How Complicated is Driving
You will most likely have played one or more ball games, such as football, basketball or hockey.
You will have practiced for many, many hours in a bid to improve your skills.
Learning to drive a car also requires a great deal of practice to develop the required skills, knowledge and abilities.
With Ball Games… |
With driving… |
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Playing Field and Roads | The playing field or court looks the same each time you play – a regular size and marked out in a set way. | Roads can vary enormously – ranging from busy city streets to country roads, from freeways to shopping centre car parks, from highways to local streets. |
Time, Light & Weather | You usually play at a regular time, perhaps on a Saturday afternoon. | You can find yourself driving every day of the week, early in the morning, through the day and late at night…and in all weather conditions. |
Drivers & Players | You often play with teammates and other teams of similar age and ability. | You’ll find people of all ages on the road – ranging from small children and teenagers, right up to the elderly. Skills and abilities will vary – an older pedestrian may not move as quickly as a teenager, a child on a bike may have little control. |
Equipment & Vehicles | Everyone has the same equipment and can run around the field or court at a similar rate. | Some are walking, and some are riding bikes or motorcycles. Others drive small cars, big cars, trucks or semi-trailers. Speeds car vary from a few kilometers an hour up to 110 km/hr. |
Drivers’ & Players’ goals | Everyone has one aim – to score a goal or point – and so you can often predict the play. | On the road everyone is headed somewhere different and may be thinking about things other than driving. The unexpected happens often. |
Road to Solo Driving: Learning to Drive; Driving to Learn, p 27 (2000). |
The driving task consists of the following six dynamic components:
1) Vehicle
2) Driver
3) Weather
4) Light
5) Traffic
6) Roads
Driving is a very demanding skill – mentally and physically.
Good driving depends upon:
1) Good reflexes
2) Good judgement
3) Good will toward other drivers most important!!
Good driving depends on your ability to cope with rapidly changing traffic situations.