Dealing with Hazards
Once you have perceived a hazard, you then have to be able to decide what to do about it, and then act. In fact, the routine for doing this is known as LADA, which stands for:
- LOOK
- ASSESS
- DECIDE
- ACT
LOOK - PERCEPTION IS THE STARTING POINT. If you do not see and NOTICE something, you cannot act upon it. You need to be actively SCANNING around you: this includes looking in the distance, the middleground, the foreground, behind you, and to the sides (by frequent use of the mirrors).
ASSESS; PROCESS THE INFORMATION THAT YOUR SENSES HAVE GATHERED, USING YOUR EXPERIENCE, ANTICIPATE the POSSIBILITIES, JUDGE SPEED and DISTANCE. You need to prioritise the hazards that you have noticed, and deal with them in the safest order. Your ability to assess correctly will be determined by your attitude, your driving experience to date, and the quality of the training you have received. You will need to be able to judge the situation correctly; in particular, accurate judgment of speed and distance is crucial. Anticipate how the driving situation will develop, so that you can plan and be prepared for what is going to happen next. You need to anticipate what other drivers, cyclists', or pedestrians, are likely to do. And need to expect mistakes from others.
DECIDE WHAT you are going to do, WHY, HOW AND WHEN. You need to think ahead, and consider what effect any action you take will have on the other road users around you.
Assuming you have "read the road" correctly, then you are now in a position to decide what you are going to do. What should I do? Why am I going to do it? How will I carry it out? And when should I act? These are all questions that have to be answered by a driver in a short time. This is a lot to absorb. Experience, practice, and good training will make it easy to know the answers. This is where having the right attitude will make all the difference. It will determine the answers you give to yourself to all of the above questions. Do you have an attitude that shows courtesy and consideration to others? Do you want to be free of accidents and want to act in a way that will keep yourself and others safe?
ACT DECISIVELY BUT CONTINUALLY REVIEW THE SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO CHANGE ACCORDINGLY IF THE SITUATION CHANGES (this is not the same as being hesitant and indecisive, i.e. partly doing one thing, and partly another, and doing neither of them correctly or decisively.)
Before you take action, you have to apply the MIRROR, SIGNAL, MANOEUVRE routine.
- MIRROR Check to make sure what you intend to do will not cause others to have to react to what you are going to do.
- SIGNAL Decide if a signal is going to be of use to others - it may not be necessary
- MANOEUVRE Carry out your intended action. This will involve getting your car in the correct POSITION, you may also need to adjust your SPEED, and you will need to continue to LOOK all around as you move.