A road accident is the cause of too many lives lost. Many of these kinds of tragedies could be avoided if we had more psychological insight into how we behave on the roads. Human behavior is the sole cause in over half of accident causes.
Dr. Lisa Dorn of Cranfield University has done research on the matter and she commented: “Most people think they are quite good drivers and are very selective about what they observe in others,” “This means we focus upon bad habits in other drivers and compare ourselves favourably. If we do something wrong, it’s a mistake that can be justified. If the other person does it, they’re a terrible driver.”
Dr. Dorn and her team have compiled driver behaviour into the following: –
The tailgater
The tailgater is a bully whose driving tactics are focused on intimidation. When they appear on your tail, they are sending you the message that they are coming and they are in a hurry. You have to let them overtake you. This driver put the onus on the river in front, who knows that there could be an accident if they make a wrong move. You should let them overtake you, if it is safe to do so. Never speed up to get away from them.
The assertive driver
They take “mirror, signal, manoeuvre” very seriously and have both hands on the steering wheel at all times. When they’re driving, they are not putting on makeup, texting, combing their hair, eating their breakfast, kissing, etc. They’re just driving. The assertive driver should be your model. He is alert, positive, calm and task-focused. They have a “presence” on the road, although they do not use this to intimidate others.
The anxious driver
Anxious drivers spend all their time worrying about what might happen on the road. Even if they are experienced, they lack confidence in their abilities and fear they will be unable to cope if things go wrong. Driving anxiety causes symptoms such as raised heart rate, raised blood pressure and insomnia before a journey.
The mobile users
Although it’s now illegal to use a handheld mobile phone while at the wheel, the law is regularly flouted. Hands-free devices are legal but, in reality, there is little difference between these and hand-held phones – both use up processing capacity in your brain that needs to be dedicated to your driving task. A survey in Australia showed that drivers using a mobile were four times more likely to crash. The heightened risk was the same for hand-held and handsfree phones.