Reading the road
'Reading the road' simply means looking ahead and anticipating what may happen next.
To be a skilful practitioner of reading the road you have to be a bit of a detective. You must look for clues and build up a mental picture of what you think may happen next.
Your understanding of what might happen next will be determined by you ability to consider:
- Your location
- The time of day
- The speed and position of other road users
- The weather
An advanced driver is constantly making and reviewing predictions about what might happen ahead, recognising the unfolding story before it happens. "What will the child on the bicycle do next?" "Why is the driver three cars ahead behaving erratically?" "What hazards might be associated with that road sign ahead?".
It is impossible to drive to an advanced standard without developing a keen ability to read the road ahead and anticipate likely situations well in advance. The information on this page explores each of the bullet topics above and sets defensive 'targets' for your driving.
Your location
Look out for road signs that may give early clues about hazards ahead.
Are you in a busy town centre or on a country road?
It would be unlikely that you would meet a flock of sheep in your local high street, but there may be one just around the next corner on a country road.
Whatever your location, you must always consider the type of hazard that you may expect to meet there, and be driving at a safe speed, so that you can stop safely if necessary.
Learn to look for clues about location. For example:
The sign shown above is advertising a farm shop. But the real meaning to an advanced driver is – slow moving old Land-Rovers, mothers in new 4WD vehicles towing horse boxes, drivers with overloaded trailers emerging, tractors turning, mud on the road, animals loose in the road, children playing, large vehicles turning, other drivers slowing down to look for the entrance, etc.
Skilled drivers look for clues which other drivers miss, this means that they are less likely to be taken by surprise by 'unforeseen' or 'unexpected' hazards.
What does this mean?
The time of day
The time of day can give you a lot of information about what you might expect ahead.
For example, if you see mud on the road, or a warning sign for cattle, you should be especially vigilant at dawn and dusk because cows are often taken for milking at these times and may well be on the road ahead – perhaps around the next bend.
Although children can be present on the road at any time, they are out in force just before and after school. Therefore, you should be keeping a special look out for children during the morning rush-hour and mid-afternoon periods.
In industrial areas, factories often have shifts finishing at certain times of day. If you are near one of these you might expect to meet more cyclists or pedestrians than would otherwise be the case, especially if the shift finishes at a non rush-hour time (for example, early afternoon).
Late at night there are tired, or possibly drunk drivers on the road (although drunks can be around at anytime, especially summer afternoons), watch out for erratic driving or over cautious drivers.
The speed and position of other road users
As with many other things on this course, it may seem fairly obvious that you should look out for other road users, but remember, you are not just looking for them, you are looking for clues. What will they do next?
It's by paying intelligent attention to others that we can avoid accidents that should have been obvious!
The Highway Code explains that those pedestrians most at risk on the road are over 60 and under 15. Old people do not judge speed and distance very well and their reactions can be slow. Have they seen you? Can they hear you? Look for clues. Are they carrying white sticks? Are they looking your way?
Knowledge of the Highway Code is fairly essential – for example, if we take blind people: how might you react differently if you saw a blind person with reflective red bands around his/her white stick as opposed to a plain white stick? (Good for pub quizzes as well!)
Children have little time to consider road safety; they are more interested in the game that they are playing, or the ice cream van that they are running after. Look for clues. Are they alone?
If one child runs or cycles into the road there will often be at least one more following; footballs are followed by children; cycles, seemingly abandoned at the side of the road, will mean that children are not far away.
All pedestrians, not just the young and old, are at risk on the road. If there are pedestrians about, make sure that you know what they are going to do before they do it.
As mentioned earlier, a high court judge once ruled that a cyclist is entitled to wobble. Drivers should have more control over their vehicles than cyclists who are dependent upon physical strength and effort to pilot their machines.
Always leave plenty of room when passing cyclists, look out for clues about their next move. For example, a cyclist who looks around over his/her right shoulder may be about to turn right; a puddle in the road will cause a cyclist to move out.
If you are unsure about what other drivers are going to do next, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and their's.
The vehicle type may give you a clue about what to expect next.
Large vehicles may have to take up unusual road positions in order to carry out manoeuvres. A sporty looking 'custom-car' may be driven by someone more interested in 'posing' than driving.
Look out for the actions of drivers: A driver who has just stopped may open his/her door without checking to see if it is safe; a driver who seems to be dithering about may be a stranger to the area and could, therefore, make a last minute turn without a signal when he/she sees the road that he/she is looking for.
Remember the old saying ... 'It takes two to tango' ...
