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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 05:19 
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This forum is for reporting and discussing near misses. The following article should serve as a general introduction:

Near Miss - So much more than a scare

- Paul Smith, Safe Speed campaign

If you could predict road crashes, you could avoid being involved in one simply by making sure you weren't going to be there at the time. Just five minutes reading this article could give you the key information you need to learn to make such a prediction and avoid crashes.

Most crashes are caused by driver error. It is less well known that crashes generally happen when one road user makes a mistake and another road user fails to avoid its consequences. We can reduce our crash risk considerably by always being prepared to respond to anything that might happen. The careful management of your place in the roadway environment is key, and other drivers are as much a part of that environment as a dangerous bend in the road.

We are creatures of habit; we tend to do the same things and make the same mistakes time and time again. But how do we recognise our mistakes and learn not to repeat them? Which mistakes are important? And how do we learn as quickly as possible?

Fortunately most mistakes don't end in crashes. Instead they end up as near misses and nasty surprises. Thanks to the combination of anticipation and judgement of all those involved, plus an element of luck, the initial mistakes are overcome and a collision is usually avoided. The ratio of near misses to crashes ranges statistically from 5:1 to 30:1. Your particular ‘error patterns’ may end in a near miss many times before they end in a crash. You may also be unlucky enough to crash the first or second time you make the same error. But you can do something about it now, before it's too late.

Every incident is a critical learning opportunity to correct your own individual shortfalls and learn how to read other road users’ impending mistakes. These opportunities will help you recognise similar hazardous situations so you can anticipate and eliminate an incident that might have resulted in a crash. So, as soon as possible after you have been involved in an incident, no matter how minor, ask yourself exactly how your behaviour contributed to the incident. The following questions are important:

 Did I make a mistake that caused or contributed to the incident?

 Was there anything at all that I could have done to avoid the incident?

We often hear: "It all happened so fast there was nothing I could do". In fact there's almost always something you could have done. Many people think something happened 'suddenly', but it's rare indeed for anything to happen suddenly and without warning. The experience of something happening 'suddenly' is usually because you didn't notice it developing. Far from really happening 'suddenly', it is likely that you were not observing adequately or were not attuned to something that needed monitoring.

Many of us are satisfied if we can blame the other chap. But it's not about fault or blame. You're no less dead or less injured if the other chap was at fault. It's about finding strategies that avoid crashes and keep road users safe irrespective of blame.

A huge part of road safety comes from anticipation of the actions of others. Most of the time people are easy to predict. If we fail to anticipate their actions, even if imbecilic, then that's our anticipation failure.

So the single most important thing you can do to become safer and avoid crashes is to recognise your mistakes and learn from them before they cause crashes. It takes courage, honest self-examination and willpower. And it's no good blaming the other chap because there's always someone else who will make the same mistake again.

A near miss is so much more than a scare. It's a warning and a learning opportunity. Don't miss it!

<ends>


What is a near miss?

It's a near miss if any of the following apply:

 You had to take emergency action to avoid a crash (including emergency braking or emergency swerving).

 You say to yourself: 'phew, that was close'.

 You get a nasty surprise when you suddenly spot another road user nearby who you didn't know was there.


Near miss action list:

 Consider most carefully any near misses you have been involved in.

 Keep a near miss diary

 Talk over your near misses with friends or (better) driving experts

 If you have frequent near misses (more than one a year) seek out driver training

 Submit your near miss to http://www.nearmiss-report.org , a new web-based means to facilitate your ability to learn from your mistakes. It can open your eyes to the ‘non-driving’ behaviours that are putting you at risk behind the wheel

 Discuss your near miss in this forum

For the USA based near miss reporting web site, contact Jeffrey Hadley:
Email: jeffrey.hadley@us.army.mil

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety


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