Space Management 101 The Basics Of Defensive Driving by Carmen Daecher"Give me room!" Don't you just hate it when you are crowded by other people or things? Don't you feel more relaxed when you have plenty of room? Nowhere is the recognition of those personal feelings more important to your personal safety and to the safety of your passengers than when you are driving. Unlike being in a cramped room or standing in a long line, we can manage space around us while we are driving. And our ability to do this well is a fundamental requisite for safe and comfortable driving. There is no doubt that we control the space over which our vehicle rests. But we also can influence the space around our vehicle with good space management principles and practices. Space management basics We must manage space so that we can detect potential hazards as early as possible, thereby maximizing the amount of time we have for decision making and reaction. In conjunction with this, maintaining maximum separation from surrounding vehicles and other objects increases the opportunity to respond safely to potential hazards, emergencies, and other driver errors. As we drive, managing the space in front of us is most critical. Using proper vision techniques and maintaining a safe distance between your vehicle and other vehicles or objects in front of you is the way to do this. As we look ahead when driving, we should look at least 12 to 15 seconds downstream. On bright sunny day, you can see almost forever unless there are hills or curves or other obstructions to your sight (field of vision). On city streets, you can look ahead for blocks unless trucks or other objects obstruct your view. This is our best way to see potential hazards as far in advance as possible. Much of what you should practice for space management while driving your vehicle is no different than what we naturally do when walking or running. When you are walking or running on a smooth, level surface with no sight obstructions, you naturally look well ahead to enjoy whatever you can see. However, when it gets dark, or if you have obstructions to your path, you not only start to look closer to the path directly in front of you, but you slow down or become more cautious as you take each step. In a vehicle, it should be no different, even though it is much more important. If you cannot see 12 to 15 seconds ahead, then you must make some type of adjustment to continue to give yourself as much time as necessary to make good decisions and to react properly to any potential hazards. Since increments of time do not change, the distance you travel over time must change to respond to these conditions. Reducing your speed is the way to do this. The simple rule is: If I can't see 12 to 15 seconds ahead at the speed that I am going, slow down until I can. At night, make sure that the time you need to perceive and react to situations is equal to the distance that you can see because of background lighting or, with no other lighting sources, your headlights. It takes an average human being about 1.5 seconds to perceive and react to a potential hazard under straightforward conditions. And, because of the size and weight of your vehicle, it will take more time to stop than a passenger car. These are fundamental reasons why you must maintain a safe cushion between you and the vehicle in front of you. The basic rules to remember are these:
For the experienced driver, there is nothing new here. These rules just seem to be common sense. All they are really saying is establish a minimum following distance which takes into account your abilities to perceive and react and your vehicle's ability to stop; then, add following distance whenever atmospheric conditions restrict the vehicle's ability to stop. Use roadside objects, bridge overpasses, etc. to measure your space cushion. When the vehicle in front of you passes an object, count "1001, 1002" and so on until you reach the object. Then, you will know your space cushion. And, when you are out there in traffic or you are pressed for time, remember the adage "patience is a virtue." But how do we practice it? If you're driving a few miles per hour above the speed limit, you will pass most of the vehicles on the roadway. This means that you will constantly change lanes and encroach upon other vehicles in front of you. If you are traveling at the speed limit, you will pass some vehicles and be passed by others. But for the most part, you will find yourself in space situations that you, many times, will not control. If you travel a few miles below the speed limit, most cars will pass you. And, even when a vehicle moves in front of you, your space cushion will redefine itself as that vehicle continues to move away from you. That's patience. When you are in stop-and-go conditions on urban streets or in construction zones, you can stay right behind the vehicle in front of you, constantly accelerating and braking because of the stop-and-go conditions. Or, you can always allow at least half a car length between you and the vehicle in front of you, allowing yourself smooth accelerations and smooth stops. That's patience. When someone is tailgating, you can speed up to try and get away from them, resulting in the loss of your following distance between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. Or, you can slow down, increase your following distance between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. The vehicle tailgating will either move around you or accept being behind you. When making a turn, you can try to do it quickly, requiring you to swing wide and "cut the corner." Or, you can position your vehicle to protect the space to your right, and make a crisp and deliberate turn at slow speed. That's patience. With a proper following distance, we should almost always be able to respond and stop our vehicle, if necessary, before hitting the vehicle or object in front of us. But, sometimes, our best response may be to move around a potential hazard. In order to do this safely, we must constantly know what space is available on each side of our vehicle. The constant use of our properly adjusted mirrors is the only way that we can know and manage the space to each side of us. We should constantly be looking behind our vehicle for approaching vehicles, and constantly monitor their progress beside us and beyond us. Other than vehicles encroaching in our side space, we must constantly be aware of the availability of usable shoulders, berms, etc. for emergency maneuvers if necessary. Having a 10 foot wide spaced shoulder to either side of us gives us another option for our decision making while driving as compared to a two foot wide gravel surface to the edge of a country roadway. All of these points can be condensed to one simple rule; Manage your speed so that you have the time and the space to make good decisions and safe vehicle maneuvers. The eyes have it You certainly aren't going to manage space very well if your eyes are not working well. Blurred vision (no matter the reason) and fatigue will rob you of your ability to manage space well. Make sure that your vision is properly corrected if necessary. Having plenty of rest is also fundamentally important. Proper scanning techniques (straight ahead, left mirror, straight ahead, right mirror, straight ahead, etc.) actually help you maximize your ability to see. Other than constantly knowing space conditions around you, continual movements of your eyes produce maximum peripheral vision. When we stare, our concentration on a fixed object ahead of us causes a reduction in the areas we see to each side. So keep your eyes healthy and moving. And give yourself plenty of room. You and your passengers will feel much better because of it. *** Click here to visit the NADME training web site ***
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