I spy with my little eye…
I spy with my little eye something that is…moving. Huh? Remember playing “eye spy” when you were a kid? I taught my kids that game when they were little and it was a good time-filler while waiting in the dentist’s office or the doctor’s office. I now teach that as a driving instructor for Young Drivers of Canada. It’s not really a game when I’m teaching it to drivers; it’s more like a necessity.
I use this technique at intersections before making a turn, especially while waiting before making the turn. In most jurisdictions, while waiting to make a left turn your vehicle is often far enough forward at the intersection that pedestrians and cyclists may “sneak up” on you just before you make the turn. While waiting for a gap in the traffic, most drivers tend to focus their attention on the oncoming traffic. It makes sense since they are looking for a space to drive through. However, while your attention is up the road, a pedestrian or cyclist may come up behind you along the sidewalk from your left and as you make that turn they step into your path.
Pedestrians can easily hide in the “A” pillar as they walk through crosswalks. Drivers who spend more time looking ahead and not regularly checking the crosswalk can miss seeing these pedestrians “hide” in the “A” pillar area. These photos can show you exactly what can happen.
It’s your responsibility as a driver to ensure the way is clear before making any turn and this includes anyone in the crosswalk. I often see drivers begin the turn, only to stop partially across the road because a pedestrian or cyclist was crossing. They had the “walk” symbol and were doing what they were allowed to do. Remember, some pedestrians and cyclists aren’t drivers and therefore won’t think like drivers. You need to be the “bigger person” and watch for them since they won’t always watch for you.
Years ago I head a student who wouldn’t check his blind spot to check for cyclists and pedestrians before turning. He didn’t think it was such a big deal…until one day when we witnessed an extreme close call. While stopped in traffic waiting to make a left turn at traffic lights, I noticed a cyclist riding along the sidewalk to our left. Looking ahead I anticipated the cyclist would reach the crosswalk at the same time the driver who was waiting in the intersection would have the gap they were waiting for. I asked my student to keep an eye on the young cyclist and he did.
Just as I predicted, the driver who was turning left began their turn just as the cyclist got into the crosswalk. The cyclist responded quickly and hit their brakes. The driver making the turn did just that; made their turn and kept going. If the cyclist wasn’t paying enough attention they would have been struck by the driver. However, if the driver of the vehicle turning left made a quick glance over their shoulder before beginning their turn, this entire close call wouldn’t have happened.
Take a few moments to always think ahead while driving. Keep an eye out for pedestrians and cyclists that may be in your path a few seconds later. Be a proactive driver. Lives depend on it.
*Have a quick listen to this short podcast episode on “Speed Bumps” as sharing the road with pedestrians is discussed further!
It’s amazing how many drivers do not turn their heads when driving and simply stare ahead at what’s directly in front of them. They even look ahead while turning so won’t see whatever is in the new road until they hit it.
I like to use the fishing rod technique for getting drivers to look properly. Cast your eyes as far ahead as you can and then reel in to the near ground taking in as many details as possible, quick glance in the rear view and then cast out again. Works for me.
Driving my son back from hockey one day, I took a detour on Leslie Street in Stoney Creek — a long street ending in a cul-de-sac. As we drove along, I told him the story of a student named Frank who had done lessons with me and gotten his licence, but somehow found he was short one lesson. He had been licenced for quite some time and was now much more confident (too much more!) but when he started up the car for our make-up lesson, he confessed that he had forgotten the YD habits.
I told him that knowing the names and numbers of the habits was not as important as applying them. As we drove, we came upon Leslie St. and I thought it would be a good place to do a 3 pt turn and maybe a parallel park. As we drove, I spotted a cube van parked ahead and another car behind it. I told him that, since we could not see underneath (ground viewing) we should slow down and cover the brake and horn. “Why?” he asked. I replied, “Well, it’s a delivery truck, so someone might walk out without looking.”
“No,” he said, “They’d look first.” I responded by telling him that they SHOULD do that, but there was no guarantee. “Well,” he insisted, “In my opinion they’d look first.” Mere seconds later we were close to the vehicle and, as if on cue, someone stepped out without looking and Frank slammed on the brakes. My comment, as you might guess, was a rather unsubtle “You were saying?”
I was hoping he be embarrassed and he was, but covered it up by telling me how stupid that guy was. I agreed, but told him that the fact that person was stupid didn’t give us the right to kill him. It could have just as easily been a child who didn’t know any better. I said look, having confidence is great, but overconfidence, whether in yourself or other drivers and pedestrians, leads to disaster. I finished by saying, “This may have been the most important lesson of all. We don’t have to worry about colliding with smart people and good drivers. The only problem is, we never know which ones they are.”