FEB 14 — You are driving along a road at 90 km/h, which is the national speed limit, and you approach a junction that joins your road from the left. You see a car coming up to the junction, so what do you do?
- Proceed at the same speed because that car is supposed to stop for you?
- Stand on your horn to make sure the driver sees you?
- Do an emergency braking procedure?
Depending on the circumstances, each of the three above would have its turn to be the correct thing to do. The problem is, it is hard to decide which would be the best course of action.
If I chose option 1 above, what if that car does not stop? If I decided to go for option 2, what if the other driver gets offended? If I went for option 3, what if there is another car behind me that can potentially rear-end my car?
Driving is a ‘live’ thing – an action right at one point of time may be totally wrong at another. Here is what I do as a general rule.
When driving, I use ‘peripheral vision’ – which means I do not focus on any single item, but rather I ‘scan’ the terrain in front of me. This way, I am firstly, aware that there is a car coming up to the junction in front of me. Then, I look at the driver, and see if that driver has his or her face turned towards my car. I try to make eye contact, which verifies he has seen me. At the same time, I check to see that he has actually begun to slow down, and estimate if he or she has left the braking too late. If I see that the driver is already in the process of stopping, and the car looks like it is going to be able to stop safely, I proceed at the speed I am at.
However, if I see that the driver of the other car has his or her head turned away, then I take my foot off the accelerator, and get ready to brake, to a complete stop if necessary, and at the same time look at the rear view mirror to check if another car is behind me. I may even put my foot lightly on the brake pedal without actually braking to engage the brake lights, as a warning to the car behind.
I may toot my horn just to alert the driver at the junction that I am approaching, and that he or she has to stop. Usually, the eye contact will happen, and then all is well.
The important thing when you are approaching a junction with a car in it is the eye contact. If you don’t get that, then be prepared to take evasive or corrective action. Just remember that not everyone is an accomplished driver.
