Learner driver and
Speeding
“You’re going too fast!” “Slow
down!
Does this sound
familiar?
Why do most young drivers speed? Drivers of all ages speed and the young driver sees this driving
behaviour as the ‘norm’.
Driving is more difficult that it looks, with many different tasks needing to be done at the
same time. While braking, steering, changing gears, looking out for hazards and
applying the road rules, young drivers often do not notice the speed at which
they are travelling. There are too many other things to worry
about.
Most young people have exaggerated opinion of their driving ability. Once they can manoeuver a car
they think they can drive well. This overconfidence in their ability leads them
to believe they can control any situation that may
arise.
Modern cars are built a bit like a comfy lounge- good seats, a great sound system, air
conditioning, not much external noise. This quiet, comfortable ride insulates
the driver from the clues that indicate the car is going too fast- things like
vibration and wind noise. Most journeys are made safely and free of problems- so there are rewards for speeding.
The driver gets to the destination quicker
and enjoys the drive along the way. Because they usually beat the odds of being
in a crash or caught for speeding, they fail to recognize the real risk of this
happening. How do we start building a sensitivity to speed for
learners. While they are passengers in the front seat continually ask them what speed limit is in the area you are driving.
Ask them to estimate how fast you are travelling without looking at the speedo.
Get them to judge the speed of vehicles coming towards you.
Describe and discuss how a vehicle sounds and feels as you increase and decrease speed.
Talk about driving for the conditions rather than at the posted speed.
Work out what is the safe following distance from the
vehicle in front. Use the 3-second following rule
On the open highway, when you have to slow as you
approach a built up area, ask your learner driver to guess your speed.Talk
about the feeling ‘Velocitation’ caused by long periods of high-speed travel.
When the speed is dropped, the actual speed appears to less than it actually is.
Most young drivers speed because they underestimate the risks they are exposing themselves to. They believe they can beat the odds.
Information for the
article came from resources supplied by Australian Driver Trainers Assoc. and
Australian Transport Safety
Bureau.
Speeding
“You’re going too fast!” “Slow
down!
Does this sound
familiar?
Why do most young drivers speed? Drivers of all ages speed and the young driver sees this driving
behaviour as the ‘norm’.
Driving is more difficult that it looks, with many different tasks needing to be done at the
same time. While braking, steering, changing gears, looking out for hazards and
applying the road rules, young drivers often do not notice the speed at which
they are travelling. There are too many other things to worry
about.
Most young people have exaggerated opinion of their driving ability. Once they can manoeuver a car
they think they can drive well. This overconfidence in their ability leads them
to believe they can control any situation that may
arise.
Modern cars are built a bit like a comfy lounge- good seats, a great sound system, air
conditioning, not much external noise. This quiet, comfortable ride insulates
the driver from the clues that indicate the car is going too fast- things like
vibration and wind noise. Most journeys are made safely and free of problems- so there are rewards for speeding.
The driver gets to the destination quicker
and enjoys the drive along the way. Because they usually beat the odds of being
in a crash or caught for speeding, they fail to recognize the real risk of this
happening. How do we start building a sensitivity to speed for
learners. While they are passengers in the front seat continually ask them what speed limit is in the area you are driving.
Ask them to estimate how fast you are travelling without looking at the speedo.
Get them to judge the speed of vehicles coming towards you.
Describe and discuss how a vehicle sounds and feels as you increase and decrease speed.
Talk about driving for the conditions rather than at the posted speed.
Work out what is the safe following distance from the
vehicle in front. Use the 3-second following rule
On the open highway, when you have to slow as you
approach a built up area, ask your learner driver to guess your speed.Talk
about the feeling ‘Velocitation’ caused by long periods of high-speed travel.
When the speed is dropped, the actual speed appears to less than it actually is.
Most young drivers speed because they underestimate the risks they are exposing themselves to. They believe they can beat the odds.
Information for the
article came from resources supplied by Australian Driver Trainers Assoc. and
Australian Transport Safety
Bureau.
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