How to judge car speed
Activity: Judge your car’s speed
Good drivers can accurately judge how fast they are
going, making it easier to obey speed limits and drive
safely.
- Sit in the car where you can see the speedo, or 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.
- 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 - the
angle from which you view the speedo can make a difference in some
cars.)
- Continue looking between the speedo and then looking 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 to test your judgement.
Practice this often until you can judge speed accurately.
If your driver is a good driver, you will notice that they never
exceed the speed limit, and that they match their speed to the
situation around them to keep crash avoidance space.
Activity: Judge your car’s changing speed
Good drivers can accurately judge how long it will take
their car to slow down and speed up.
- Look at what the driver is doing, regularly glance at the
speedo and listen to the car’s engine.
- When you notice the driver is slowing down or speeding up, ask
them to explain why.
- When the driver begins to slow down, notice the difference
between gentle braking and firm braking.
- Notice how long it takes the car to speed up. Judge what your
car’s speed will be at a certain point in the future.
- Now try working out what to do on your own. If it’s okay with
the driver, tell them when to slow down or speed up.
Activity: Judge other cars’ speed
Good drivers can accurately judge how fast other
vehicles are travelling and roughly
how long it will be before they meet or pass them.
- First learn to judge distance using a stopwatch.
- Select a vehicle that is coming towards you, start the
stopwatch immediately and stop it when you meet or pass that
vehicle. Don’t look at the stopwatch yet.
- Guess how many seconds it took the other vehicle to meet or
pass you, then check the stopwatch to check how accurate you
were.
- Repeat the activity and choose different types of vehicles
including trucks, and motorcycles.
- Repeat the activity when the car you are in is stopped and
waiting to turn into or out of an intersection.
- Repeat the activity when the other vehicle is stopped or
waiting to turn into or out of an intersection.
This is a tough activity because there are so many variables -
don’t be surprised if it takes you a while to improve your
accuracy. Each time you practice, you are becoming a better
driver.
Next step: how to judge crash
avoidance space
