Driver Behaviour and Attitude

This must be something that has been hard wired into our minds from a very young age to say, it does not matter.

Why should I drive in a good way? Because nobody else does!

Why should I not go over the speed limit? Because every body else does!

Why should I drive like I was taught to? Because my dad drives like a race driver!

It is the same thoughts that learners have when it comes to the driving test.

I want to pass as quick and cheap as possible. My dad only had 10 hours.

Let’s look at this in a little detail - How long ago did dad pass his test, 20 years ago. There was then a driving test that was less in time duration, so less time for thing to go wrong, the routes were shorter so less distance travelled so less to go wrong, there was no use of Sat Nav, there was no following road signs or independent driving as you were told all the way which way to go, you were not asked to operate controls as you were driving, unless it rained and you had to put the wipers on, there was also 20 million less other road users who have only got their destination on their mind and you are in their way and they are trying to get round you, push you to hurry up and move out of their way or they will cut you up, pull out in front of you. So the test has become harder, although I feel still could be harder. Yet people learning to drive, seem to think they know it all and they can do it all, but failed a test with 1 serious fault and a few driver faults. Then we rebook, to fit the waiting lists, we book lessons to fix were the driver went wrong and improve over areas, then the learner driver says, I do not want lessons, I will just go in for the test. What!!! You do not want to learn from the points it went wrong? You do not want to improve your standard? You do not want to practice so you have a better chance of passing next time? You would rather not learn, not have time to keep up your knowledge and skill and risk crashing my car when you out there on your next test!!!

We can see here, from the view of a driving instructor with learners, attitude to driving is very poor from the start. Yes, the above are things that happen, not by every learner, but a lot. We need to change this attitude from the start, so if we change our behaviour and attitude to driving, your children when coming to driving age, will take more time to be better and learn to be safer and have a better presence on the roads keeping them safe drivers.

Improving and maintaining good attitude and behaviours to driving are key components to making our roads safer.

Driving safely and road safety should be at the front of our mind. But it is not and this must change and it is critical that it does change for each and every driver out there driving. Every single driver needs to assume personal responsibility for their role in road safety.

By being aware of our own driving behaviour, we can work on improving attitudes, which will, in turn have a positive change in all the drivers on our roads. I believe there is a positive attitude in the community to want change.

For example. Before lock down me and a colleague in road safety with support from local businesses have attempted to improve streets outside schools, we want to make a change. Meetings were arranged and local communities came together and supported the ideas, gave ideas, wanted change. So we know fact, that if communities work together then attitude and behaviours and road safety can change. But we must and need to work together. This is a shared responsibility between local communities, businesses and governments can help pull this together.

Where to start?

Start by looking at you. Start by thinking how can you be a better driver or make changes within to set that example. But there is much more that can be done from that point onwards. You make the start and the rest will follow, I have stated before in social media posts, drivers are like sheep, they follow each other. You park on a double yellow line to nip into the shop to get your morning paper, others will also.

Here are some good behaviour traits and attitudes to adopt when driving. 

·     Respect for others, do not tailgate other cars, allow cars to merge in front of you, when people make a mistake do not react to it.

·     Awareness, use your mirrors more, always be aware of where other cars are in relation to your vehicle, keep on scanning the road ahead for possible hazards.

·     Share the road, allow room for cyclists, horses, tractors.

·     Never take driving for granted, the conditions on the roads change quick from one moment to the next, even if you drive down the same road every day, be alert for new hazards.

·     Adopt the right attitude, think to yourself “I can make a difference to road safety by being a responsible driver” and keep doing it every day, think of the good cause it is for. 

·     Drive to the conditions, not the posted speed limits, if wet slow down even more.

·     Do not park badly, do not block a drive way, leave room for ambulance or fire engines to get past, do not block the pavements so blind people, parents with prams or disabled can not get round without having to walk in the road.

·     Reverse park in bays, so you have better view when it is time to drive away.

·     Park away from schools, walk a little distance keeping traffic away from school entrances.

·     If you see a broken down vehicle, slow down, move over, allow the recovery or Highways England teams do their jobs safely. 

·     Follow the information signs, such as the Red X, lane closed sign, warning signs and information signs. 

·     Plan long journeys, be prepared by knowing where your going and how long it will take to get there, allowing time for delays.

These are just a few steps that will make you that better driver, have that better behaviour and attitude, that will eventually have others following, but it is a long long journey for everyone to see it and copy. So do not do it for a day, a week then give up, keep it up for lifetime, it will take a long time for everyone see you doing it.

What are the goals?

Better attitude and behaviour from ourselves is the start of improving safety on the roads and reducing the stats of people who are killed on the road network.

What can businesses do to help?

There is much a business can do to help improve behaviours and attitudes on the roads. Here are a few points to add on the ones above that you can implement. 

·     be more proactive towards road safety, getting there alive is better than getting there yesterday.

·     Do more regular risk assessments and driver training every 1-2 years rather than 4-5 years as recommended. 

·     Allow drivers time for their journeys.

·     Ensure drivers are fit and proper to drive the vehicle you are asking them to drive.

·     Ensure drivers do correct vehicle safety checks. 

·     Have facilities for your customers or suppliers arriving on your site. Just as you would expect them to for your staff visiting them.

·     Ensure drivers have plenty of fluids, provide water machines or drinks machines, keeping hydrated is a step to reducing fatigue.

·     Ensure staff are well rested and not fatigued or pressured and stressed whilst driving. 

·     Do not over load vehicles or put so much pressure on drivers to hit high and unrealistic delivery targets.

·     On site have all parked vehicles reverse into parking bays as much as possible, so when staff finish a shift, they are tired and eager to get home, their first drive off is forwards, giving them best view around them in the car parks.

If you feel you need help with getting these messages across to drivers, look at doing advance or defensive driver courses. If your not sure where to start in implementing these types of changes. But it is not difficult to just be more aware of what you do to start with.

If we all work on drivers attitude and behaviours then the roads would be much better and safer places for us all. But we are in this together. Take the lead, set the examples for others to follow suit. Let us make our country’s roads the best in the world.