THIS_ IS _A _SAFE_DRIVING_TECHNIQUES.ppt

SAFE DRIVING TECHNIQUE

1. SAFE DRIVING
TECHNIQUES
CORPS TRANSPORT STANDARDIZATION OFFICE

2. DRIVING
SAFETY,
DISCIPLINE
AND
TOLERANCE

3. DRIVING IS A SERIOUS EXERCISE THAT REQUIRES TOTAL
CONCENTRATION, GOOD SENSE OF JUDGEMENT AND
GOOD REFLEXES.
THESE ARE CONDITIONS WITHIN THE DRIVER THAT HAVE
DIRECT EFFECT ON HIS SAFETY AND SAFETY OF OTHERS.
 THE REMAINING CONDITIONS THAT WILL ENSURE THE
DRIVERS SAFETY ON THE ROAD ARE EITHER SELF
GENERATED AND OR INFLUENCED BY CERTAIN ACTIONS
IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF STAYING
SAFE ON THE ROAD, NO MATTER HOW SKILLED OF A
DRIVER YOU ARE, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO REFLECT ON THE
BASICS OF TRAFFIC SAFETY FROM TIME TO TIME JUST TO
MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE BEING CAREFUL ENOUGH TO
KEEP YOURSELF AND OTHERS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.

4. TO UNDERSTAND
AND APPRECIATE
THE VALUE OF
TRAINING IN
ACHIEVING
ROAD SAFETY

5. SAFETY ON THE ROAD
IS EVERYBODY’S
BUSINESS AND MUST
THEREFORE BE
APPROACHED WITH
CONCERTED EFFORTS
FROM ALL SECTORS OF
HUMAN ENDEAVOR.
SPECIFICALLY, THIS
DISCUSSION FOCUSES
ON DRIVING SAFETY,
DISCIPLINE AND
TOLERANCE

6. AS A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER, YOU WILL NO DOUBT
ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO DRIVE TO THE BEST OF
YOUR ABILITY.
HOWEVER IT IS ALSO YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PUT
YOUR DRIVING SKILLS TO GOOD USE BY
ANTICIPATING THE BEHAVIOUR OF OTHER LESS
SKILLED ROAD USERS. YOU HAVE THE ENHANCED
ABILITY TO ANTICIPATE AND AVOID INCIDENTS.
YOUR EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE HAS GIVEN
YOU AN INSIGHT TO UNDERSTANDING WHERE
HAZARDS LIE AND WHAT CAN GO WRONG. MOST
OTHER ROAD USERS ARE NOT TRAINED TO THIS
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL AND ARE LESS CAPABLE OF
ANTICIPATING INCIDENTS.

7. ADVANCES IN CAR DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND
IMPROVED ROAD CONDITIONS HAVE HELPED TO
BRING DOWN THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ON THE
ROAD IN MANY COUNTRIES.
NEVERTHELESS, DRIVER ERROR IS STILL THE
PRIMARY CAUSE OF ROAD INCIDENTS, MUCH MORE
THAN THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT OR DEFECTS IN THE
VEHICLE. 
WHILST ALCOHOL, DRUGS, MOBILE DEVICES AND
SPEEDING DOMINATE THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT,
‘FAILURE TO LOOK’ IS BY FAR THE MOST COMMON
FACTOR RECORDED FOR ACCIDENTS.
IF YOU ASSUME THAT OTHER DRIVERS ARE LIKELY
TO MAKE ERRORS, YOU WILL PROTECT YOURSELF
AND OTHER ROAD USERS. 

8. SAFE TRAVEL IS NOT JUST ABOUT
BEHAVIOUR ON THE ROAD, BUT
ALSO GOOD PREPARATION. THERE
ARE A NUMBER OF SIMPLE CHECKS
YOU CAN MAKE BEFORE YOU SET OFF
ON YOUR JOURNEY.  BY FOLLOWING
A GOOD MAINTENANCE ROUTINE
AND DOING A FEW SIMPLE CHECKS -
MIRRORS, REFLECTORS, INDICATORS,
HORN - YOU ARE ALREADY ONE STEP
AHEAD OF OTHER DRIVERS.
PREPARE FOR YOUR JOURNEY – MAKE
YOUR JOURNEY PLAN, ALLOWING
ENOUGH TIME SO THAT YOU WILL
NOT BE IN A RUSH. ENSURE ALL
RISKS ARE ASSESSED AND A JOURNEY
MANAGEMENT PLAN IS
IMPLEMENTED.

10. USE YOUR SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE TO RESPOND TO OTHER
ROAD USER ERRORS IN A MANNER THAT ENABLES YOU TO
AVOID ACCIDENTS, WHILST ALSO GIVING OTHERS AROUND YOU
REASONABLE TIME TO REACT.

THINK ABOUT THE ROAD CONTEXT – ARE YOU NEAR A SCHOOL
WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN? ALSO CONSIDER
THE PROFILE OF THE DRIVERS AROUND YOU. CERTAIN GROUPS
ARE LESS EXPERIENCED AND MORE VULNERABLE TO MAKING
MISTAKES, FOR EXAMPLE, YOUNG DRIVERS, OLDER PEOPLE OR
DRIVERS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR.

THE TIME OF DAY AND THE SEASONS CAN ALSO AFFECT THE
ABILITY OF DRIVERS. ROAD AND ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS IN
THE WINTER FOR EXAMPLE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE IN THE
SUMMER. AND AT NIGHT TIME AND WEEKENDS THERE IS A
HIGHER INCIDENCE OF ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS.

13. IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION,
KNOW HOW TO USE YOUR EMERGENCY
EQUIPMENT AND THE CORRECT
PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW.
AS A BASIC REQUIREMENT, YOU SHOULD
KNOW;
HOW TO WARN TRAFFIC USING REFLECTIVE
TRIANGLES
 HOW TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER
 HOW TO DEAL WITH A TYRE BLOW OUT
 AND WHEN TO USE SPECIALIST FIRST AID
KIT ETC 

14. USING AND CHANGING LANES

MOST OFTEN DRIVERS FOLLOW TOO CLOSELY OR
ARE INATTENTIVE TO TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
AHEAD. BEWARE OF YOUR VEHICLE’S POSITION
RELATIVE TO OTHER VEHICLES AT ALL TIMES.

SPEED LIMITS AND FEW OPPORTUNITIES TO PASS
CAN CAUSE FRUSTRATION ON THE ROAD,
WHICH CAN LEAD TO DRIVERS TAKING HIGHER
RISKS THAN NORMAL WHEN OVERTAKING
ESPECIALLY TRUCKS.

BEWARE THAT NOT ALL DRIVERS WILL BE
SKILLED IN ESTIMATING SPEED AND POSITION
OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND TO MAKE
ALLOWANCES FOR THIS.

15. CURVES IN THE ROAD

A BEND IN THE ROAD AT EXCESSIVE SPEED IS A
HAZARD.

HOWEVER, WHEREAS CARS LOSE TRACTION
AND SLIDE OUT OF THE BEND, TRUCKS ARE
MORE LIKELY TO ROLLOVER.
IN CASE OF AN INCIDENT

LOOK AT THE DIRECTION YOU WANT TO GO
AND NOT AT THE OBJECT YOU WANT TO AVOID.

IT IS PROVEN THAT WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO
LOOK OR STARE AT THE OBJECT YOU ARE
TRYING TO AVOID, IT WILL RESULT IN STEERING
TOWARDS THE OBJECT INSTEAD OF AWAY FROM
IT. IF YOU CAN BRAKE TO THE SAFETY LANE,
STOP SAFELY THERE RATHER THAN TRYING TO
ATTEMPT TO STEER BACK ONTO THE ROAD.

23. THE FINAL ATTRIBUTE NEEDED TO BE A GOOD
DRIVER IS SELF DISCIPLINE AND TOLERANCE.
 IT IS EASY TO DRIVE BY OUR OWN RULES WHEN WE
ARE DRIVING BY OURSELVES. SPEEDING IS THE MOST
COMMON ONE. SOME DRIVERS DECIDE THAT SPEED
LIMITS DON’T APPLY TO THEM OR THAT 30 IS A
MINIMUM SPEED NOT A MAXIMUM.
YOU MAY THINK THAT ATTITUDE AND SELF
DISCIPLINE ARE THE SAME THINGS. YOU NEED TO
HAVE GOOD ATTITUDE BUT YOU MUST ALSO HAVE
SELF DISCIPLINE TO DRIVE CORRECTLY ALL THE
TIME. IMAGINE YOU ARE LATE FOR WORK, WILL YOU
STILL DRIVE CORRECTLY, SAFELY AND LEGALLY OR
WILL YOU BEND THE RULES.

24. 
SELF DISCIPLINE WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO
DRIVE SAFELY ALL THE TIME

WITHOUT DISCIPLINE, THE CHANCES ARE
YOU WOULD LISTEN TO THAT LITTLE
DEMON THAT SITS ON YOUR SHOULDER
URGING YOU TO DRIVE JUST THAT LITTLE
BIT FASTER INTO THE NEXT TURN.

THE DEMON IS A HAPHAZARD THINKER,
SHAPELESS AND REACTIVE TO SPEED,
UNCLEAR OF HIS ABILITIES, HE NEVER
KNOWS WHEN HE IS AT RISK OF AN
ACCIDENT UNTIL HE IS IN IT.  

HE LIVES ON A DIET OF ADRENALIN AND
FEAR AND WILL DO ANYTHING HE CAN TO
DRIVE YOU INTO THE GRAVEL TRAP.

25. THE LACK OF DISCIPLINE IS A FACTOR THAT
ALL ROAD USERS, BE IT MOTORISTS OR
PEDESTRIANS ARE WELL AWARE OF.
AT ONE TIME WE INDEED WERE A NATION OF
DISCIPLINED PEOPLE BUT SADLY IT IS
ERODING FAST.
THE BEST MANIFESTATION OF THIS FACT IS
OBSERVED IN ROAD TRANSPORT, IN
PARTICULAR BETWEEN 0600 TO 0900 HOURS
AND 1630 TO 1930 HOURS. IN MY
OBSERVATIONS, I HAVE COME ACROSS A KEY
CONTRIBUTOR, NAMELY:
THE LACK OF DISCIPLINE ON THE PART OF
PEDESTRIANS AND MOTORISTS.

28. TRY USING OUR ROADS DURING PEAK HOURS
WILL SURELY KNOW THAT IT IS FREE-FOR-ALL,
WHERE THE FITTEST WILL SURVIVES.
 IT IS EXTREMELY SAD TO REALIZE THAT IN A
SPAN OF YEARS OUR SELF DISCIPLINE HAS HIT
SUCH LOW DEPTHS AND IS INDEED A DISGRACE
TO OUR NATION.
 YOUR ATTITUDE AFFECTS YOUR DRIVING.
YES, IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO, EMOTIONS CAN
CHANGE THE WAY YOU ASSESS RISK AND MAKE
DRIVING DECISIONS. WHEN STRONG EMOTIONS
SUCH AS ANGER AFFECT YOU, YOUR ABILITY TO
MAKE WISE DECISIONS MAY BE REDUCED,
INCREASING YOUR CHANCES OF MAKING A
MISTAKE. YOU CAN EXPECT SOME EMOTIONAL
STRESS IN YOUR EVERYDAY DRIVING.

32. 
RESPECT FOR OTHER DRIVERS – DON'T TAIL
GATE OTHER CARS, ALLOW CARS TO MERGE
IN FRONT OF YOU AND ALLOW FOR PEOPLE
TO MAKE MISTAKES.

AWARENESS – USE YOUR MIRRORS AND
ALWAYS BE AWARE OF WHERE CARS ARE IN
RELATION TO YOUR VEHICLE AND SCAN THE
ROAD AHEAD FOR POSSIBLE HAZARDS.

SHARE THE ROAD WITH OTHER DRIVERS.

ALLOW FOR OTHER DRIVER'S MISTAKES.

GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT

DON'T BECOME SELF-RIGHTEOUS. IT CAN
HAPPEN TO ANYONE

33. DRIVE WITH ZERO TOLERANCE AS
IT PERTAINS TO DRIVING UNDER
THE INFLUENCE
•FOCUS ON DRIVING - KEEP 100% OF
YOUR ATTENTION ON DRIVING AT
ALL TIMES – NO MULTI-TASKING.
• DON'T USE YOUR PHONE OR ANY
OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE WHILE
DRIVING.
•SLOW DOWN. SPEEDING GIVES YOU
LESS TIME TO REACT AND
INCREASES THE SEVERITY OF AN
ACCIDENT.
•DO NOT GET DISTRACTED BY
OTHER PASSENGERS. MORE
COMMON DISTRACTIONS SUCH AS
SOCIAL MEDIA, MOBILE PHONES,
BUILT-IN TVS, MEAN THAT
ATTENTION IS EASILY DIVERTED
FROM THE ROAD.
•STAY ALERT – DON’T DRIVE WHEN
TIRED OR UNDER THE INFLUENCE
OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS

34. •ANTICIPATE – SCAN AHEAD TO BE ABLE TO
REACT TO SITUATIONS, CHECK MIRRORS ARE
SET CORRECTLY AND SCAN THEM
FREQUENTLY AND THOROUGHLY;
•LEAVE PLENTY OF SPACE - LEAVE AT LEAST
THREE SECONDS GAP – USE A LANDMARK
SUCH AS A TREE TO GAUGE DISTANCE.
•BEWARE OF DANGEROUS DRIVERS AND TAKE
MEASURES TO AVOID THEM
•CHECK YOUR SPEED–SPEED LIMITS ARE BASED
ON IDEAL ROAD CONDITIONS, ADJUST
ACCORDINGLY FOR ADVERSE CONDITIONS.
•BEWARE OF BLIND SPOTS

36. 
VISUAL SEARCH: LOOK 10-15 SECONDS AHEAD FOR OBJECTS OR
CONDITIONS THAT COULD BECOME A THREAT

HAVE A PLAN: IDENTIFY AN ALTERNATE PATH OF TRAVEL

NEVER TAILGATE: ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH AN ADEQUATE
CUSHION OF SPACE AHEAD

POSITION YOUR VEHICLE: WITH SPACE TO THE SIDES AND
FRONT WITH AN ESCAPE ROUTE

OBEY ALL TRAFFIC CONTROLS/LAWS

EXERCISE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY RULES

DRIVE DEFENSIVELY: TRY TO PREDICT THE POSSIBLE ACTIONS
OF OTHER HIGHWAY USERS

SEE AND BE SEEN: COMMUNICATE YOUR PRESENCE TO OTHERS

AVOID SUDDEN STEERING AND BRAKING MOVEMENTS

AVOID DISTRACTIONS AND BE A CONSIDERATE DRIVER

42. THANKS FOR LISTENING