GENERAL TRAFFIC DRIVING

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Once you have completed your early lessons and are starting to get to grips with the controls of the car, junctions and manoeuvres, it’s time to develop your general traffic driving skills. This will mean getting into busier traffic situations where much quicker reactions and decisions need to be made. You will start to develop Hazard Perception and Independent Driving skills. As a driver you need to become good at ‘reading the road ahead’ which takes a high level of concentration, observation, anticipation and judgement. These skills take time to develop and perfect but with guidance, practice and some carefully chosen routes you will soon start to feel more confident and ‘feel like a driver and not a learner’

We will go into detail on the lessons but here are a few tips:

  1. ★  TRY NOT TO DRIVE TOO FAST: It’s better to start slowly as this gives your eyes more time to see everything and react in good time. You should only accelerate gently in traffic (esp 30mph areas) and only when you are certain there are no hazards ahead. When you see a hazard then decelerate immediately and consider covering the foot brake pedal. If the hazard does not develop into a problem then return to the gas pedal and continue. If it does you may need to slow down and change to a lower gear before continuing. The more traffic the more there is to observe and therefore the more to do. Be ready!


  1. ★  KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING:  It’s easy to only look a little way in front of you (ie. the car in front) or down at the road surface. Instead try to look at cars further ahead to see what they are doing. Make your eyes sweep left and right to check for sign posts, junctions, parked cars, pedestrians and cyclists to see what they are doing. Watching Hazard Perception videos on YouTube will help, and also try to be more observant when you are a passenger and notice what is going on with the traffic.


  1. ★  KEEP YOUR DISTANCE:  If you drive too close to the vehicle in front you will find that you will stare at it and not be able to look elsewhere thus making it difficult to keep your eyes moving as described above. Also, you will only react to the vehicle in front and not see hazards developing further ahead.


  1. ★  PARKED CARS:  These are a pain in the neck for new drivers as it is difficult to judge how close you are to them. Also, when you have dealt with one there is usually another and then another, when all you want is a nice clear road...dream on! You should aim to give each parked vehicle a car doors width and only get closer than that if you are going very slowly. Remember a door may open unexpectedly or a child may run out. Parked cars may block your view of sign posts or junctions. Watch out for cyclists weaving in and out.


  1. ★  PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS:  People have to cross the road safely and it’s the responsibility of drivers to be aware of those waiting at crossings. Keep searching ahead and look out for people who are waiting to cross as they will have pressed the button to change the lights. Technology has become very advanced with pedestrian crossings which we will discuss on the lessons but basically the lights know you are coming so be ready! Take a moment to find out how many different types of pedestrian crossings there are.


  1. ★  MEETING TRAFFIC:  Many roads become too narrow for two vehicles to pass each other safely when cars are parked on both sides of the road. Look well ahead for these situations and look for oncoming traffic. Try to judge if there is enough room to get through or whether it would be safer to hang back and give way. Notice if the oncoming car is giving way to you and be ready to proceed. These situations can often get awkward and it’s easy to get confused about who is doing what, but with practice you will learn to judge and react correctly. Always be ready to give way. Think safety first.


  1. ★  BUSES:  Up to now you may have been using these to get around town, but now it’s time to get stuck behind one! When following a bus keep your distance, look ahead for bus stops and people waiting there. If the bus signals to pull over then hang back (2 car lengths) and position your vehicle so you can see ahead. Only overtake if safe. You should give way to buses that signal to pull out if safe to do so. If, however, you are already in the process of overtaking the bus when it indicates, then continue to overtake.

Watch out for people getting off the bus and crossing the road.


  1. ★  AWARENESS AND PLANNING AHEAD:  Of course a variety of situations will crop up while you drive which don’t happen all the time. Eg. Emergency vehicles, lorries unloading and manoeuvreing, road works, mobility scooters, tractors, and cyclists to mention a few. It’s not always easy to realise what is going on until too late and you end up getting too close. Try to search ahead for these type of hazards and always slow down in good time and hang back. This will give you more time to understand what is actually happening and take effective and safe action.


  1. ★   DRIVING ON FASTER ROADS:  Depending on where you live you will be taken on faster roads once you have done a fair amount of general traffic driving. It takes a while to get used to driving at the greater speeds required for country roads and dual carriageways and you will need to look even further ahead and react in good time to sign posts and other vehicles braking or signaling to change lanes. Country roads have many different types of bends and it’s easy to miss-judge how sharp they are: basically the more warning signs and road markings the more dangerous the bend is. Extra care needs to be taken when joining and leaving dual carriageways, changing lanes and overtaking. Be sure to use the MSM routine and check your blind spots before carrying out any of these manoeuvres.

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