Roadcraft QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS RATED A+
Between a quarter and a third of all serious collisions involved someone who was working at the
time.
Drivers at work between the age of 25-35 are at a higher risk of a collision than other age groups.
Four levels of driving task - They are set out by the European Goals for Driver Education (GDE)
and are:
- human factors that affect your driving
- the purpose and context of your journey
- traffic situation
- vehicle and vehicle control
Human factor risks for Police drivers - - distractions due to multi tasking
- driving stress
- operational stressors
- time pressure and the purpose of the journey
- 'noble cause' risk taking
- 'red mist'
Distractions due to multi-tasking - Be aware that your vulnerability increases if you fail to focus
on the primary task of driving safely. Even minor distractions can severely impair your ability to
anticipate hazards.
Driving stress - All drivers are vulnerable to driving stress, especially police officers and
emergency service drivers who regularly deal with difficult and hazardous situations.
Operational stressors - Police are exposed to several operational stressors including:
- anticipatory stress of facing a difficult or demanding task
- the adrenaline rush of a sudden event. A degree of arousal enhances performance but beyond
this optimum level alertness and concentration tend to fall away.
- stress level related to aspects of the task.
- the stress of being in a situation in which you or others may be exposed to extreme hazards
- stress arising from repeated exposure to distressing incidents in the past
- preoccupation with a previous error of judgement
- stress from other work factors
Under pressure of operational stressors - Whilst under, the following negative thoughts can be
released
- impatience
- intolerance
- impulsiveness
, - anger or frustration
- personalisation
Time pressure and the purpose of your journey - Police and other emergency services drivers are
trained to respond to urgent calls without taking undue risk. But it is a fact that drivers who feel
their journey is urgent, because of organisation time pressure or the purpose of a journey, tend to
respond less safely to hazards and take more risks. A sense of urgency does not give the right to
take risks.
'Noble cause' risk taking - Never justify risk taking by telling yourself that the risk is for a noble
cause e.g to help someone or catch someone committing a crime
'Red mist' - Meaning your attention is not on your driving but on some specific goals; you have
become emotionally and physiologically caught up in the incident.
With red mist in effect, you are no longer capable of realistically assessing driving risks.
You are 3 times more likely to be involved in a crash when responding to an emergency.
Concentrating on your driving - - don't get into a personality conflict with another road user
- be dispassionate and concentrate on your driving
- don't try and imagine what you will find at the incident
- concentrate on driving
Overconfidence after training - Overconfidence in the period after training is a risk you should
be aware of.
Overconfidence can take you into situations you can't handle and will increase your risk of a
crash.
Less experienced drivers tend to believe their hazard perception is better than it it actually is
System of car control - - the system of car control increases your safety in a constantly changing
driving environment by giving you time to react to hazards.
• a hazard is anything that is an actual or potential danger
- the system of car control is a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is methodical,
safe and leaves nothing to chance
How the system works - The system of car control consists of processing information and four
phrases
Position
Speed
Gear
Between a quarter and a third of all serious collisions involved someone who was working at the
time.
Drivers at work between the age of 25-35 are at a higher risk of a collision than other age groups.
Four levels of driving task - They are set out by the European Goals for Driver Education (GDE)
and are:
- human factors that affect your driving
- the purpose and context of your journey
- traffic situation
- vehicle and vehicle control
Human factor risks for Police drivers - - distractions due to multi tasking
- driving stress
- operational stressors
- time pressure and the purpose of the journey
- 'noble cause' risk taking
- 'red mist'
Distractions due to multi-tasking - Be aware that your vulnerability increases if you fail to focus
on the primary task of driving safely. Even minor distractions can severely impair your ability to
anticipate hazards.
Driving stress - All drivers are vulnerable to driving stress, especially police officers and
emergency service drivers who regularly deal with difficult and hazardous situations.
Operational stressors - Police are exposed to several operational stressors including:
- anticipatory stress of facing a difficult or demanding task
- the adrenaline rush of a sudden event. A degree of arousal enhances performance but beyond
this optimum level alertness and concentration tend to fall away.
- stress level related to aspects of the task.
- the stress of being in a situation in which you or others may be exposed to extreme hazards
- stress arising from repeated exposure to distressing incidents in the past
- preoccupation with a previous error of judgement
- stress from other work factors
Under pressure of operational stressors - Whilst under, the following negative thoughts can be
released
- impatience
- intolerance
- impulsiveness
, - anger or frustration
- personalisation
Time pressure and the purpose of your journey - Police and other emergency services drivers are
trained to respond to urgent calls without taking undue risk. But it is a fact that drivers who feel
their journey is urgent, because of organisation time pressure or the purpose of a journey, tend to
respond less safely to hazards and take more risks. A sense of urgency does not give the right to
take risks.
'Noble cause' risk taking - Never justify risk taking by telling yourself that the risk is for a noble
cause e.g to help someone or catch someone committing a crime
'Red mist' - Meaning your attention is not on your driving but on some specific goals; you have
become emotionally and physiologically caught up in the incident.
With red mist in effect, you are no longer capable of realistically assessing driving risks.
You are 3 times more likely to be involved in a crash when responding to an emergency.
Concentrating on your driving - - don't get into a personality conflict with another road user
- be dispassionate and concentrate on your driving
- don't try and imagine what you will find at the incident
- concentrate on driving
Overconfidence after training - Overconfidence in the period after training is a risk you should
be aware of.
Overconfidence can take you into situations you can't handle and will increase your risk of a
crash.
Less experienced drivers tend to believe their hazard perception is better than it it actually is
System of car control - - the system of car control increases your safety in a constantly changing
driving environment by giving you time to react to hazards.
• a hazard is anything that is an actual or potential danger
- the system of car control is a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is methodical,
safe and leaves nothing to chance
How the system works - The system of car control consists of processing information and four
phrases
Position
Speed
Gear
