you’re approaching with your previous experiences. Eventually, you reach a stage where you’ve encountered a broad range of road and traffic situations, and, even if you’re driving in busy traffic on unfamiliar roads, you’ll have enough experience in your bank to allow you to get through it safely & competently.
It just takes time to get all those experiences packed in.
Passing your test is a good starting point - it gives you the confidence to know you’ve reached the required standard to hold a licence & have enough experience to go out there on your own.
When you do start driving on your own, you’ll be somewhere between delighted at your new-found freedom, and terrified because you’re on your own. These feelings are normal - just do everything you’ve been taught & you’ll be fine.
The first weekend after you pass your test, get a road atlas & plan yourself a route for a long drive. Go out, get lost on unfamiliar roads, take yourself out of your comfort zone a little & your confidence & abilities will continue to grow.
And don’t stop learning. After you’ve passed your test, keep your skills up & seek out some advanced driver training.
Good luck!
One of the things which most impresses me when I watch really good drivers is not so much how progressive they are, but how quick they are to lose speed when they don't know what's going on.
For example - approaching minor junctions when on a major road and there's limited view into the junction, seeing something moving around the corner (even if it's just a glimpse of the top of a roof, or a reflection of the sun off the side of a car). In circumstances like this, it's off the gas and maybe also brake - this slows you up, gives you more time to think, and more importantly if you *really* have screwed up, it reduces the energy at impact!
For example - approaching minor junctions when on a major road and there's limited view into the junction, seeing something moving around the corner (even if it's just a glimpse of the top of a roof, or a reflection of the sun off the side of a car). In circumstances like this, it's off the gas and maybe also brake - this slows you up, gives you more time to think, and more importantly if you *really* have screwed up, it reduces the energy at impact!
One thing you can do is this. Once you have a good idea about keeping a two-second gap, starting thinking about combining that with an undesrstanding of the gap between the car in front and the one in front of that. If that gap gets smaller, increase your gap between the one immediately in front. You should be able to do this by adjusting the accelerator rather than constant braking. You could look further ahead and see where cars are bunching, crucial on motorways, but for now that should be a start with town driving. Good luck.
Pica-Pica said:
Once you have a good idea about keeping a two-second gap
To get an appreciation of the distance involved in a 2 second gap at any speed, choose a marker on or close to the road and count two seconds from when the rear of the car in front passes it - if you pass the marker before 2 seconds, too close...Eventually you'll get a natural appreciation of how it looks to be at 2 seconds away, but still count from time to time, to refine the skill.
Always try to keep the car moving. By this I mean, if approaching a roundabout or turning right, or coming up to a give way sign, try to be in the correct gear with clutch engaged and the car rolling and ready to move (onto the roundabout, turning right, or pulling out at a give-way). So many people come up to a roundabout and stop. They have approached too fast, not looked at the traffic and not looked for a gap. They then get stuck there for ages.
About having a plan. Start with a running commentary, about what is ahead,, any hazards, what is behind and alongside you, any junctions or side roads (are cars approaching, what is their speed, have they seen you).
In town, I often have the driver’s window down, especially at a junction. People then see a person, not just a car, and eye-contact is made.
Start a plan with that commentary, and what do I see?, and have they seen me?
About having a plan. Start with a running commentary, about what is ahead,, any hazards, what is behind and alongside you, any junctions or side roads (are cars approaching, what is their speed, have they seen you).
In town, I often have the driver’s window down, especially at a junction. People then see a person, not just a car, and eye-contact is made.
Start a plan with that commentary, and what do I see?, and have they seen me?
Practise looking out for road signs and what they really may mean.
One classic is the ‘staggered junction’. A car may quickly enter from the left in front of you and going the same way as you and then immediately stop to turn right.
Staggered junctions are often not just two junctions, but remnants of a cross-route from left to right, much beloved by farm vehicles.
One classic is the ‘staggered junction’. A car may quickly enter from the left in front of you and going the same way as you and then immediately stop to turn right.
Staggered junctions are often not just two junctions, but remnants of a cross-route from left to right, much beloved by farm vehicles.
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