Smith System Key #2

KEY 2: Get The Big Picture

The Selection And Rejection Process

There are many objects in the big picture and it is important to think in terms of their true relevance to your driving safety. This requires a rapid selection and rejection process, sifting out the objects that are not potentially hazardous, leaving room to deal with those that are relevant.

Many stationary objects such as a tree or a billboard require no decisions from you and are not relevant. However, some non moving objects such as traffic signs or parked cars near the roadway are very relevant. Relevant objects frequently include anything that moves on the sidewalk or the street. Vehicles, pedestrians and animals or the shadows they cast from locations that are hidden from your view could all become relevant to you. Items that could conceivably cause a reaction from the driver are significant and relevant.

Proper Following Distance

A significant part of creating better visibility is the avoidance of vision barriers. Any other vehicle on the road can serve as a vision barrier. When it is necessary to drive behind another vehicle, the only way to keep it from obstructing your vision is to maintain the proper following distance.

Following a large vehicle too closely guarantees the loss of adequate eye lead time and reduces a vital part of the big picture. While a smaller vehicle does not necessarily block a driver's vision, it demands attention and creates a distraction. The closer you are behind a vehicle, the more you will find your eyes falling to the rear of that vehicle. Subconsciously you know that if the driver ahead of you makes a sudden move, you must react to it instantly.

Calculating Proper Following Distance

If you are determined to remove vision barriers, you will automatically establish increased following distance. We recommend maintaining a minimum of 4 seconds of following distance.

To calculate a minimum proper following distance, count 4 seconds: one thousand one ... one thousand two ... one thousand three ... one thousand four. Start counting when the rear of the vehicle ahead of you passes a fixed reference point. If you reach that point before you complete the count, you are following too closely.

This method of establishing proper following distance works at any speed and is called the 4 second rule. This rule relates to minimum following distances under ideal driving conditions. Reduced visibility and tire traction in poor weather, as well as heavier loads, require you to increase your following distance even more.

Who Is Driving Your Vehicle?

We acknowledge that increased following distance creates opportunities for other vehicles to cut into the open space ahead of you. It may seem that with increased following distance, the people who cut in are taking advantage of you and delaying your progress. But allowing others to have that space actually prevents them from taking advantage of you.

Why? Consider the alternative; to keep others from taking that space, you must fill it yourself and thus follow another vehicle too closely. This reduces both your visibility and your safety. It means that the driver who tried to cut in has, indeed, taken advantage of you. In this scenario, that driver virtually makes your decisions and does your driving for you. You wind up taking unnecessary risks that can create stress and compromise your safety without really improving your travel time.

Proper Use Of Mirrors

Effective eye activity involves consistent use of the mirrors to maintain awareness of all activity around the vehicle. Smith System recommends that at least one of the mirrors should be checked every 5 to 8 seconds. The decision as to which mirrors may require the most attention throughout the drive is dependent upon lane choice, driving conditions, weather, and the load being carried.

Key 2 Techniques For Getting The Big Picture

Acquire full information on which to base decisions. Use your eyes to create a 360 degree circle of constant awareness.

Check one or more of your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds. Your choice of mirrors should be relevant to your traffic situation and your position in traffic.

Eliminate vision barriers in front of your vehicle by maintaining your distance from them. Train yourself to see beyond them to minimize collision possibilities.

Establish proper following distance by using the 4 second rule. Increase that distance when dictated by weather, heavy loads or other conditions requiring increased visibility or greater stopping distance.

The serious business of driving demands utmost attention to every detail of a big picture that constantly changes. Driving requires you to maximize your information and decision making time. The Key 2 techniques help you to anticipate the actions of others. By seeing the big picture, you can decide what your actions should be.

Introduction

Adequate eye lead time is only one of the seeing habits needed to acquire the vast amount of information that exists in the traffic scene. The big picture includes consistent visibility ahead, to the rear, and to the sides of the vehicle. Proper seeing habits must include frequent use of the mirrors, allowing you to gather more information, leading to safer driving habits.