Sequence Constraint

Teach this lesson in sequence.

Overview

What You Do

1. Review the theory of driving at night in the city.
2. Demonstrate, while giving a commentary, search patterns, use of supplementary cues, and speed selection in the city.
3. Have the student driver drive in the city, describing what he/she is doing while driving and practising the following:
   • search patterns;
   • use of supplementary cues; and,
   • speed selection.
4. Have the student driver drive to the highway.
5. Review the theory of driving at night on the highway.
6. Demonstrate, while giving a commentary, search patterns, use of supplementary cues, speed selection, high/low beam use, meeting and overtaking, passing, and being passed on the highway.
7. Have the student driver drive on the highway, describing what he/she is doing while driving and practising the following:
   • search patterns;
   • use of supplementary cues;
   • speed selection;
   • high/low beam use;
   • meeting and overtaking; and,
   • passing and being passed.
8. Have the student driver drive back to base.

Lesson Content

City

• search patterns
• supplementary clues
• speed selection

Highway

• search patterns
• supplementary clues
• speed selection
• high/low beam use
• meeting and overtaking
• passing and being passed

Learning Objectives

Performance Objectives (Do)

1. Describe and adopt appropriate search patterns for driving in the city at night (four successful repetitions).
2. Identify and describe the use of supplementary cues while driving in the city at night (four successful repetitions).
3. Describe and adopt an appropriate speed for driving in the city at night, under varying light conditions (four successful repetitions).
4. Describe and adopt appropriate search patterns for driving on the highway at night (four successful repetitions).
5. Identify and describe the use of supplementary cues while driving on the highway at night (four successful repetitions).
6. Describe and adopt an appropriate speed for driving on the highway at night, under varying light conditions (four successful repetitions).
7. Describe and carry out high beam use, dimming the lights at the appropriate time (four successful repetitions).
8. Describe and carry out meeting and overtaking other vehicles using the appropriate techniques (four successful repetitions).
9. Describe and carry out correctly a passing manoeuvre (four successful repetitions).
10. Describe and carry out correctly a manoeuvre of being passed (two successful repetitions).

Knowledge Objectives (Know)

1. How to use search patterns for driving at night in the city.
2. How to detect and use supplementary cues when driving at night in the city.
3. How to select the appropriate speed when driving at night in the city.
4. How to use search patterns for driving at night on the highway.
5. How to detect and use supplementary cues when driving at night on the highway.
6. How to select the appropriate speed when driving at night on the highway.
7. How to determine when to use the high beams and when to dim the high beams when driving at night on the highway.
8. How to meet and overtake another vehicle when driving at night on the highway.
9. How to pass and be passed when driving at night on the highway.

Attitudinal Objectives (Believe)

1. Adjust your speed so that you can see 12 seconds ahead.
2. Maintain the same search patterns at night as you do during the day.
3. Have your headlights on high beam on the highway as much of the time as possible.
4. If you are going to use your headlights properly, make sure they are properly adjusted.
5. React as soon as you detect that something is there. Do not wait until you can clearly identify what is on the highway before acting.

Rationale

Young drivers in Saskatchewan are over-represented on the road at night. Clearly, young drivers will be driving at night, so they must know how to do it well.

This lesson comes at a time when the student driver should be driving well and only needs to apply driving techniques to the night time driving situation.

Many of the techniques used for driving at night apply equally well to low visibility conditions.

Teaching Techniques

1. Continued use of demonstration.
2. Continued use of adding to and modifying already existing skills:
   • visual search patterns
   • IPDE

Instructional Aids

1. Diagrams for night driving.
2. Flashlight.

Situational/Environmental Requirements

1. City location.
2. Highway location.

Activity Delineation

Review Theory of Driving at Night in the City

Instructor Activity

1. Discuss search patterns:
   • Basically the same as daytime search patterns.
   • The search pattern varies with the amount of light. With well lit streets you can drive as in the daytime, but must pay special attention to less visible pedestrians. This means double checking pedestrian crossings or situations where pedestrians might be.
   • Lights in the mirror can be confusing so you need to make more shoulder checks, particularly if it is raining.
   • Under reduced illumination, use the tail lights of the vehicle ahead, and of the vehicle several cars ahead to indicate where the road is.
   • Adjust speed so that you can see 12 seconds ahead.
   • At night, or under conditions of reduced visibility, always slow down as soon as you think you see something obstructing your path. Do not wait until you can clearly see what it is. You will not have time to stop.

Demonstration in the City

Instructor Activity

Demonstrate and give a commentary on night driving in the city, covering search patterns, use of supplementary cues, and speed selection.

Student Drives in the City

Instructor Activity

1. Have the student driver drive through the city, commenting on search patterns.
2. Have the student driver discuss the availability and use of supplementary cues.
3. Have the student driver select a speed and discuss the speed selection.
4. Have the student observer describe the proper search pattern.
5. Have the student observer discuss the availability and use of supplementary cues.
6. Have the student observer discuss speed selection.

Student Drives to Highway

Instructor Activity

1. Have the student driver drive to a selected highway location.
2. Discuss search patterns, use of supplementary cues, and speed selection as the drive progresses.

Review the Theory of Driving at Night on the Highway

Instructor Activity

1. How far you can see ahead varies dramatically with the presence of street lights, moonlight, and star light.
2. The type of bulbs you have in your headlights dramatically affects how far ahead you can see.
3. Search patterns are similar to those on the highway in the day time; e.g., you look up and reference down to 12 seconds ahead even if you can not see clearly 12 seconds ahead.
4. It will probably be necessary to adjust the interior rear view mirror to the night driving condition to reduce glare.
5. Drive on high beam as much as possible.
6. Adjust your speed according to how far ahead the high beam illuminates. You need 12 seconds.
7. Dim your headlights when the vehicle approaching you is four seconds away.
8. Dim your headlights as you come within three seconds of a vehicle you are approaching or, if you have been passed, dim your headlights until the vehicle is more than three seconds ahead of you.
9. When you are overtaking a vehicle, have your headlights dimmed until the front of your car has passed the driver's position of the vehicle being overtaken. At this point, switch your headlights to high beam.
10. Use other vehicles on the road to give you an indication where the road is.
11. Use telephone poles and reflectors to give you an indication of the direction of the road.

Demonstration on the Highway

Instructor Activity

1. Demonstrate while giving a commentary, search patterns, use of supplementary cues, speed selection, high/low beam use when meeting and overtaking, passing and being passed.

Student Drives Highway

Instructor Activity

1. Have the student driver drive on the highway, commenting on search patterns.
2. Have the student driver discuss the availability and use of supplementary cues.
3. Have the student driver select a speed and discuss the speed selection.
4. Have the student driver use the headlights properly when:
   • meeting an oncoming vehicle;
   • overtaking a vehicle;
   • passing a vehicle; and,
   • being passed by a vehicle.
5. Have the student observer describe the proper search pattern.
6. Have the student observer discuss the availability and use of supplementary cues.
7. Have the student observer discuss speed selection.

Student Drives to Base

Instructor Activity

1. Discuss with the students night-driving activities.

Evaluation

1. Complete the student driver evaluation form as the lesson progresses. Do not, however, look down and fill in the form while the vehicle is in motion.
2. At the end of the lesson have the student driver initial the evaluation form.
3. Record presence and satisfactory performance of student observer.
4. File the evaluation forms daily.