Teach yourself to judge your car’s speed
Good drivers can accurately judge how fast they are travelling;
they look at their speedo often just to check their judgement.
Usually they find that they are only one or two km/h out.
When their judgement is not accurate they know they need to be more
careful because it’s a sign something is wrong.
If you can judge your speed accurately it’s easier to obey speed
limits and drive safely.
Here’s how you can teach yourself to judge your car’s
speed:
- Sit in the car where you can see the speedo. If you cannot see
it at all ask the driver to tell you the speed
- While the car is moving, look ahead as if you are driving. Look
at least to the fifth car ahead of you, or about where you will be
in five to ten seconds time. (Experienced drivers are
always looking at least this far ahead and usually much
further.)
- Look at the speedo and notice the car’s speed. (Check that
the speed you are seeing is the same speed the driver is seeing.
This is important because the angle from which you view the speedo
can make a difference in some cars.)
- Keep glancing at the speedo and then look ahead. Soon you will
begin to guess what the speed is before you glance at the
speedo.
- Every time the driver speeds up a little or slows down, guess
the car’s speed and then look at the speedo (or ask the driver) to
test your judgement. Practise this often until you get good at
judging speed accurately.
If your driver is a good driver, you will notice that they never
drive over the speed limit. Often you will see they drive much
slower than the speed limit even when other drivers do not. This is
because good drivers match their speed to the situation around them
and keep crash avoidance space.