Speed into Hazards

What is a Hazard?

Firstly, let's define what a hazard is. A hazard is anything on the road scene that may cause potential danger or an actual threat to safety. Hazard identification and recognition is a key skill for the advanced driver. You must learn or develop ways to locate hazards and pick out the different types on the road ahead (or from behind) as early as possible and then plan accordingly to reduce the danger.

It’s also worth pointing out that hazards come in many forms. The driver must determine the sort of hazard that lays ahead - or behind - and decide if the danger is real or a potential danger that has the ability to develop into an actual threat to safety. It’s important that a driver defines the difference as early as possible on approach to them.

Static or moving Hazards

There are other specific elements that drivers need to be aware of and that is whether the hazard is ‘stationary or moving’ (or has the ability to move), as the latter creates an unpredictability aspect too. A moving hazard needs continual assessment as the scene unfolds.

Speed plays a major role in negotiating any type of hazard successfully and safely and it’s this element that can make or break how safe a driver is on the road.

Speed into Hazards

One of the most important factors in developing a mindset of driver behavioural safety, is the speed you use when approaching different hazards. This safety critical aspect is one that often highlights those that are truly skilled at driving. Choosing an appropriate speed is a fine art.

The difference in getting this right could be a just a few miles per hour – but such things make a huge difference to any outcome. But be aware that it's always safer to drive into hazards slightly slower than slightly too fast. That may sound like common sense, but when related to driving, common sense appears to be uncommon.

Predicting and Compensating

I mentioned earlier about different levels of safety when recognising and dealing with hazards and the unpredictability of some hazards we see everyday. As an example, if you see a pedestrian walking a dog, the job of the driver is to identify if the dog is on a lead or walking freely.

If you see a vehicle parked on the roadside then you need to use the clues to assess the level of danger. If the brake lights are illuminated then the car might pull away, if the wing mirrors are folded in then the car is likely dormant etc. Advanced drivers will account for many factors like this and use speed and position to ensure safe progress. These types of features, should sound alarm bells in the ‘predicting and compensating’ facets of dealing with all hazard type’s effectively and safely.

Sixth Sense

I have spoken in the past about developing a sixth sense when using your visual scanning methods to locate hazards on all areas of the road scene (ahead, rearward and peripheral aspects).

This is a great skill to develop so you miss nothing (and yes, that level of observational skill is quite possible if you work towards that fact that your eyes are aimed high and are kept moving, acting as your scanning radar). Once you locate any hazard, immediately define what it is and what level of attention you need to pay to it – this involves astute planning and predicting the outcome as you keep assessing and reassessing as you drive towards it. Make a plan but ALWAYS be flexible and make changes as and when necessary to ensure safety.

You input the Safety!

As a safe advanced driver, you are the one responsible for ensuring the safety aspects, as we can NEVER rely on others doing the right thing. Ever!

Often there may be several hazards in quick succession, this is where you need to choose those that are potentially an actual threat to your safety and be keen to lose speed early on approach to them – using the ‘WHAT IF’ factor diligently and frequently. Instigate a ‘just in case’ effort into your thinking and acting capacities. Safety is YOUR prime goal at all times.

Speeding into Hazards becomes ‘Normal’ Practice

Nearly all drivers speed and they make excuses that this is acceptable behaviour. In effect they justify speeding as an everyday occurrence. This may be fine on certain roads and in many driving environments but where the problem is, is that by using the same mindset, the over speeding habit becomes risky when meeting moving hazards and where drivers don’t feel the need to lose enough speed and drive into high-risk hazardous situations too fast. That’s where crashes and incidents happen far too regularly, which are nearly all preventable and avoidable.

Be the better diver and develop that sixth sense and get your speed into hazards correct, so YOU look after the safety for yourself and other road users too. It's an epic skill to develop and analyse your own performance and never that of others on the road.