AWARENESS

AWARENESS doesn't need much explanation. But the intentional exercise of AWARENESS in driving is not as automatic as it may seem. 

Have you ever driven somewhere and you don't recall parts of the trip when you arrive?  This happens because, over time, we become complacent about driving, especially when we drive to places we go frequently.  This complacency opens the mental door to daydreaming and an overall loss of concentration on the driving task.  Complacency is more likely to affect experienced drivers and needs to be taken very seriously.

Most people drive to the same places regularly.  This regularity can lead to complacency because you see the same houses, buildings, and intersections each time.  You can drive blindfolded to places you visit often.  With this kind of complacency, it's hard to practice the intense concentration safe driving requires.  Yet, with practice, anyone can make a habit of actions that prevent complacency.

In his autobiography "Thunder Dog," author Michael Hingson recounts the story of being led down 78 flights of stairs by his seeing-eye dog as the Twin Towers burned on 9/11.  It's an incredible story.  In the book's early chapters, Hingson recounts how he taught himself to drive around the block of his parents' home, even though he was legally blind.  While this sounds outrageous, it's not far from how blindly complacent we become behind the wheel.  AWARENESS is the practice of intentionally looking for risk.  It requires focus, planning, scanning, and risk naming.  For this reason, we advocate that drivers train themselves to constantly ask "what if" questions as they drive.  

For example, many people take the same route to work every day. This commute may involve a mix of residential, parkway, and freeway driving. Drivers should develop a "what if" question list for each roadway/traffic scenario.  

In a residential area, such a question might be "what if that child on a bicycle suddenly rode in front of me?"  Asking this question cues you to increase awareness of kids on bikes, children running, pedestrians walking, etc.  This type of question is informed by the fact that children, by nature, are unaware of risk and inclined to sudden dashes into danger.  When you see a child, this awareness will help you prepare for such an event.

The Awareness characteristic of the GAAP system harmonizes beautifully with Gentleness.  In the above scenario, you cannot be fully aware of the risks on a residential street if you are focused on how fast you can get from one end to the other.  Deploying the GENTLENESS characteristic will require you to drive slowly enough to be aware of all risks.  This is often below the posted limit.  While the time cost is negligible, the risk neutralization value is immeasurable.  

 For another example, consider a freeway portion of the drive to work. In this scenario, one might ask oneself, "What if the car in the next lane over suddenly moved towards my lane?"  Or, "What if cars ahead of me began to slow suddenly?"  Asking these "what if" questions may lead one to watch the drivers in adjacent lanes more closely, increase following distance, or take other risk-neutralization measures.  

Again, AWARENESS that these are bona fide "can happen" risks empowers you to neutralize them by adjusting your speed and/or lane position. A GAAP-informed driver ALWAYS maintains a minimum of three seconds between their vehicle and the car directly in front of them (same lane). Further, they avoid driving in places where adjacent lanes are occupied as much as possible.

The purpose of "what if" questions is to keep the mind focused on the driving task. Formulate what-if questions for each driving/traffic scenario and ask them in self-talk while driving. This method will greatly neutralize the risk associated with driving.