Information processing skills

I was working over in sunny Grantham yesterday late afternoon with a learner driver pupil.  She did something which I think is worth mentioning particularly for any PDI's reading my blog.

Having done some forward and reverse bay parking practice, she started to navigate out the car park, to go and practice some parallel parking.  The exit of the car park swept to the right and over on the left was an entry/exit which was for access to the side of the retail park.  I imagine it is for staff parking and delivery use.  It is a blind opening, rather narrow and very easily missed if a driver wasn't scanning effectively.

But my pupil was scanning.  She took the trouble to do a left chin to shoulder as a left side mirror could easily have missed something in the blind spot; it was timed to perfection.

When she got into the new road, I praised her for that observation.  Granted it was a non-event because nothing did come out from the opening to the left, but it is that level of detail with observations that keeps things safe.  

Look what the DIH has to say on this subject:

"Most collision accidents result from deficiencies in a driver's information-processing skills and not from deficient car control.  A large proportion of accidents could be avoided if drivers were more aware of the risks involved, knew what to look for and what to expect, and were prepared to drive defensively by taking avoiding action."

I don't wish to come across as patronising to my readers, but it is worth making the point to pupils that complete car control is a given.  This is the stuff within the first two tiers of the GDE Matrix.  It is the information-processing skills and willingness to drive defensively that sets drivers apart.

I just wanted to emphasise this point as it is well worthy of note for aspiring driving instructors.

[Just as a side note.  I don't see it as a weakness at all to delay praise until after a pupil has done some challenging work (in this case, emerging on to a busy road).  Not only are you allowing your pupil to concentrate when it matters but also pupils will think highly of you for taking the trouble to give credit when it is due, even if it is slightly delayed.  When they are working hard, it is courteous to demonstrate that you notice it, particularly in circumstances like this, where it would have been so easy to ignore her left "chin to shoulder" check".]