Purpose

To introduce the student to the basics of city driving.

Duration: 100 minutes

Learning Objectives

Performance Objectives

Actively participate in discussions and slide/video presentations.

Knowledge Objectives

For the city, know how to:

• carry out normal accelerating, stopping, and turning;
• select the speed;
• select an optimal following time;
• establish proper eye use;
• establish and maintain lane control;
• change lanes;
• enter, exit, and merge;
• deal with intersections;
• implement the IPDE process;
• use headlights;
• share the road; and,
• drive in a fuel-efficient manner.

Teaching Points

1. Good driving is causing the minimum of disruption in the traffic flow.
2. To drive well, you have to be in control of what is happening around you and be in a position to make allowances for others. You can only compensate for what others do around you, you cannot control what others do.
3. If you can get all of your thinking done 12 seconds ahead, then you have lots of time to avoid hazards.
4. There is more information to process in the city. The trick is to learn to pay attention to the right thing at the right time.
5. You need to sweep further from side to side visually to get the information that you need.

Content

Normal Accelerating, Stopping, and Timing

• City driving requires only moderate acceleration, because the speed difference between you and other vehicles will generally be much lower in the city. You can save considerable amounts of fuel by accelerating in a reasonable manner.
• You should only have to accelerate rapidly to get out of trouble or avoid a dangerous situation.
• You stop much more quickly at lower speeds. Count and see.
• The lower the speed, the more you have to turn the steering wheel. This means "hand-over-hand" steering for corners and sharp curves.

Speed Selection

• In the city, you have to choose a speed according to the level of predictability. In highly unpredictable situations such as children playing on the side of the road, shopping malls, school sites, you should drive very slowly. In predictable situations such as sections of road with no houses on either side, or areas that are fenced and do not permit access to the road, you can drive faster but stay within the speed limit.
• If the visibility is poor, or the road surface is slippery, slow down. Regulate your speed so that you can always see 12 seconds ahead.

Following Time

• Three seconds is the minimum following time. Increase this if your vision is blocked by the vehicle in front; for example, if there is a van or a truck ahead of you. Increase your following time if the level of unpredictability is high.

Eye Use

• "Look up" as far as you can see ahead. This will often be four or five blocks. Check the traffic lights, check for construction, check for obstacles. This will help you to plan lane changes or route changes if necessary.
• "Reference down" to about 12 seconds ahead. This will often mean that you are looking through the front and rear windows of the vehicles ahead. You will be able to pick up most of what you need with your peripheral vision.
• "Sweep" the road from 12 seconds ahead and back. In town, your visual sweeps have to be much wider than on the highway.
• "Fill in the gap" between your "referencing down" point and your vehicle. Check the tail lights of other vehicles, check for pot holes, check for slippery patches on the road, check pedestrians, and traffic coming from the sides.
• Check your "gates" to see if they are open. In town, the status of your gates will change more rapidly than on the highway, so you need to check your mirrors more frequently.
• Check your instrument panel when you are going straight ahead, when you have three or more gates open, and when the level of predictability is high.
• Work on an appropriate sequence, giving precedence to the "look up", "reference down" component.

Lane Control

• Always try to keep at least two gates open.
• If possible, always try to retain one open gate, because steering around obstacles is preferable to braking.
• When being tailgated, double the time of your front gate to encourage the person behind you to pass, or to at least increase the following distance.
• Do not drive in other drivers' blind spots, and do not allow them to drive in yours.
• If another driver wants to cut in front of you or change lanes, let the driver move in. Then drop back and re-establish your gates.
• You have 2 options to control your gates: changing your speed, or changing your position (your lane).
• You have control of all your gates. Do not allow other drivers to control them for you.

Changing Lanes

• Ensure that the gate is open for you before you move.
• Signal your intentions.
• Depending on circumstances, you may have to accelerate as you change lanes.
• While looking where you want to go, you will have to turn the steering wheel actively if you are going slowly, and the angle is sharp.

Entering, Exiting, and Merging in Town

• Always signal your intentions.
• Know how long it will take your vehicle to accelerate to the speed limit at moderate acceleration for the road surface. Then only enter traffic gaps that are long enough to accommodate you.
• If the other driver is legally in the wrong, or is being aggressive, do not force the issue. Let the other driver go where he/she wants.
• Before you brake, always try to have your vehicle in a straight line.

Intersections

• Know the time it takes to cross an intersection or make a turn with your vehicle. Estimate the gap, and only move into gaps that are long enough.
• Use a left, straight ahead, right scan to see if the intersection is clear. Continue to scan as you proceed through the intersection.
• Pay special attention to identifying drivers who are unlikely to stop at intersections or who might run red lights.

IPDE (CCT)

• You should be identifying real and potential hazards at least 12 seconds ahead.
• Determine whether the hazard is real or potential.
• If the hazard is real, predict whether it will remain as it is or change.
• If it is a potential hazard, predict where this road user is likely to go. Keep revising this prediction as you move towards the hazard.
• Based on your best prediction, decide where you will go if your prediction is true.

  Check

  - your gates

  - the road surface

  - the availability of escape routes to either side of you

  - approaching traffic

  - pedestrians and

  - traffic coming from intersections

  Plan

  - escape route(s), and

  - the vehicle control actions required.

• Try to get your Identification, Prediction, and Decision completed in the first six seconds. This will allow you six seconds for Execution. Sometimes, your vision will be obstructed and you will not have the luxury of a 12 second lead time. Under these circumstances, you will have to process the information as fast as possible. The more you practise the IPDE method, the faster you will become at processing the information.
• Try to execute your actions as smoothly as possible and in a predictable manner. Where there is time, and it is sensible, signal your intentions.
• Remember, there are two ways to avoid a hazard: the first is to change speed (usually slow down), the second is to change direction (usually change lanes).

Headlight Use

• Students should be encouraged to have the headlights of the vehicle on at all times to enhance their visibility.

Sharing the Road

• In the city, large vehicles are likely to block your vision, rather than threaten you directly.
• Motorcycles are a considerable risk in the city. Most motorcycle accidents occur when the driver of a car makes a turn in front of a motorcyclist. Pay special attention to identifying motorcycles during motorcycle season.
• School buses in many communities are prohibited by bylaws from using their flashing red warning lamps in town. If you see a school bus stopped in town, predict that children may be exiting from the bus.
• Pedestrians require special identification and prediction in the city.
• Emergency vehicles may startle you as they approach -- particularly if the siren and flashing lights are in use. The secret is to avoid panic and to take steps so as not to impede their progress. The Driver's Handbook provides suggestions for dealing with emergency vehicles under a variety of circumstances.

Fuel-Efficient Driving

• You get the best fuel economy from moderate acceleration.
• Try to pick routes that require the fewest stops.
• By looking well ahead, and by not getting "caught" behind vehicles that are stopped, you can save fuel.

Assignments

1. When someone else is driving, count the time it takes from a stopped position until the vehicle has accelerated and reached the speed limit. Do this three times under similar circumstances and obtain an average.
2. When someone else is driving, count the time it takes to stop from the speed limit. Do this three times from the same speed, and obtain an average.
3. Have the student select sensible travelling speeds for six local locations. The instructor should specify the time of day, surface conditions, and visibility.

Instructional Approaches

• Solicit student responses and fill in the gaps.
• Use slides or videos for instructional purposes.

Support Requirements

Materials

• Appropriate slides and videos.

Equipment

• Slide projector, VCR