Safe Speed Forums

Every blue moon I have, what I consider to be, a day when my driving is not up to my usual standard (not a too high a standard compared to some, I consider my self average, but better than a lot of drivers). On these days my driving does not fall below or even near a minimum safe driving level, but I recognise that something is not quite right. I do try to recompose myself, but never seem to be able to raise my game.

I try to drive by C.O.A.S.T. all the time and because of this see that I am off my game. I have as yet been unable to find a way reset myself. What I do usually is up the S. in C.O.A.S.T. to compensate, not a perfect solution as it opens me up to others potential hazards, but it is the best way I have found for me.

I was just wondering if others on this board have the same problem and what their solution is.

Slight tangent, but when I used to drive a Transit round London, I definitely had off parking days.

I think we all have off days. Not something which would make you do something to cause an accident, so much, but more of a trap where you could come unstuck where you would otherwise have been ahead of the game. It’s a kind of autopilot for me, as I like to describe it.

You wake up one morning feeling tired and thinking about the day ahead or problems and who I am going to see and what needs doing. It isn’t that I am making a conscious effort to think of other things but they creep in. I think it’s impossible to be alert and give 100% concentration for all journeys all of the time; it may be idealistic but it’s certainly not realistic. The moment you start listening to the radio or, a typical one for me, looking for an address for example - you can so easily be at a sub-standard level, by your own standards, and it only has to coincide with another happening to make it the stuff of accidents.

What I have found, and this has been mentioned before if I remember correctly, is that when I used to be able to ‘get a wriggle on’ I was much more alert for the whole journey. Unfortunately this sounds like an excuse to speed, but I’m just telling it as it is; a monotonous low cruising speed is not conducive to alertness. I remember when I once tried to get the best mpg going up north on the M6 so I maintained a steady 50 to 55 mph on the inside lane, just taking the ups and downs of the road as they came.

I kept it up for about 50 or 60 miles before I realised I was like a zombie. Yes, I was looking at traffic and checking the rear view mirror etc but I needed to go faster and overtake and slow down to keep my head active! Kind of like the difference between ‘play’ and ‘fast forward’ in alertness if I can put it that way. My head is normally on >> or >>¦ mode, especially when on the bike. This probably isn’t what quite what you were speaking of theboxers, I think you were coming more from a different angle like a biological imbalance perhaps?

It happened to me today in fact so it’s interesting you bring this subject up. Although I cycled in to work, as usual, my sister was having a pretty nasty and risky procedure at the hospital today and this was concerning me greatly. It may sound strange that even when you are pounding away at the pedals breathing like a race horse at the end of the Grand National you can actually be thinking quite calmly and rationally about something else. I’m sure at the point I wasn’t concentrating it would have been me who came to grief but there isn’t an off button, that I have at least, whereby I can put things in a mental box until I need them. This is where I am at my most vulnerable to other peoples mistakes. I know I’m obeying the rules of the road but, as everyone knows, that isn’t enough.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I know exactly what you mean, and had many a discussion with it with Paul over the years.

We also found that there were (less) times when starting out on a journey - stopping and then found a more enlighten approach.
So what we tried and found usually (more often than not) worked was to stop, take 5, relax and just start a 'new' journey as it were. That had more effect of a reset than anything else.
How it worked we never fully worked out for sure.
Obviously there is the obvious break and the psychological effects that can have. Whether it 'resets' the brain in any more of a fundamental way I dunno.
I have rarely experienced it not working, and at worst retained the 'same' useless ability.

We tried to figure on previous days work load - figuring if a 'tired' level was at play, but it didn't seem to be that constant.

If I have it happen I relax take a 10% more in my safety margins and ensure that I am on a high alert / anticipation status. This can in itself 'resolve it', you just slip back into the full on capability mode. HTH.

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