Speed and Positioning

Speed This single page contains general information and applies to every lesson that you teach.

Over at DriverActive - in relation to the picture on the right - it says:

If a vehicle fails mechanically at 400+ mph on a salt flat, the driver will be safe, as long as the vehicle doesn't flip over. This is because there is lots of space with nothing to run into.

On the other hand...

If a driver runs out of space at a speed as low as 3 mph on the local high street there is a risk of doing severe damage to a young or old pedestrian - possibly resulting in a fatal accident.

That's the basic message for speed and positioning...

Speed could be too fast, too slow or failing to take safe opportunities to proceed (for example when the road is clear at a junction).

Positioning will be either too close or wide of the kerb or other boundary in general driving.

We have mentioned at various point during the course that part of our business is 'rescuing' students who have trained with other companies - in fact the terms 'rescue training' and 'Part-Three rescue' were introduced to the industry by SmartDriving founder, John Farlam. When we see rescue clients, this subject (speed and position) is one of the major worries, but in reality it should be one of the easiest subjects to teach because any errors will be very easily apparent.

Speed and position are probably the most important safety issues that an instructor has to deal with, after all, when drivers crash its because they are going too fast for the situation and/or run out of space.

Study this unit in conjunction with:

Lesson goals

Your goal:

To ensure that your learner understands the importance of and is able to, drive at a safe speed for the prevailing conditions and maintain an appropriate road position.

Learner's goals:

To understand the need for and demonstrate appropriate use of speed and correct road positioning including:

Keeping an appropriate distance from the kerb or other road or lane boundary
Knowledge of speed limits
Knowledge of stopping distances
Driving at a speed that is safe and appropriate for the road and traffic conditions
Driving at a speed that is safe and appropriate allowing for personal circumstances such as health and mood

Teaching judgement of speed and positioning & related issues

You need to gather information about the specific problems by watching your learner closely and asking questions as appropriate.

After you qualify both speed and position will be taught over a range of different lessons throughout the process of learning to drive learning and although the subjects will be explained at different times in different lessons it's unlikely that you will have a dedicated lesson in your syllabus for these topics.

Because this area of training is not limited to a specific situation we have not included general teaching notes - the information below gives general guidance on the subject.

Note: The cause of many issues relating to speed and positioning lies in the learners observation and interpretation of what they see around them. Make sure that you are fully familiar with the information about visual scanning and the importance of keeping the eyes moving given in the Steering Lesson at DriverActive. Practical exercises and demonstration based on the scanning information can help learners to maintain an appropriate speed and position.

Positioning - The DVSA says...

"You should position the vehicle sensibly, normally well to the left. Keep clear of parked vehicles and position correctly for the direction that you intend to take. Where lanes are marked, keep to the middle of the lane and avoid straddling lane markings. Do not change lanes unnecessarily."

Positioning - too close to the left

Consistently driving too close to the left will most likely be due to one of the following:

Short observation, concentrating on the kerb
Worry about approaching traffic

All positioning problems have their root in observation. If a driver looks in the wrong place he/she will steer an incorrect course (looking at the kerb or at approaching traffic) - correcting this is the key to fixing both of the problems above.

Explain the importance of looking well ahead for positioning while keeping the eyes moving as a visual scan for danger. Your learner needs to determine where the car will be going next rather than where the car is at any given time.

There are various ways of doing this, the easiest is to explain the concept of a safety line - an imaginary line ahead that plots the path that the car will take. However, explaining this will not usually be enough in itself - you will need to prompt the appropriate observation.

You can also get your learner to follow the path of a vehicle ahead. If you use this method stress the importance of keeping the eyes moving to scan for danger (including looking beyond the vehicle ahead).

When the learner looks well ahead and aims for the gap he/she will see that there is sufficient room to pass approaching cars safely.

Positioning - too close to right

Again, observation is at the root of this problem.

If your learner tries to judge position by looking to the front left (making sure that the car doesn't hit anything) he/she is likely keep shifting position to the right to avoid hitting the kerb or other obstacles - even though they are nowhere near!

Another cause can be using the centre line to judge position and being drawn towards it.

Weaving in and out where there are parked vehicles

If your learner moves in and out along a row of parked vehicles you will need to explain the dangers of confusing following drivers and problems cause by limited forward observation.

Speed - too fast

It's important to understand that many of your customers will come to you with an internal model of speed already wired into their brains. They have developed this model and associated attitudes unconsciously from a very early age sitting in cars with parents and friends (starting around three years old).

A good safe speed might feel 'too slow' to them - with this in mind, explanations alone are often insufficient as 'feel' often wins over 'knowledge'. It might be necessary to demonstrate, show example of other drivers, use local news clips abut accidents, show videos of the consequences of dangerous speed and relate it to their driving in specific situations and/or any other method that you can think of to get the message across and re-train their natural 'feel' for safe speed.

Excessive speed can be:

Within the speed limit but too fast for the conditions
Exceeding the speed limit

Here you need to discuss hazard awareness and potential dangers. Your learner might think that his/her speed is perfectly OK and become defensive...

"But the road's clear and everyone else is breaking the speed limit"

Don't be 'phased' be comments like this! Simply deal with the issue. For example:

"I can understand why at first glance you would think that it's OK to go faster, but let's consider why there is a speed limit on this road."

Or in the case of too fast within the speed limit:

"I can understand why you think that it's OK to go faster and keep up to the speed limit, but let's consider some of the hazards we have passed that make it dangerous to drive up to the speed limit."

Ask your learner when he/she thinks it would be safe/unsafe to travel at a certain speed and why - use "What if?" questions when discussing potential dangers.

Speed - too slow

Just as your learner needs to know the dangers of going too fast he/she also needs to be aware that driving too slowly can be dangerous because it can frustrate following drivers causing them to overtake dangerously. It can also tempt drivers and pedestrians to pull/walk out in front of your vehicle.

Explain why it is safer to increase speed and prompt accordingly with plenty of positive feedback and reassurance.

Hesitancy

Failing to proceed when it is safe and correct to do so or stopping unnecessarily (predetermined) at give way lines.

Explain the dangers (as above) and prompt to help decision making - checking that your learner has a strategy for judging the speed of other traffic.

Checklist

Questions: Download your question sheet here. You should be able to answer the questions easily - if you are unsure about any answers you need more study/practice.

After completing the questions check your answers with our example answers - your key points should be similar. Click here for our example answers.

Before moving on make sure that you:

Know the importance of listening to the examiner's brief for this subject

Can explain the reasons for speed limits and the importance of staying within them

Can explain the fact that the speed limit is not always a safe speed

Can explain why driving too slowly can be dangerous

When you are confident that you have achieved the points above, complete your study log before moving on.

Use the drop down menu at the top of the page to select your next subject.