On the road: Behavior change key to road safety

On the road

Behavior change key to road safety

Whereas Kenya seems to over-emphasize on the vehicle condition, driver performance, as well as driver behavior, still has many important impacts on traffic safety. Driving is a skill attained during training, confirmed during testing, but mostly cultivated through disciplined actual experience on the road and continually seeking more information on the best practice in motoring and on the capabilities of the vehicle one intends to get behind its steering wheel.

The first behavior you need to change is speeding. One simple thing that causes people to over speed is that most people are bad time managers. Many drivers do not appreciate the importance of planning for travel. It is important to take time to get to know your route well. Ask and read so you know the traffic intensity, state of the roads and possible stop overs.  Whether you are going to do a short distance or long haul driving, you need to plan so that you give yourself adequate time to get to your destination without doing break neck speeds. It is recommended that you stop for breaks after every two hours on long journeys to revitalize. So before leaving, plan so you allow for breaks after every two hours on the wheel.

The second thing we need to work on is attitude towards other road users. Drivers often believe that driving skills and knowledge about driving are all that is needed for them to be safe on the roads. However, one of the most important influences on driving ability is their attitude towards driving and the resultant behaviour on the road. Many accidents are attributable to aggressive drivers. Aggressive behaviour is socially inappropriate. Think of your vehicle in a social context as every time you drive, you plunge into the motoring world. 

Patience they say, is a virtue. Queue. Do not overtake on wrong sides or drive on exits without the intention of exiting but with the sole intention of getting ahead of everyone. Zig zagging in the name of changing lanes is so not cool. It is mean and very selfish. Everyone else is waiting!! On the highways, it is safer to follow a truck doing 10km/hr for 10 km before overtaking than the risk of overtaking in a blind corner. Driving within speed limits will get you there. Go easy on that accelerator.

When driving, drive as if you are the only sane driver on the road. Be unassuming. Pay attention to what other drivers are doing. This enables you not only to react to other drivers’ unexpected actions but also to do so in a way that does not endanger you or other road users. What they do will not automatically entirely affect “them” only.  Above all, give way. Giving way goes a long way.

Road rage is one thing that grips many a driver. Those of them who do not control the outrage end up doing something really stupid, like assaulting the “errant” drivers. Licensed gun holders have been known to shoot in moments of road ire. Drivers should learn to forgive. You may never see the person behind the other wheel again after that incident, after all. And even if you did, you may never recognize them from whatever wrong it is they did on the road. So let it go. Instantly!!

Normal driving is a self-paced task. This is to say that drivers choose their own desired level of task difficulty. They are also at liberty to react in given ways to other road users.  Whenever you get behind the wheel, choose to be safe. Be courteous.  As with motoring skills, "clever" is not how close to the danger line you can drive, but how far away from the danger line you can stay.