How to steer clear of danger

According to the World Health Organisation, 1.2 million people die in road traffic accidents each year. Another 50 million are seriously injured or permanently disabled.

The UK's Automobile Association (AA) reports that four out of five UK road accidents can be attributed to driver error.

Despite road safety initiatives and advances in vehicle safety technology, more accidents than ever are caused by human error.

In an attempt to reduce the number of accidents and minimise their impact, safety organisations have developed the technique of defensive driving, a radically different way to approach safe travel on the road.

To find out more, I visited Safe Drive International at Dubai Airport Free Zone for a Safe Drive Training Programme.

My day began with a theory session. First things first; we covered checks that should be carried out before any journey is undertaken.

The POWERS pre-trip inspection comprises petrol, oils, water, electrics, rubber and safety equipment. Also taken into consideration were factors such as weather, distance, route and my qualification to drive the vehicle.
First things first

We then moved on to driver positioning in the car. The back rest should keep you in an upright position, with your legs extended so that your right foot touches the floor underneath the brake pedal so you are able to use your full brake capacity if necessary.

Your hands should rest on the wheel with your arms neither cramped nor stretched — a good way to measure this is to make sure your wrists rest on top of the wheel with your arms fully extended and your shoulder blades flat against the seat.

During the journey your hands must remain on the wheel at all times, positioned as if the wheel was a clock and the time ten minutes past ten.
Your arms should never be allowed to cross your body, and the wheel should only be turned with one hand pushing and the other pulling.

Once we had established the vehicle was safe to drive and I understood the correct seating position, we moved on to the practicalities of defensive driving.

Defensive driving is the difference between driving subconsciously, or habitually, and driving consciously.

I know I have arrived at work sometimes and wondered how I got there. As I drive the route every day, I become complacent — had I been driving defensively, I would have been alert and aware of my surroundings at all times.

You must move your eyes every two seconds and perform a scan of your mirrors and viewpoint, aiming to see 360 degrees. The windscreen is divided into three sections, according to danger levels.

The green zone extends from 30 seconds away from your vehicle to as far as the eye can see — hazards can be identified early and plans can be made to avoid them. The amber zone, or the active zone, covers the area from five seconds away from your vehicle up to 30 seconds away.

If hazards appear in this zone, suitable time will be available for you to adjust your actions accordingly.

The red zone covers everything within five seconds of your vehicle and is known as the reactive zone, as immediate direct action will be required to avoid any hazards that may appear.

When scanning the road and your surroundings, be alert to any signs that a normal situation may become hazardous.

My instructor gave examples such as a parked car with the wheels turned out (it might be about to pull out); a school sign (children running); and a car braking several cars in front (maybe an accident?).

Habitual drivers see obvious hazards as they appear, while defensive drivers see potential hazards long before they pose a risk.

Space is of paramount importance in defensive driving. It is vital to leave a four-second gap between yourself and the car in front, to allow time to take evasive action should a hazard appear.

When stationary at intersections, aim for a space equal to one car length — not only does this allow you space to manoeuvre out should the car in front break down, it also provides space to move out of the way if a car coming behind does not stop in time.

Lane discipline When driving, you must try to use the 'lane of least potential'.

Commonly misunderstood to be the lane with fewest cars, it is in fact the middle lane of a freeway.

Slow cars in the inside lane force others to overtake them, while faster cars in the outside lane compel others to move into the next lane to get out of the way.

The safest lane is therefore the middle, as there are fewer risks of cars joining the lane.

On smaller roads, the lane of least potential will be the one with the fewest obstacles and most options for manoeuvre.

At intersections, remember that you will always reach a 'point of decision'.

Approaching an intersection with green lights, do you carry on at the same speed or slow down in case the lights change? There is no set rule for this instance, but hesitation is not an option. At the point of decision, assess the situation, decide promptly and act.

After we had covered the theory behind defensive driving and how it actually works, it was time for a commentary drive.

To heighten awareness, a defensive driving assessment includes a driving session where you must verbalise everything you do and explain why you are doing it.

I had to talk myself through the POWERS check and explain why I was sitting the way I was in the vehicle, then provide commentary on every manoeuvre and point out each hazard along the way.

Strange, but highly effective — I was constantly on the alert and, for the first time in a long time, conscious of every little detail on the road.

I was, however, a little sceptical about how defensive driving would apply on Shaikh Zayed Road.

The safe driver course was developed in Perth, Australia — would it work in a country with more nationalities, cultures and driving standards than makes of car?

Surprisingly yes, and it was perhaps even more valuable here than I would find it at home in the UK.

Maintaining such a high level of awareness meant that I was able to identify hazards such as cars changing lane without signalling and at the last minute; pedestrians attempting to run across busy freeways; recent changes to road layout and signage; and take appropriate action long before the hazard became a risk.

In 2007 the UAE government recorded 1,056 fatalities on the roads. Defensive driving might just help to reduce that number.