EYE MOVEMENT
Recently a UPS driver in St. Louis retired with what the St. Louis Post Dispatch described as a “flawless driving record”. Nothing all that unusual about that. But what was unusual was that this particular driver had been with UPS for 44 years and had driven over 4 million miles. He said that the most important factor in his driving record was keeping his eyes moving.
Eye movement means scan, don’t stare. As a defensive driver you must be aware of your total driving environment, not just the vehicle in front of you.
· Look ahead, not just at the vehicle directly in front of you but at vehicles ahead of that vehicle. How much more likely are you to stop safely or react to a sudden problem when you are reacting to something 2, 3 or even 4 vehicles in front of you? Get the long view as well as the short view.
· Look as far down the road as possible. Is traffic backing up in the next lane? That will increase the likelihood of drivers trying to move into your lane. Has the traffic light ahead turned red? If so it’s probably time to take your foot off the gas and maybe begin braking. But don’t become fixated on items only to the front.
· Alternate looks to the front with checking your mirrors. How close is the driver behind you? Is someone passing you? Never turn or change lanes without a mirror check. But remember, there are areas around the vehicle that mirrors will not reveal. These areas are called “Blind Spots.”
· To reveal what is hidden in a “Blind Spot” perform a “Head Check.” Take a quick look over your shoulder into the areas not revealed in the mirrors.
· What’s going on next to your vehicle? Is the driver next to you talking on a cell phone and drifting into your lane? Is the lane open in case of a sudden problem in your lane?
· What about pedestrians? Are there any ahead who might try to cross the street in front of you? Are there drivers in parked cars that might pull out in front of you? Is a vehicle on a side street approaching at a high rate of speed and might not stop?
If your eyes are not constantly in motion surveying your surroundings you’ll be one of those drivers involved in an accident who says the other vehicle “came out of nowhere”.
