UNIT C

• Factors influencing your habits

  Attitude, social influences, cultural influences, emotional state, stress level, physical health, vision, level of fatigue, impairment
• Attitude


  The number one factor that affects a driver's behaviour. Leads to better decisions and reduced risk of collisions.
• Internal factors affecting attitude

  • Mood, habits, motivations, values, beliefs
• Social factors affecting attitude

  • Family, friends, media, culture
• Dealing with negative emotions while driving


  1. Wait until you've calmed down to drive

  2. Be aware that negative emotions can lead to aggressive or distracted driving

  3. Put feelings aside temporarily and focus on driving

  4. Take a deep breath and stay focused
• Traffic congestion, aggressive drivers, construction, weather conditions can increase stress levels and worsen mood
• If external factors are going to increase your stress level or affect your mood, you may want to adjust when and where you drive
• Maintaining a courteous and positive attitude while driving will prevent situations from escalating and help you arrive at your destination safely
• Attitude is the number one factor that affects a driver's behaviour
• Social influences on speeding


  Peer pressure, role models, and media can make speeding seem cool, fun, and safe, even though it's very risky
• Risky driving


  Driving in a way that puts the driver, or others, in danger. Can be intentional or unintentional.
• Examples of intentional risky behaviours


  • Tailgating, flashing high beams, blocking other drivers, cutting someone off, making obscene gestures
• Strategies to prevent intentional risky behaviours


  1. Plan ahead and use turn signals well in advance

  2. Use the horn as a communication tool, not in anger

  3. Don't block other vehicles when parking

  4. Keep a 3-second following distance in ideal conditions, 5-6 seconds in worse conditions
• When stopped by law enforcement, being courteous and cooperative is in your best interest
• Tailgating is the number one driving error resulting in casualty collisions in Alberta, causing about 9 collisions every day
• Avoiding tailgating

  Pick a landmark, wait 3 seconds after the car in front passes it, if you pass the landmark in less than 3 seconds you're tailgating
• Speeding is a dangerous behaviour that puts you and other road users at risk
• Strategies to avoid speeding


  1. Plan to leave earlier

  2. Use a different, less busy route

  3. Obey all traffic signals, signs and posted speed limits
• Talking on a cell phone or texting while driving is very dangerous and creates enormous risks
• Strategies to avoid distracted driving

  Put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode or put it somewhere out of reach before driving
• Drinking alcohol and taking drugs can impact fatigue
• Age can also impact fatigue. Teenagers need more sleep than adults—up to nine hours a night— but most sleep for less than seven. It can be challenging for teens to get the sleep they need because of school or work pressures. And over a short period of time, they can accumulate a large sleep deficit
• 54.4% of fatigue-related crashes are caused by drivers under the age of 25, which illustrates just how dangerous fatigue can be to younger drivers
• Strategies to Manage Fatigue


  • Avoid driving late at night or during times you'd usually be asleep
  • Don't take drugs or medication that could make you drowsy within 48 hours of when you're supposed to drive
  • Avoid heavy meals and alcohol
  • If possible, bring a passenger to talk with and to help share the driving. Plan to swap driving duties every hour to avoid fatigue and promote alertness
  • Plan to drive no more than five to seven hours (or 500 to 700 kilometres) per day
  • Take regular breaks every two hours (or 200 kilometers), even if you're not tired. Use your breaks to stretch, get some exercise or take a nap
  • Keep your eyes moving from one part of the road to another, near and far
  • Circulate fresh air and maintain a cool temperature inside your vehicle
  • Rest comfortably between stretches of driving
  • Wear good quality sunglasses in bright sunshine
  • If you start to feel fatigued while you're driving, commentary driving is an excellent strategy to help keep you focused
• Short term remedies, like drinking coffee or energy drinks, may help to temporarily fight off fatigue, but they won't help in the long term. The only effective method to minimize the risk of fatigue while driving is to pull over in a safe place and rest
• Fatigue can impair


  • Your vision and judgement
  • Your decision making
  • Your ability to stay awake while driving
  • Your reaction time
• Your emotions play a big role in safe driving. When you're upset, or experiencing any extreme emotion, your ability to see things rationally becomes impaired. This affects your ability to make safe decisions
• Things you can do to manage emotions while driving


  • Delay driving when you're upset, if possible, or get someone else to drive you
  • Investigate and understand your own emotions so you can identify triggers and warning signs
  • Empathize with other drivers. When you understand that other drivers may make mistakes, you'll be more accepting of their actions. If you try to consider and understand what they may be going through, you're more likely to maintain a calm emotional response
• Aggressive driving

  Intentional actions we take toward other drivers and the risky behaviours we choose to engage in.
• Road rage


  The most extreme form of aggressive driving and occurs when a driver attempts to intimidate or hurt a pedestrian, driver or passenger, or damage another vehicle
• Keeping a safe distance from the erratic behaviours of aggressive drivers is the best strategy to keep yourself safe and reduce the risk of a collision. Never respond to aggression with aggression because this can escalate risk on the road
• Common in-vehicle distractions


  • Interacting with passengers and dealing with children or pets
  • Cellphones, computers, navigation systems and other electronic devices
  • Adjusting your vehicle's controls such as the air conditioning, heat, or other comfort features, and listening to music
  • Other distractions include reading, eating, drinking and grooming
• Potential external distractions


  • Other road users such as pedestrians and other vehicles and their sometimes unpredictable and erratic behaviour
  • Construction zones, busy urban areas, collision scenes and their accompanying noise
  • Scenery, street signs and billboard advertisements, as well as when looking for an address
• In the five seconds your attention is on your phone, you'll drive the length of a football field without looking at the road once. That's a lot of opportunity to collide with another vehicle, a cyclist or a pedestrian
• Whether making a call on your cell phone or texting, even in hands free mode, using your phone diverts your attention from the task of driving. And the more emotional your conversation and the more advanced your phone is, the higher the risk of distraction
• Texting increases the likelihood of a collision by two times. When you text and drive, you're taking your eyes off the road for an average of 23 seconds
• 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving and 35% admit to still doing it
• If you dial a handheld device while driving, you increase the risk of a collision by three times
• Driving and talking on a cell phone means you're four times more likely to be in a collision
• Tips to reduce the risk of distracted driving before and during driving


  • Plan for plenty of travel time and review maps, directions and program your navigation system before you drive
  • Take a look around the inside of your vehicle and eliminate as many distractions as you can
  • Store your phone securely out of sight so you won't be tempted to text, browse the internet or read emails while driving. Turn on the 'Do Not Disturb' feature, if your vehicle has it
  • Put all reading material away except those for your passengers and stow or secure loose objects, keeping your vehicle as tidy as possible
  • Secure and prepare children and pets with everything they need
  • Start your vehicle and pre-set your climate control and entertainment devices
  • Let phone calls go to voicemail while you're driving. If you need to make or receive a call, stop at a safe location such as a rest stop
  • Do not eat, drink, groom or smoke while driving
  • Keep both hands on the wheel for better control
  • Keep your eyes and mind on driving