A driver’s vision test…well, sort of
It’s been said that we need to keep challenging ourselves in life and take on new challenges to help keep us sharp. I’m going to help you do that. You’re welcome. When it comes to driving, we need to stay current and not fall in to the trap of “That was what I was taught” or “No one ever told me that” because things change and, let’s face facts, we weren’t always given all of the facts when we were first taught things.
As drivers, we need to use our vision to it’s greatest effect. With that in mind, here are a few questions to quiz you with how we actually keep our vehicle under control. Ready? Let’s go!
Question 1: We really drive with our eyes and mind; our hands and feet are only tools that we use. True or false?
Answer 1: True. Your mind decides where you need to look. Your eyes process the information and will send a message back to your brain and from there to your hands and feet with what to do. This is similar to being a pedestrian about to cross the street. Your mind tells your eyes to look both ways before crossing the street. If your eyes spot a vehicle about to run a stop sign or red light, your mind tells your legs and feet not to move.
Once you take your mind away from the driving environment, such as a cell phone, music or passengers, your mind can’t help you make those important driving choices and then your eyes won’t see what they need to see to help you remain safe on the road.
Question 2: A good attitude alone will prevent collisions. True or false?
Answer 2: False. You could have the best of all intentions, but without proper knowledge and skill, that attitude could be lacking everything you need to become a safe driver. Think of an athlete who wishes to compete in the Olympics. They may have the greatest of all intentions, but their skill level will stop them from reaching that goal.
Never forget the basics of how you learned to drive. Becoming lazy and resting on your laurels can lead into poor driving habits and choices. Instead, strive to improve upon the basics by searching out more advanced information to make you a stronger and safer driver. Turn that new found knowledge into skill.
Question 3: If drivers have 20/20 vision, they have proper seeing habits when driving. True or false?
Answer 3: False. Having 20/20 vision means you have normal eyesight. It means when you stand 20 feet away from an eye chart, you see what the average person should see. Seeing habits means you know when and where to look and you pick up the needed information with your eyes to help make proper driving choices.
Someone with less than the average of 20/20 vision can still remain a safe driver. They’ve learned where they need to look and can process the information effectively to keep them and their passenger’s safe on the road. They learn to compensate for less than average vision.
Question 4: Looking well ahead of your vehicle allows you to drive more proactively. True or false?
Answer 4: True. Looking ahead at least 2 blocks from your current location while in the city allows you to see the bigger picture. It allows you to see traffic slowdowns early which can then give you the opportunity to switch lanes and/or slow down early.
Looking a minimum of 2 city blocks ahead is approximately 15 seconds ahead. Those 15 seconds can give you time to see, think and respond to potential problems ahead. It gives you more time to use driving logic and not rush into things, which can lead into poor choices and collisions.
Question 5: Never simply move the steering wheel of the vehicle away from a problem; instead aim the vehicle toward a safe space. True or false?
Answer 5: True. Think of eye-hand or hand-eye co-ordination. Try being accurate throwing a ball at a target without looking at that target. You won’t be as accurate as you would like. Driving is very much the same. A large part of driving safely is the ability to aim the vehicle to where you want it to go. You may remember this saying “Where you look is where you go.” Enough said.
There’s a lot to be said about using your eyes to your advantage while driving. But before that, it’s about using your brain. Together, they’ll help to keep you safe.
Let’s also not forget distractions on the roads themselves. For example, rubbernecking. People like to see what is going on when there is an accident, and as a result people end up steering where they’re looking, and… suddenly there is a very unhappy police officer asking why you just ran into the back of their cruiser. And that’s assuming it didn’t accidentally hit the officer themselves and kill them. Same with tow and fire trucks and their operators.
I forgot to add that my own strategy to avoid this is, aside from not looking, is to intentionally fear a bit opposite to compensate for this. So I was rather surprised when experimenting with this (safely! In a safe area!) that even with this compensation, sometimes my steering may still pull me to the right if I’m looking right. It’s weird.