ADI Part 2 - Defensive Driving
Defensive Driving has various definitions by different organisations and is an integral part of ADI Part 2 driving technique, however in its simplest form, the way to describe it is "Don't Crash! Don't cause others to Crash!"
Although that's a pretty obvious statement, when you start to think about it, you start to realise that it's not as silly or simplistic as it sounds.
Firstly, the operative word in the previous sentence is "THINK".
In order to be a good ADI Part 2 defensive driver, you have to be a thinking driver. But what does this mean? Well firstly it means that you have to keep your brains in your head and use them once you get in your car, rather than take them out and put them in the glove box for safe keeping like to so many people do!
By thinking, you become more aware of the dangers that other road users and the various road situations that you encounter will present you with and more importantly, by being aware of these potential problems (i.e. hazards), you will work out how to deal with them whilst they remain just hazards, well before they develop into dangerous situations. (Think of your Hazard Perception Test - what was it about?)
Besides obviously MSM-PSL-LADA, there's another system that you can use to help you become a good ADI Part 2 defensive driver. This system is called A C O S T.
A C O S T
This is not so much as a systematic approach to hazards - more realistically, it's a systematic approach to driving in general. What does it stand for?
- A: Attitude
- C: Concentration
- O: Observation
- S: Space
- T: Time
Taking it from the bottom up, to always have the chance to keep clear of danger and allow others to keep clear of you, you need:
- T: Time to assess, decide and act. Your car is moving so time is created by:
- S: Space, by keeping a good distance between yourself and other vehicles the distance gives you the time. In order to create space, you need:
- O: Observation, by Taking, Using and Giving information (T-U-G), being observant allows you to recognise the actions of other road users and keep your distance. But to do this you need:
- C: Concentration. Concentrate on the driving task. Do not allow your thoughts to stray because mobile telephone calls, radio, music, conversations, etc. distract you from keeping your eyes on the road and in the mirrors.
- A: Attitude. What type of driver do you want to be? It's your decision.
Make the decision to contact Tony Phillips for your ADI Part 2 because where have you seen anything like this type of insight on driving information anywhere on the internet on any other ADI Training website?