Observation,
or the lack thereof, is emerging again and again as a primary cause of
crashes. There are various reasons why people do not see the danger,
which moments later causes heartache, injury or death.
A young
lady, a newly licensed driver, felt embarrassed about wearing glasses,
even whilst driving. She did not realize, that wearing spectacles or
contact lenses whilst driving is law, if your licence stipulates it. Not
long after gaining her driver's licence she crashed in the back of a
turning vehicle. No doubt, her vanity contributed to the mishap.
Choose glasses
or sunglasses with thin frames, thick ones cause vision to be restricted.
Beware of dirty or fogged up lenses. Any reduction in visibility increases
the risk of crashing, especially at night. A common cause of vision-related
crashes is deteriorating eyesight.
There
is a simple eyesight test anyone can do with a new driver, or an
elderly one, whose eyesight may be in doubt:
Stop at the kerb at a distance away from a parked car so you can just
read it's registration plate. If you have
normal vision and can read the letters and figures, the other person
should have no trouble reading them to you.
At
a party you get introduced to someone. You are told the person's
name followed by a brief exchange of trivia. A minute into the
conversation you have already forgotten their name. What
caused you to get into this embarrassing predicament?
At
the moment of introduction you heard the name, but thinking
about something else at that moment, you did not register
the name properly (unless he/she is very handsome or pretty).
For
similar reasons drivers cruising ...
... along a busy suburb may pass
dozens of road signs. But how many are really focused on and
acted upon accordingly? No wonder after an accident the excuse
is often: 'I did not see ….."
The Big
Picture
Crashes caused
by distractions are explained in another article. Here we are dealing with
the driver suffering from a type of "tunnel vision." This driver,
often a beginner, focuses the eyes on a fixed point just above the steering
wheel. He or she is driving as if searching for a lost wallet on the
roadway, a very dangerous practice.
There is only
one cure: These drivers must realize their lack of observation and make a
real effort to move their eyes every second or so. With practice and
experience seeing the "big picture" comes natural.
Focal
vision versus peripheral vision
Your eyesight
consists of two spheres, focal and peripheral vision. To best explain the
difference, let's imagine you are overtaking a parked car. In the overall
picture the eye's peripheral vision, also called fringe vision, picks
up the obstacle from a fair distance away.
As you get
closer, you specifically move your eyes to focus on problems. Focal
vision searches for clues, like a person about to open the door or a
person stepping from behind etc. but do not keep watching the car as you
overtake it. Use peripheral vision again, to better judge a safe
distance to keep from the vehicle.
Often
there is a misunderstanding between parent and new driver. A parent
is telling a new driver: 'Watch the parked car'. He or she then
looks at the parked vehicle far too long, overtaking the vehicle
with barely any space between.
A
better way of instruction is: "Take note of the parked vehicle.
Check for dangers, if anyone is about to open the door or step from
behind. Look beyond the vehicle and overtake
safely." (Photo:
halfords.com)
Thanks to DMV
California
Our eyeballs
have a natural blindspot. A certain field of the total picture is invisible.
Therefore: Don't keep staring at any hazard, sign or obstacle! Keep your
eyes on the move.
Here
is a little test to remember what you have learned. Firstly, answer the
True / False question. Secondly, using the letter beside the correct
answer, form a word. All answers are on this
page!
T> D
Eyesight does not deteriorate with age.
F> S
T> E
To read and take in road signs I have to keep my
eyes moving.
F> A
T> A
To judge the distance from parked vehicles I use
peripheral vision.
F> N
T> D
Tunnel vision is very useful when driving at night.
