Three Golden Rules: Anticipation; Anticipation; and Anticipation!
Anticipation starts with the first letter of the alphabet, which is how it should be as this is the first and most important rule of the road. Anticipate what might happen and you can be better prepared when it does happen.
I have followed this rule loyally over many years and in the process I have avoided a great many potential accidents. I have written about it before and I have tried to encourage readers to do likewise. An accident avoided is worth its weight in gold. An accident that occurs can potentially spoil your whole year.
Just two of the calamities I’ve avoided were (a) not knocking down the child that ran out into the street and stood directly in front of my car. I avoided crashing into him because it caught my eye that his father was not looking after him, so I felt that I had to be extra careful.
(b) Up ahead there were two cyclists. The one that was ahead was an adult woman who was riding on the right-hand side of the road, and behind her was a very young girl who was on the left-hand side. My instinct told me that she would cross over to join her mother without taking care of traffic. At the point when I would have passed her she suddenly simply crossed over without regard to me. Her mother never even glanced back to see how she was doing. Some times we motorists have enormous responsibility cast upon us by some very stupid adults. We have to learn the art of anticipation.
I recently had a crash on my motorcycle because I had lowered my guard and failed to anticipate. I was travelling within our pueblo and I needed to leave the main road by turning into a side street that is one way going in. Everybody knows that, and recently it has become a very busy street as the main Calle Mayor is closed due to works. So I approached at a very moderate speed of about 15 kph and made my turn into the street that has high buildings on both sides, so visibility is limited. Just as I was at the entrance there came a car heading out of the street contra to the flow of traffic.
I acted quickly to stop, but unfortunately there was just enough gravel on the ground to cause my bike to slide out from under me and down I went. I didn’t crash into the car, and I didn’t even damage the bike. However, my leg was trapped under the bike in such a way that as I went down my tibia snapped.
I’m sure that it will turn out that the driver was from another town, because everybody in my town knows not to drive in the direction that he was proceeding. However, the point I’m making is that it really does pay to stay vigilant. Although you know that traffic on a one-way system means that the flow of traffic should be from your left, or your right, that does not mean that absolutely there will be nothing coming from the wrong direction. You will be right, but that is very small comfort when you are sitting here with your leg in traction having to suffer from someone else’s mistake.
Some things to bear in mind when on the road:
- You are not the only person using the road, so make allowances for other traffic.
- When approaching a junction, even if you have the right of way, be sure you know that the other fellow will cede it to you.
- Drive within your capabilities when it comes to speed. That means adjusting your speed to road conditions, the weather and night time driving.
- Beware of children, and especially the elderly who might stumble in front of you if they are undergoing a moment of unsteadiness.
- Anticipate pedestrians who might pop into your path. You have to swerve for pedestrians.
- Beware of animals that are not on a lead. When animals dart out in front of your car or truck, the general rule is that you should not swerve as that can lead to loss of control. This is something that is easier to say than to do. However, if you see up ahead one dog cross the road, then you should anticipate that another will follow.
- When entering the unfamiliar territory of a town that you are visiting, assume that you will be in a complex set of streets and make absolutely certain that you are doing the correct thing before heading down each street. This can also save you some great difficulties by avoiding dead-ends.
- Above all else, stay focused in your driving and don’t allow the familiarity of travelling the same piece of road to disarm you. That’s a lesson that I have learnt to my own pain and dismay.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
Anticipation starts with the first letter of the alphabet, which is how it should be as this is the first and most important rule of the road. Anticipate what might happen and you can be better prepared when it does happen.
I have followed this rule loyally over many years and in the process I have avoided a great many potential accidents. I have written about it before and I have tried to encourage readers to do likewise. An accident avoided is worth its weight in gold. An accident that occurs can potentially spoil your whole year.
Just two of the calamities I’ve avoided were (a) not knocking down the child that ran out into the street and stood directly in front of my car. I avoided crashing into him because it caught my eye that his father was not looking after him, so I felt that I had to be extra careful.
(b) Up ahead there were two cyclists. The one that was ahead was an adult woman who was riding on the right-hand side of the road, and behind her was a very young girl who was on the left-hand side. My instinct told me that she would cross over to join her mother without taking care of traffic. At the point when I would have passed her she suddenly simply crossed over without regard to me. Her mother never even glanced back to see how she was doing. Some times we motorists have enormous responsibility cast upon us by some very stupid adults. We have to learn the art of anticipation.
I recently had a crash on my motorcycle because I had lowered my guard and failed to anticipate. I was travelling within our pueblo and I needed to leave the main road by turning into a side street that is one way going in. Everybody knows that, and recently it has become a very busy street as the main Calle Mayor is closed due to works. So I approached at a very moderate speed of about 15 kph and made my turn into the street that has high buildings on both sides, so visibility is limited. Just as I was at the entrance there came a car heading out of the street contra to the flow of traffic.
I acted quickly to stop, but unfortunately there was just enough gravel on the ground to cause my bike to slide out from under me and down I went. I didn’t crash into the car, and I didn’t even damage the bike. However, my leg was trapped under the bike in such a way that as I went down my tibia snapped.
I’m sure that it will turn out that the driver was from another town, because everybody in my town knows not to drive in the direction that he was proceeding. However, the point I’m making is that it really does pay to stay vigilant. Although you know that traffic on a one-way system means that the flow of traffic should be from your left, or your right, that does not mean that absolutely there will be nothing coming from the wrong direction. You will be right, but that is very small comfort when you are sitting here with your leg in traction having to suffer from someone else’s mistake.
Some things to bear in mind when on the road:
- You are not the only person using the road, so make allowances for other traffic.
- When approaching a junction, even if you have the right of way, be sure you know that the other fellow will cede it to you.
- Drive within your capabilities when it comes to speed. That means adjusting your speed to road conditions, the weather and night time driving.
- Beware of children, and especially the elderly who might stumble in front of you if they are undergoing a moment of unsteadiness.
- Anticipate pedestrians who might pop into your path. You have to swerve for pedestrians.
- Beware of animals that are not on a lead. When animals dart out in front of your car or truck, the general rule is that you should not swerve as that can lead to loss of control. This is something that is easier to say than to do. However, if you see up ahead one dog cross the road, then you should anticipate that another will follow.
- When entering the unfamiliar territory of a town that you are visiting, assume that you will be in a complex set of streets and make absolutely certain that you are doing the correct thing before heading down each street. This can also save you some great difficulties by avoiding dead-ends.
- Above all else, stay focused in your driving and don’t allow the familiarity of travelling the same piece of road to disarm you. That’s a lesson that I have learnt to my own pain and dismay.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
