Developing X-Ray vision
Activity: Developing X-Ray vision
Practicing 'X-ray vision' helps your learner start to spot
hazards that are difficult to see.
Before applying it to driving, practice together what it feels
like to use X-ray vision:
- Hold your hand up in front of your face, with your fingers
spread apart, and study it closely. Without moving your head, look
through your fingers and hand to the view behind. Notice how you
can see right through the obstacle (your hand) and how aware you
become of what’s behind it.
- Now, go back to studying your hand. This time, to see more,
move your head and eyes around it, under it, and over it.
In the car
Ask your learner to look for obstacles that block their view of
hazards and name them. For example, parts of the car such as other
passengers, the car’s roof pillars or the rear vision mirror.
- Now, ask them to identify obstacles outside the car, like
parked vehicles, power poles, bushes, fences, buildings, road
signs, telephone boxes, trucks, and lots more.
- Ask them to look hard and see if they can see through, around,
under or over the obstacles. They will find that you can see
pedestrians when looking through the windscreens of parked cars or
under parked vehicles, or other cars when looking through trees or
bushes.
Often drivers say after a crash “All of a sudden they were in
front of me, I had no warning!” These drivers were probably not
looking ahead for hazards that could enter their crash avoidance
space. Help your learner do better.
Next activity: Steering with your
eyes
