Eye Use and Judgment Of all your senses, your eyesight is the most important for driving. Your eyes pick up most of the information you need to drive.
Steer Where You Look
It is important to understand that your eyes determine the path your vehicle follows – you steer where you look. To illustrate this, pick a straight stretch of paved highway with light traffic. While driving, look at the centre line about 12 seconds ahead. Keep looking at the centre line 12 seconds ahead. Observe how the car moves toward the centre line. Now, look at the edge of the road 12 seconds ahead. You will steer where you look.
To steer straight ahead, look about 12 seconds directly ahead of where you are sitting. To steer around a curve, look at the inside of the curve to where the centre lines vanish. Do not look in the mirrors; do not look down at your instrument panel. If you take your eyes off the road, you will not maintain precise control over your steering. Remember, if you look at the side of the road, you will steer to the side of the road. Look where you want to go, particularly in an emergency or a skid, and steer there. Check your mirrors and speed when you are driving in a straight line, and when steering is less critical.
Search Patterns on Highways and Rural Roads
When you drive on a highway, you hope the road is clear and unobstructed. To verify that, you will need to perform a search pattern – searching the road for any obstructions or hazards. “Looking Up” on highways as part of your search pattern, “look up” as far as you can see. To “look up” means to look as far ahead as you can see the highway – to the horizon. (On a straight road, you may be able to see up to 90 seconds ahead.)
On a curve, “look up” across and around as far ahead as you can see. At first, you will likely have to concentrate to look this far ahead in curves.
When curving right, look at the shoulder line to the point where it disappears. Keep looking at that point and maintain a steady speed. When curving left, look at the centre line as far as you can see it. When coming out of the curve, look at your lane all the way to the horizon.
As you develop that “far ahead” view, you will automatically drive the curve smoothly and accurately. You will also benefit from seeing your path far enough ahead to deal with any obstacles in your path.
“Referencing Down” on Highways
“Reference down” by moving your eyes down from the “look up” position so that you see the road 12 seconds ahead at 100 km/h. Look on the road in front of you to where the spaces on the broken lines on the road disappear. This will be about 12 seconds away. This will help you obtain information you require to steer accurately and safely.
Until now, you have been “looking up” (to the horizon), “referencing down” (12 seconds ahead), looking up, referencing down, etc.
When most people try this exercise, they usually find that they have not been “looking up” as far as they can see. In addition, they have usually been “referencing down” much closer than 12 seconds. To establish search patterns of up to 90 seconds ahead and to stretch your “referencing down” to 12 seconds requires two things. First, most drivers must admit that they have not been looking far enough ahead. Second, you have to practise to make “looking up” and “referencing down” a habit. As you establish the habit of “looking up” and “referencing down,” you will see the benefits to your driving, and this method will become easier every day. In addition, steering where you look will help you overcome steering problems such as wandering within a lane or wandering from lane to lane.
Sweeping Highways with Your Eyes
The next part of your search pattern is to look for things that will interfere with your path – vehicles entering from the side, animals or people on the side of the road, or approach roads. This involves sweeping your eyes across and to the side of the road. Try to sweep about 12 seconds ahead.
“Filling in the Gap” on Highways
Now fill in the gap between you and where you “reference down” 12 seconds ahead. Check the vehicles in front, the road surface for ice or potholes, and the width and firmness of the shoulders.
Checking Your “Gates” on Highways
Next, you need to check which gates are still open; that is, the space around your vehicle on all four sides. Pay close attention if you have detected a real or potential hazard. Check your mirrors often to see whether the rear and two side gates are open.
Checking Your Instruments on Highways
You should check your instruments when it is safe to take your eyes off the road. Even checking your speed takes one and a half seconds. Therefore, check your instruments when you are on a straight stretch of road with your gates open and with no real or potential hazards ahead.
Check your speed and, less often, glance at your gas gauge and other instruments or warning lights. Now your pattern should be: look up, reference down, look up, reference down, sweep left, sweep right, look up, reference down, fill in the gap, look up, reference down, check your gates, look up, reference down, check instruments, etc. The exact sequence that you use will vary with the features and the traffic on the highway. The most important part of the sequence is to “look up” and “reference down.” Include the others as needed. The more often the situation changes around you, the more often you have to search.
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