ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING | Lecture notes Decision Making

INTRODUCTION TO ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING

Accident Prevention Driving

In the early 1900’s, the opinion of experts was that mechanically inclined people would make the

best drivers. The automobile was a new invention and traveled at the then unheard of speed of

50 mph, but it was apt to breakdown anywhere. Roads, in most cases were dirt or often just tire

ruts through the fields. The mechanically inclined people could better cope with these problems.

Even with very few automobiles on the road, there were accidents and their numbers continued

to climb.

In the late 1930’s and into the 1940’s during World War II, there were a multitude of studies done

in the area of individual reaction time. As a result of these studies, the experts determined that

the people with the shortest reaction time would be the safest drivers. They could react to

sudden hazards quickly and avoid conflicting situations.

Still, the accident rate per automobile on the road climbed. In the late 1950’s one person

developed what he called “Smith’s System of Driving”. He was successful in improving the

accident record of commercial fleet owners. Mr. Smith had some great new ideas of teaching the

professional driver what is, for lack of a better word, an “Assertive” method of driving based on

the concept of moving the vehicle with the least amount of resistance. Mr. Smith believed that

safety needed to be habitual. Hence, he developed the five (5) Accident Prevention Driving

Habits on which the instruction at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is based.

“In addition to the Smith System”, the Valley Transportation Authority has combined the efforts

of many safety programs to supply our operators with the most up to date information and

techniques in “Accident Prevention Driving”

These techniques are based on the fundamental concept that two ingredients are required before

any object can be moved from point “A” to point “B”. They are:

Visibility - There must be visibility in order to move anything from point “A” to point “B”

without conflict.

Space - We must know that no obstacles are in our way to safely move anything from one

point to another. The more open space we provide, the more time we make

available for safe corrections before reaching a conflict. The concepts of Space,

Speed, and Time work closely together when safe movement is our goal.

Although we attempt not to, we all make errors or operate at less than 100% at

times. Allowing extra space around our vehicle allows us extra time for

correction of our own errors, and more importantly, the errors of others.

If at any time while operating a vehicle your VISIBILITY and/or SPACE is restricted, reduce

your speed and increase your following distance. Stop as necessary. These practices will

make your driving hours less tiring, and reduce the tension that causes stress and fatigue.

It is your responsibility to learn and practice the Accident Prevention Driving Skills described in

this section until they become Habits. By creating these habits, you build an automatic insurance

policy for you and your passengers that will minimize risk.

SECTION 1, PAGE 1 Rev 7/20/10

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INTRODUCTION TO ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING

Accident Prevention Driving In the early 1900’s, the opinion of experts was that mechanically inclined people would make the best drivers. The automobile was a new invention and traveled at the then unheard of speed of 50 mph, but it was apt to breakdown anywhere. Roads, in most cases were dirt or often just tire ruts through the fields. The mechanically inclined people could better cope with these problems. Even with very few automobiles on the road, there were accidents and their numbers continued to climb. In the late 1930’s and into the 1940’s during World War II, there were a multitude of studies done in the area of individual reaction time. As a result of these studies, the experts determined that the people with the shortest reaction time would be the safest drivers. They could react to sudden hazards quickly and avoid conflicting situations. Still, the accident rate per automobile on the road climbed. In the late 1950’s one person developed what he called “Smith’s System of Driving”. He was successful in improving the accident record of commercial fleet owners. Mr. Smith had some great new ideas of teaching the professional driver what is, for lack of a better word, an “Assertive” method of driving based on the concept of moving the vehicle with the least amount of resistance. Mr. Smith believed that safety needed to be habitual. Hence, he developed the five (5) Accident Prevention Driving Habits on which the instruction at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is based. “In addition to the Smith System”, the Valley Transportation Authority has combined the efforts of many safety programs to supply our operators with the most up to date information and techniques in “Accident Prevention Driving” These techniques are based on the fundamental concept that two ingredients are required before any object can be moved from point “A” to point “B”. They are: Visibility - There must be visibility in order to move anything from point “A” to point “B” without conflict. Space - We must know that no obstacles are in our way to safely move anything from one point to another. The more open space we provide, the more time we make available for safe corrections before reaching a conflict. The concepts of Space, Speed, and Time work closely together when safe movement is our goal. Although we attempt not to, we all make errors or operate at less than 100% at times. Allowing extra space around our vehicle allows us extra time for correction of our own errors, and more importantly, the errors of others. If at any time while operating a vehicle your VISIBILITY and/or SPACE is restricted, reduce your speed and increase your following distance. Stop as necessary. These practices will make your driving hours less tiring, and reduce the tension that causes stress and fatigue. It is your responsibility to learn and practice the Accident Prevention Driving Skills described in this section until they become Habits. By creating these habits, you build an automatic insurance policy for you and your passengers that will minimize risk.

To successfully complete the Operator Training Course, understanding these practices and demonstrating them throughout your training is required. ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING THE FIVE ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING HABITS ARE: HABIT 1: AIM HIGH WHILE STEERING HABIT 2. VIEW THE TOTAL TRAFFIC PICTURE HABIT 3. KEEP YOUR EYES SCANNING HABIT 4. LEAVE YOURSELF AN OUT HABIT 5. MAKE SURE OTHERS SEE YOU You must learn, memorize and start using these five habits consistently. Each student will be required to know and demonstrate in written form the five Accident Prevention Driving Habits in proper order, word for word. The objective of New Operator Training at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is to provide an instructional program that will successfully begin a safe, long career for a highly trained Professional Motor Coach Operator. Knowledge and Experience= Success. The Professional Driver’s Decision-Making Process: a) Identify - Must be able to identify (see) any clues to possible accident traps and/or situations. b) Predict - Forecast what actions others will or will not take that could create a hazardous situation for you, your passengers and all others in the area. c) Decide - After identification of possibilities, you must decide what to do about them, if anything. d) Act - You must act on what you have identified in a timely manner. Your predictions and decisions must be made in time for preventive measures to be successful.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s definition of a Professional Driver is: One who seldom, if ever , makes a mistake and allows for the mistakes of others.
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s definition of a Defensive Driver is: One who expects the unexpected. Proper use and understanding of these two definitions can almost eliminate the two most common excuses for accidents, “I didn’t see him,” and “I saw him, but didn’t expect him to do what he did.” The cause of most traffic collisions is failure to identify and respond in time.

Tend to swerve away from parked vehicles at the last moment. Brake suddenly when surprised by obstacles. Create unnecessary liability as they transport passengers. Do not see conflicts in time to safely respond. H.E.L.T Habitual Eye Lead Time (H.E.L.T.) is looking ahead 12 to 15 seconds. Practicing H.E.L.T. in City Traffic means looking ahead 1 to 1 1 / 2 city blocks. Practicing H.E.L.T. on the highway means looking ahead 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 of a mile. Aim High While Steering and Habitual Eye Lead Time work together to help maintain the two basic concepts of Accident Prevention Driving, Space and Visibility. The consistent use of theses two habits will enable you to look and plan far enough ahead to identify, predict, decide and act in time to compensate for all conflicts. HABIT #2: VIEW THE TOTAL TRAFFIC PICTURE

Once you develop the habit of View the Total Traffic Picture, you can always anticipate the best moves in the traffic situation. If you are aware of the need for a stop or turn well in advance, it prepares you for smooth operation at all times. The most important benefit in viewing the total traffic picture is to maintain an adequate amount of space between you and the vehicles around you (maintaining a space cushion).
Your eyesight works in several different ways. Two of those ways are clear central vision and detection, or peripheral vision. When you look 100 feet ahead, all you see with clear central vision is a path about 5 feet wide. Your clear central vision is also called identification vision.
Detection vision is actually fuzzy and out of focus at the sides, top, and bottom of your view; its purpose is to help you detect and decide which objects you want to bring into focus. Detection vision acts as a magnet to draw your vision to a specific target. Your detection vision and clear central vision together cover a wide angle, and you see the total traffic picture. Your clear central vision should continuously shift its focus from the front, to the sides and to the mirrors.
Viewing the total traffic picture increases your ability to predict how the traffic picture will develop. While predicting these developments, you are also planning your safe path ahead, and this automatically reduces the number of surprises that may occur. Learning to “view the total traffic picture” enables you to handle delays in your path before they affect your progress. This will conserve your energy and provide your customers with a smooth, professional ride.
Some detail of the vehicle ahead or something in it may attract your attention unless you have trained yourself to continually shift your focus. Avoid becoming fixed on any one thing within the total traffic picture. You must practice and maintain proper spacing between your

vehicle and the vehicle ahead to keep the total traffic picture available to you. Your best response, if you cannot see the total traffic picture, is to cover the brake and reduce the speed of your vehicle to increase your following distance. Stop if necessary, to keep from entering an accident producing, or unpredictable situation.

Controlled Intersections. A stale green light is a traffic signal that has already been green for a long time. Our concern is that it’s going to change to yellow at any moment. You may not know when it changed to green (from a distance), and as a professional operator, you must prepare to stop if necessary. a) The Professional Operator is aware of the four (4) warning signs of a traffic signal about to change. i) Has the pedestrian control sign turned from “Walk” to “Don’t Walk” and how much time is left on the countdown timer? ii) Is the flow of traffic in your direction up-to-speed and well spaced? Traffic takes a while to get moving at a fresh green light. iii) Is cross traffic at the red light building up, showing that they’ve been waiting a while? iv) How far away were you when your light turned green? b) The Point of No Return- this is the point at which you can longer make a safe, smooth stop prior to the limit line if the light changes to yellow. The point of no return is never an exact number of feet from the limit line as there are many variables to consider when you’re determining Total Stopping Distance. Speed is the most obvious point to consider, but you must also take into account: Condition of Brakes, Additional Weight of Passengers On-board, Passengers Standing or Walking towards exit doors, Road Conditions (e.g., potholes, slick, shiny, wet, oily, gravel spills, etc.), Downhill or Uphill, Is the Road Curving rather than Straight, How large of an Intersection do you need to Cross, Traffic Issues, etc. c) If any one of the 4 warning signs indicates to you that a traffic signal is about to change to yellow, cover the service brake (see NOTE below) as you approach the intersection. Approach at the appropriate speed for conditions, cover the brake briefly prior to the intersection, and when you’re at or beyond the point of no return, accelerate if necessary as you proceed through the intersection. The knowledge and application of this concept is extremely vital in the operation of large vehicles. The practice of covering the brake and understanding approximately where the Point of No Return is will be discussed, demonstrated, and expected from every Student Operator throughout this course. NOTE: Covering the brake means moving your foot away from the accelerator and over the brake pedal to eliminate reaction time in case braking is necessary. It may not require any braking or pressure on the brake pedal. Your instructor may just say “Cover” and will expect you to “Cover the Brake.”

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INTRODUCTION TO ACCIDENT PREVENTION DRIVING