Chapter 5
Time requirement of chapter: 60 minutes

TRAFFIC PERCEPTUAL SKILLS

Chapter 5 will challenge you with searching for traffic hazards and identifying potential or immediate hazards. The chapter will help you to predict the possible effect of a possible hazard, decide what evasive maneuver is most appropriate for a potential hazard, and how to execute the evasive action in time to avoid a collision.

There are many hidden factors drivers do not consider when they operate a motor vehicle. As part of this chapter we want to address these important factors.

Distractions:

At one time or another, all of us have been distracted while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 99% of all traffic crashes in the United States are due to driver error. Many of these crashes are simply a result of driver distraction. Becoming distracted is not that hard to do. Simply gazing out the window, searching for the perfect mood music on the ride home, answering a cell phone call, or biting into a sloppy burrito can cause our focus on driving to be interrupted. What’s so disturbing is that most drivers don’t consider themselves distracted.

Below are some ways to reduce distractions to your driving:

Stay focused and pay attention! Limit interaction with passengers Avoid talking while driving - to passengers or on the phone Avoid taking your eyes off the road Keep both hands on the wheel Don’t daydream. Don’t drive if you are tired. Share the driving responsibilities on long trips Don’t drive when angry or upset. Emotions can interfere with safe driving. Wait until you have cooled down or resolved problems to drive. Avoid “gawking,” or slowing down to look at a crash or other activity. If you need to use your cell phone while driving: Pull off the road and stop in a safe place before using your phone.

Cell Phones:

In the United States, over 212 million people are currently using cell phones and the number is continually rising. Increased reliance on cell phones has led to a rise in the number of people who use the devices while driving. There are two dangers associated with driving and cell-phone use.

First, drivers must take their eyes off the road while dialing or setting up a hands-free call. Second, people can become so absorbed in their conversations that their ability to concentrate on the act of driving is severely impaired. Motorists using cell phones while driving are 4 times more likely to get into crashes. A recent study from the University of Utah, concludes that taking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving impaired, even if the phone is a hands-free model. It doesn’t make any difference if the phone is hand-free. It’s the listening and thinking of responses that makes the difference, not the nature of the instrument.

Talking with passengers while driving is different since the passengers are aware of your driving envoirment and will probably lighten up on conversation if red lights are flashing in the distance. If you’re on a cell phone, the other person may not even know you are driving and may increase the complexity, or emotional content, of the conversation without realizing you are in a very precarious situation.

They have no way of knowing you are concentrating on the conversation, when you should be concentrating on your driving and that you can’t devote equal attention to both.

Obviously, the safest choice is to never operate a cellular telephone while driving. If the call is important enough to answer, then it is important enough to pull off in a safe and secure location to talk.

Here are some additional ideas:

• Allow voice mail to handle the calls and return them at your convenience.
• Position your cellular phone within easy reach.
• Memorize the phone's keypad.
• Use memory dial and automatic redial features.
• Dial numbers in short sequences while you are not moving.
• Keep conversations short and stop talking when in heavy traffic.
  

Resources: http://www.hsrc.unc.edu/safety_info/distracted_drowsy/Cell_Phone_Use_NC_2002.pdf, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=889064&page=1, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/wireless/c2.htm, http://www.aaapublicaffairs.com/main/Default.asp?CategoryID=3&SubCategoryID=35&ContentID=39, http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/cellphone_driving.html, http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1, http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=121907-2

Fatigue:

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of adult drivers, about 168 million people, say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third, (37% or 103 million people,) have actually fallen asleep or nodded of at the wheel! In fact, of those who have nodded off, 13% say they have done so at least once a month, and 4%, approximately eleven million drivers, admit they have had a collision, or a near collision, because they dozed off or were too tired to drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates drowsy driving annually results in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. Sleep related crashes are most common in young people, especially men, adults with children, and shift workers. Men are more likely than women to drive while drowsy and are almost twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving. Adults with children in the household are more likely to drive drowsy than those without children. Shift workers are more likely than those who work a regular daytime schedule, to drive to or from work drowsy at least a few days a month.

According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash as those sleeping eight hours or more, while people sleeping less than five hours increased their risk four to five times.

Fatigue is a general term commonly used to describe the experience of being “sleepy,” “tired,” “drowsy,” or “exhausted.” While all of these terms have different meanings in research and clinical settings, they tend to be used interchangeably in the traffic safety and transportation fields. There are many underlying causes of sleepiness, fatigue and drowsy driving, including: sleep loss from prescriptions, interrupted or fragmented sleep, chronic sleep deficit, circadian factors associated with work schedules, undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders, time spent on a task, the use of sedating medications; and, the consumption of alcohol when already tired. These factors have cumulative effects and a combination of any of these can greatly increase one’s risk for a fatigue-related crash.

Sleepiness or Fatigue Causes the Following:

• Impaired reaction time, judgment and vision;
• Problems with information processing and short-term memory;
• Decreased performance, vigilance and motivation;
• Increased moodiness and aggressive behaviors.

Warning signs of drowsy driving:

• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or eyelids drooping;
• Daydreaming;
• Yawning;
• Head nodding;
• Drifting in a travel lane or across lanes;
• Irritable.

Counter measures for drowsy driving:

Before the trip:

• Get the appropriate amount of sleep
• Avoid alcohol or sedating medications
• Plan ample time
• Drive during time when you would be most alert
• Avoid heavy meals

During travel:

• Be aware of the warning signs of fatigue
• If possible ask a passenger to talk to you
• Stop in a safe and secure area and take a short nap
• Stop every 2 hours or about 100 miles

Resources: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2417141/k.2E30/The_National_Sleep_ Foundation.htm, http://www.pdhealth.mil/veterans/downloads/fatigue.pdf, http://www.aids.org/factSheets/551-Fatigue.html, http://www.roadandtravel.com/safetyandsecurity/drivingfatigue.html, http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/drow-ndx.htm#prevent, http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/articles/causes-of-sleep-deprivation/driver-fatigue.php, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/Drowsy.html, http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2001/02/19/hlsa0219.htm, http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/03/24/hlsb0324.htm

Stress:

The American Medical Association has stated that 70 to 85 percent of all illnesses are stress related. Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. Stress is not always necessarily harmful. It’s very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough stress produces a dull, raspy sound.

Too much tension makes a shrill, annoying noise or snaps the string. However, just the right degree of pressure can create a magnificent tone. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress which allows us to perform optimally and make melodious music as we go through life. Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment. It has physical and emotional effects on us, and can create positive or negative feelings. When we are stressed, the central nervous system triggers the release of stress chemicals that prepare us for emergency action.

In response to these chemicals, our blood pressure goes up, muscles tense up; stored fat for energy is released; and the immune system is suppressed. The suppression of the immune system prevents it from making antibodies which attack the body’s own tissues in the event of an injury.

This physical reaction to stress is a survival trait known as “fight or flight” stress response. Thousands of years ago, it helped our ancestors protect themselves from wild animals and other physical threats. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective.

Today, most of our stress is annoying rather than life threatening. Yet, left unmanaged, stress can cause serious damage to our bodies. The events that provoke stress are called stressors; and they cover a whole range of situations everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester’s worth of your toughest subject. Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress that’s hard on people. The nervous system senses continued pressure, and may remain slightly activated and continuing to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period. This long term release can wear out the body’s reserves, leave a person feeling depleted or overwhelmed, weaken the body’s immune system, and cause other problems.

Stress may begin while driving, or before the driver has even begun to enter the vehicle. A number of factors can serve to cause stress and these include a headache, heavy traffic, running late, and even aggravating music from another vehicle.

Individuals can be stressed because of other circumstances in their lives such as financial concerns, problems with children, marriage problems, problems at work and the list goes on and on.

As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression; which in turn, can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child or grand child, a job promotion, a new relationship, or living situation, we experience stress as we re-adjust our lives. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

To relieve stress, we sometimes resort to habits which can cause poor health such as smoking, overeating, taking drugs, or abusing alcohol. These recommendations are some examples of ways to help manage stress.

Driving and Stress:
 
Road conditions, time constraints, heavy traffic, poor weather conditions, construction zones, vehicle performance and reliability and the driving behavior of other drivers can all add to the stress we are experiencing.
 
Are you stressed and maybe not aware you are? Below are some common signs of stress.
 
Can’t sleep or do not sleep well
Unexplained weight gain or loss
Heartburn
Unable to concentrate at times
Irritable
Dizzy
Forgetting things
Chronic headaches
Often sick
Withdrawn
Aching neck, back, or legs
Emotional at home or work
Say or do things you regret later
Fatigued
 
These are all signs that stress may be taking a toll on your life.

Managing Stress:

Take a stand against over-scheduling. If you’re feeling stretched, consider cutting out an activity or two, opting for just the ones that are most important to you.

Be realistic. Don’t try to be perfect – no one is. And expecting others to be perfect can add to your stress level, too (not to mention put a lot of pressure on them!). If you need help on something, a repair or home improvement project, ask for it. Get a good night’s sleep. Getting enough sleep helps keep your body and mind in top shape, making you better equipped to deal with any negative stressors. Because the biological “sleep clock” shifts during adolescence, many teens prefer staying up a little later at night and sleeping a little later in the morning. But if you stay up late and still need to get up early for an appointment, you may not get all the hours of sleep you need. Learn to relax. The body’s natural antidote to stress is called the relaxation response. It’s your body's opposite of stress, and it creates a sense of well-being and calmness. A person can trigger the relaxation response by learning simple breathing exercises. Building time into your schedule for activities such as reading or having a hobby or just taking a walk can help you relax. Treat your body well. Experts agree that getting regular exercise helps people manage stress. Eat well to help your body get the right fuel to function at its best. Under stressful conditions, the body needs its vitamins and minerals more than ever.

Watch what you’re thinking. Your outlook, attitude, and thoughts influence the way you see things. Is your cup half full or half empty? A healthy dose of optimism can help you make the best of stressful circumstances. Even if you’re out of practice, or tend to be a bit of a pessimist, everyone can learn to think more optimistically and reap the benefits.

Solve the little problems. Learning to solve everyday problems can give you a sense of control. But avoiding them can leave you feeling like you have little control and that just adds to stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution. Feeling capable of solving little problems builds the inner confidence to move on to life’s bigger ones – and it and can serve you well in times of stress.

Build Your Resilience. Ever notice that certain people seem to adapt quickly to stressful circumstances and take things in stride? They’re cool under pressure and able to handle problems as they come up. Researchers have identified the qualities that make some people seem naturally resilient even when faced with high levels of stress. If you want to build your resilience, work on developing these attitudes and behaviors:

• Think of change as a challenging and normal part of life.
• See setbacks and problems as temporary and solvable.
• Believe that you will succeed if you keep working toward your goals.
• Take action to solve problems that crop up.
• Build strong relationships and keep commitments to family and friends.
• Have a support system and ask for help.
• Participate regularly in activities for relaxation and fun.

Learn to think of challenges as opportunities and stressors as temporary problems, not disasters. Practice solving problems and asking others for help and guidance rather than complaining and letting stress build. Make goals and keep track of your progress. Be optimistic. Believe in yourself, and let a little stress motivate you into positive action to reach your goals.

Stress While Driving:

When considering stress management, there is no one thing that works for everyone. Having a positive attitude is the best first step.

Try and identify the cause of the stress. Then consider if having a negative reaction will change the situation. Will the current situation be important five years from the current date, one year, one month, one week, or even one day?

The reality is most of the time we react negatively to a stressful situation while driving will not change the situation and in the long run having very little impact on our lives.

Changing our negative self-talk to positive will normally relieve stress. Think about the comments you might make while driving.

• I will be stuck in this traffic forever. Really? Forever!
• Look at the traffic, I’ll never get where I am supposed to be. NEVER?
• If I keep the proper following distance I’ll be run over. Really?

Progressive muscle relaxation is another method that can be used while driving. When a muscle has been tense for a few seconds, its natural tendency is to relax. That’s what progressive muscle relaxation is all about. You can tighten different muscle groups and then let them relax. Repeat this exercise with different parts of the body making sure to tighten and release each muscle at least six times.

Music can reduce stress, but make sure it is the right type of music. Loud music with extreme amounts of a base beat will have the opposite effect on your body. If you catch yourself getting upset by talk radio, change the station or put in a favorite CD.

Sometimes, just counting to ten before reacting, will allow your mind time to cool off before making an improper or unsafe decision.

Resources: http://www.studygs.net/stress.htm, http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/ken-01-0097/default.asp, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-symptoms/SR00008_D, http://health.yahoo.com/experts/theprinciples/9292/five-stress-reducing-driving-strategies, http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-For-Easing-Stress-While-Driving&id=988506, http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/04/15/hlsa0415.htm

Emotions:
 
Let’s talk for a minute about how emotions can affect our driving.
 
Emotions are strong positive and negative feelings. Emotions are the attitudes we have about life situations. Emotions tend to interfere with our ability to think clearly. Emotions create mental distractions. They create inattentiveness and increase the risks we are willing to take. Emotions cause us to lose concentration on the current task. Emotions cause an increase in our heartbeat. A person's breathing quickens and their digestion slows down. Usually our palms sweat and the body releases adrenaline. After long periods of emotional upset, people will even feel exhausted.

Letting our emotions control us can cause anger, anxiety, fear, hate and grief. Our need to satisfy our emotions while driving many times causes us to drive in a negative manner. We may speed even though we are in no particular hurry, just because everyone is passing us. If someone does something negative to us, our emotional response may be to get even, and cause us to drive aggressively. We may become angry, anxious, fearful, frustrated, stressed or revengeful.
 
The first and best method to control our emotions is to maintain a positive attitude. By understanding our emotional make-up we may be able to understand our feelings and then control them. We may also identify driving situations that cause emotional stress and try to avoid times and locations where the situations occur. By understanding that most drivers are not out to get us or purposely try and get us mad. Realizing most drivers make mistakes, just like you and I; and are under the same stresses, can help keep a positive attitude.
 
Keeping a Positive Attitude is one way of controlling emotions. Attitude is the way a person thinks about somebody or something and the way they behave toward someone. It is their personal view or opinion of something. It also describes their general emotional approach to any person or situation. Having a negative attitude will normally result in negative behavior, while having a positive attitude might change a negative situation into a positive one, or at least one that does not result in any negative consequences.
 
If a driver has a negative attitude about driving situations which may arise while driving, these negative attitudes may lead to aggression, anger, and frustration.
 
Below are some typical negative driving attitudes:
 
- Speeding up to 10 mph over the posted speed limit is not all that dangerous.
- I know if I try to keep the proper following distance from the vehicle in front of me, another driver will hit the rear of my vehicle.
- Keeping up with the flow of traffic is always the safest way to drive.
- Sometimes, as a driver, it is necessary to violate the traffic laws so other drivers do not get upset.
- The weather is the cause of most collisions.
- Speeding saves time.
- If other drivers would not drive so slow, in other words the speed limit, I could get where I am going on time.
- I’ll be stuck in this traffic forever.
 
These are all examples of negative driving attitudes. None of them are true of course, and may lead to negative driving behaviors which may result in negative consequences.
 
Depending on the driving situation, a driver may become more aggressive. They may have delayed reactions and misinterpret driving events. They may be focusing their attention more on their current attitude than on the driving task, and miss potential and immediate hazards. Their attitude may cause them to take risks that they might not normally consider. If we are honest, most of us drive more with our attitudes than with our intellect.

Resource: http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/driving-and-emotions.php, http://www.surak.org/emotions.shtml, http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/The_Effects_of_Emotions_on_Wellness.html

WHEN TO STOP DRIVING
 
How do you know when it is time to stop driving?
 
Many of us wait until we are forced to stop by a family member or law enforcement Take a look at these eight signs of trouble and determine if and when you might consider it time to stop.
 
1) A pattern of close calls, violations or collisions, even if they are minor.
2) Increasing difficulty seeing things on the road; Difficulty adjusting to the glare of oncoming headlights; Being surprised by passing cars; running over curbs or going through an intersection without seeing the stop sign.
3) Decline in physical abilities: Trouble turning your head or shoulders to check before changing lanes; braking harder than normal for stop lights; slow reactions; having a hard time keeping centered in the lanes of travel.
4) Signs of emotional challenges of driving: Increasingly nervous, frustrated and angry when driving.
5) Rapid onset of fatigue from driving.
6) Signs of decline in mental abilities: Getting confused in simple driving situations; getting lost; no longer using turn signals or mirrors; hitting the accelerator or the brake instead of the planned pedal.
7) Increasing confrontations with other drivers who honk their horns, tailgate or pass aggressively.
8) Medical conditions that may directly, or as a result of medications, may impair driving: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, uncontrolled diabetes, seizure disorders, sleep disorders, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
 
ALTERNATIVES TO DRIVING
 
Ending your driving career before a serious crash or injury is not the end of the world. There are alternatives and some suggestions to consider.
 
1.      Check out bus services, trams, subways systems and their schedules.
2.      Check the costs of utilizing a cab or personalized driver services.
3.      Check with churches, senior centers, and retirement communities to see if they offer any type of transportation service.
4.      Check with the local area Agency on Aging for the services they provide.
5.      Make plans with family members or friends.

Aggressive Driving:

Initially the news media in the United States, reported only on Road Rage. However, Road Rage is only one of three factors in the aggressive driving problem in our country. There are actually two separate acts prior to the final act of Road Rage. The first step is developing road negativity. The second step is the act of driving aggressively. The last step is the criminal act of Road Rage.

I. Road Negativity is a negative response to being encapsulated within the confined space of motor vehicle while being subjected to the stresses of driving. Drivers are more inclined to negative thoughts and feelings. They are more predisposed to yelling at a spouse, or partner, screaming at, or hitting, the child passengers. Such over reacting can be evoked by a variety of stimuli which could include feeling criticized for the manner of driving, children quarreling, whining, or complaining; a predisposition to becoming angry is created and provoked by another driver. II. The next step to Road Rage is the actual act of Aggressive Driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines Aggressive Driving as operating a vehicle in a way that endangers or is likely to endanger people or property. Aggressive Driving in most states is not a criminal act, but falls under the guidelines of civil infractions.

There are many things that cause people to become aggressive drivers. It may be construction work on the roadway that is slowing them down or causing traffic back-up.

Many times it is simply the stress from other areas of their life, such as an argument; a problem at work; at home; problems, concerns about their children’s behavior; or the death of a loved one.

They may have a predisposed negative attitude about traffic laws or police officers. They may see driving as a way to compete with others and a way to expand their ego. They may have the false belief that speeding saves a significant amount of time. They may have a personality type which explodes over trivial things, such as being honked at, someone taking too long to move when the traffic light changes to green, or even the loud music from another vehicle.

None of these things are worth getting angry over, but to a person who is already upset or under stress, any of these may be the “last straw”.

III. The final act is Road Rage. Road Rage is an extreme act of aggressive driving. It involves a deliberate decision to make an attempt to harm people or property. Road Rage usually involves a criminal act. In some states, including Florida, the Traffic Citation has a box to include Road Rage with the traffic offenses cited.

If you catch yourself starting to become more aggressive as you drive, here are some things you can do to help deal with the stress and frustration of driving.

Keep a positive attitude; Get the proper amount of recommended sleep; Count slowly to ten before reacting; Remember that others make mistakes while driving, even you; Take several deep breaths before acting out; Learn isometric exercises that can be used while driving; Listen to the proper type of music. Keeping in mind that music with a lot of beat will normally raise your blood pressure; Make sure you have ample time to get to your destination; Learn better time management techniques and different routes to avoid delays; Turn off the talk radio if you catch yourself becoming too involved in the discussion. Become a courteous driver.

One of the best ways to prevent you and your passengers from becoming involved in an aggressive driving or Road Rage incident is to do everything you can not to participate or provoke another driver. You are responsible for your passengers' safety. Remember, it takes two to play the game. Here are some ways to avoid aggressive drivers.

1. Never drive when under extreme stress;
2. Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver;
3. Pay attention to your driving;
4. Move to another lane of travel;
5. If you see an aggressive driver, stay away from them;
6. Never use any type of hand gesture towards another driver;
7. Never react to the mistakes of other drivers;
8. Never respond to any provocation;
9. Do not scream at other drivers;
10. If necessary, turn off onto another road;
11. Call the police if the situation gets out of control.

Never stop and confront another driver. If you feel you are being followed, never drive home. Go to a public place and call the police.

Resources:http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Aggressive%20Web/brochure.html, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/aggdrv.html, http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Symposium/exesummary.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_rage_(phenomenon), http://www.roadragers.com/what-is-road-rage.htm, http://www.drivers.com/article/462/, http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/aggrdriv.htm#fin, http://www.kansashighwaypatrol.org/faqs/aggressive.html, http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/roadrage.pdf
 

CHAPTER 5 QUIZ

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