Emotions Affect Your Riding & Driving
Emotions Affect Your Riding & Driving
Most riders & drivers are aware of the affect that things like drinking and cell phone use have on their driving, while giving little consideration to other factors that can be even more distracting.
Fatigue, stress, and our emotions have a serious effect on our riding and driving, causing serious impairments that we may not even be aware of. If you are worried, upset, frightened, depressed, or even happily excited, your riding & driving skills can be as negatively impacted as they would be if you were engaged in an intense phone call or after having consumed several alcoholic drinks.
Many times we do have to ride or drive after facing an emergency, for example, after being notified of the sudden illness or death of a loved one; or even after a confrontation with another person, such as a particularly upsetting incident at work.
If you find that you must ride or drive after your emotions have surfaced, here are a few things you can do to manage the emotion―and make your journey safer for yourself and others on the road:
* If you are angry or upset or otherwise annoyed, whether due to something unrelated to riding or driving or because of a riding/driving incident, pull over or off of the road. Take a few moments to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. If the emotion is particularly strong, take a short walk, or go get something to drink (non-alcoholic, of course); just stay off of the road until you have time to settle down.
* If you find yourself drifting into worry, depression, or if you are thinking too closely about something that has happened, make a concerted effort to put it out of your mind until you stop the bike/car.
Some people find that making a hand gesture of dismissal to themselves helps, as does the distraction of music. Use the energy to instead focus on your riding/driving, and give yourself time to sort out the troubling issue when you do not have to be on the road.
* If it is a matter of feeling rushed, hurried or just generally impatient, give yourself a bit of extra time before you start out. That will help you avoid getting even more frustrated with slower riders & drivers or other things that are out of your control, such as heavy traffic or a back up due to an accident. Plus, allowing for extra time means you won't be as likely to start speeding, which can end up saving you a great deal of stress―especially if you end up with a speeding ticket!
A serious distraction. Research has proven that human beings in the grip of negative (and sometimes positive) emotions have exhibited a distraction level even more serious than those experienced by cell phone users. Such emotions can cause otherwise excellent riders & drivers to:
* Experience dimmed or otherwise impaired observation and reaction times.
* Fail to recognize situations, such as an abrupt slowing of traffic or debris in the road.
* Get to the point that they are unable to predict or to determine what the other riders & drivers around us are doing.
* Make risky maneuvers and risky changes, such as cutting across several lanes of traffic to take an off-ramp, suddenly change lanes, or even to drive on the freeway shoulder.
* Lose the ability to perform riding/driving skills that require precise timing or other subtle skills.
* Make a rider or driver feel as though he or she is detached from the other riders & drivers, vehicles, and conditions on the road
Dealing with road rage. It's become all too common these days. Road rage has been responsible for many accidents and even bodily injury, due mainly to an overreaction and the personalization of driving situations. If something happens to make you believe that you could become the focus of another rider's or driver's rage, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
* Remain in your car, and if approached on foot, roll up the windows and lock the doors. If on your motorcycle, ride away from the threat.
* Avoid making gestures that another rider & driver could interpret as hostile, rude, or otherwise negative.
* If you accidentally do something that annoys or upsets another rider or driver, make overly-exaggerated expressions of regret, hold hand in a prayer gesture, mouth the word "sorry," make a silly grimace―anything that will send the message that you acknowledge an error. This works very well to diffuse a situation. Some drivers have even begun to carry a printed sign that simply says "sorry" in bold letters, to hold up if they do something that annoys another driver.
According to a survey conducted by doctors on the topic of road rage, over half of all riders & drivers in America will either express "road rage" themselves, or encounter another rider or driver in a fit of "road rage" focused at them while they are on the road.
The U.S. Highway Safety Office reports that each year, tens of thousands of automobile accidents can be linked directly to the expression of road rage or by aggressive driving. An extremely frightening statistic: road rage accidents are now the leading cause of death for our children.
A few things you can do to prevent road rage. Driving and Riding has become increasingly personalized, with many riders & drivers feeling that the actions of other riders & drivers are directed at them personally, rather than taking another's errors in stride. Of course, this type of reaction is not uncommon as a secondary emotion to fear, especially if a error causes the enraged rider & driver to make a sudden reactive maneuver to avoid collision.
It has also been found that about 85% of the riders & drivers who were surveyed said that the flash of anger and personalization the experience brought on could be defused and settled if the offending rider & driver had simply acknowledged the error with a gesture of apology.
Keep your eye, mind, and thoughts on the road. Keeping emotions in control makes a huge difference in riding & driving skills, but there are other things many riders & drivers do that take their attention away from the task at hand and can cause problems for themselves and others.
Even if you work in your car and almost never seem to leave it, refrain from eating, reading, map consulting, Internet surfing, applying makeup, or holding our pets while you are driving.
If you use a cell phone and find that you must talk, use a hands-free device while you are driving and keep the calls short and at an absolute minimum. Better yet; pull off the road to talk on the cell phone, this is the safest option.
As long as you are moving, your attention should be on the road and traffic at all times―not diluted by distractions or strong emotions.
Source:DMV.org
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/Merger-between-a-car-and-a-motorcycle.htm
The Gridley Herald
Wed Aug 13, 2008, 09:17 AM PDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gridley, Calif. -
Gridley's Kevin Manes, 38, died Sunday night after crashing into a 2005 Toyota SUV on E. Gridley Rd. around 8:52 p.m.
Manes was traveling westbound on E. Gridley Rd. at a high rate of speed while Gridley's Richard Havens, 50, was driving up ahead of Manes and had just slowed to a stop, preparing to make a left turn onto Gilstrap Ave.
Traveling too fast, Manes was unable to stop in time, and rear-ended the Toyota. His motorcycle immediately erupted in flames and slid underneath the Toyota. Both vehicles were fully engulfed when emergency responders arrived.
Manes, who was wearing his helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Havens suffered a small laceration on the side of his forehead. He was treated and released from the scene of the collision.
Both vehicles were totalled.
Most riders & drivers are aware of the affect that things like drinking and cell phone use have on their driving, while giving little consideration to other factors that can be even more distracting.
Fatigue, stress, and our emotions have a serious effect on our riding and driving, causing serious impairments that we may not even be aware of. If you are worried, upset, frightened, depressed, or even happily excited, your riding & driving skills can be as negatively impacted as they would be if you were engaged in an intense phone call or after having consumed several alcoholic drinks.
Many times we do have to ride or drive after facing an emergency, for example, after being notified of the sudden illness or death of a loved one; or even after a confrontation with another person, such as a particularly upsetting incident at work.
If you find that you must ride or drive after your emotions have surfaced, here are a few things you can do to manage the emotion―and make your journey safer for yourself and others on the road:
* If you are angry or upset or otherwise annoyed, whether due to something unrelated to riding or driving or because of a riding/driving incident, pull over or off of the road. Take a few moments to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. If the emotion is particularly strong, take a short walk, or go get something to drink (non-alcoholic, of course); just stay off of the road until you have time to settle down.
* If you find yourself drifting into worry, depression, or if you are thinking too closely about something that has happened, make a concerted effort to put it out of your mind until you stop the bike/car.
Some people find that making a hand gesture of dismissal to themselves helps, as does the distraction of music. Use the energy to instead focus on your riding/driving, and give yourself time to sort out the troubling issue when you do not have to be on the road.
* If it is a matter of feeling rushed, hurried or just generally impatient, give yourself a bit of extra time before you start out. That will help you avoid getting even more frustrated with slower riders & drivers or other things that are out of your control, such as heavy traffic or a back up due to an accident. Plus, allowing for extra time means you won't be as likely to start speeding, which can end up saving you a great deal of stress―especially if you end up with a speeding ticket!
A serious distraction. Research has proven that human beings in the grip of negative (and sometimes positive) emotions have exhibited a distraction level even more serious than those experienced by cell phone users. Such emotions can cause otherwise excellent riders & drivers to:
* Experience dimmed or otherwise impaired observation and reaction times.
* Fail to recognize situations, such as an abrupt slowing of traffic or debris in the road.
* Get to the point that they are unable to predict or to determine what the other riders & drivers around us are doing.
* Make risky maneuvers and risky changes, such as cutting across several lanes of traffic to take an off-ramp, suddenly change lanes, or even to drive on the freeway shoulder.
* Lose the ability to perform riding/driving skills that require precise timing or other subtle skills.
* Make a rider or driver feel as though he or she is detached from the other riders & drivers, vehicles, and conditions on the road
Dealing with road rage. It's become all too common these days. Road rage has been responsible for many accidents and even bodily injury, due mainly to an overreaction and the personalization of driving situations. If something happens to make you believe that you could become the focus of another rider's or driver's rage, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
* Remain in your car, and if approached on foot, roll up the windows and lock the doors. If on your motorcycle, ride away from the threat.
* Avoid making gestures that another rider & driver could interpret as hostile, rude, or otherwise negative.
* If you accidentally do something that annoys or upsets another rider or driver, make overly-exaggerated expressions of regret, hold hand in a prayer gesture, mouth the word "sorry," make a silly grimace―anything that will send the message that you acknowledge an error. This works very well to diffuse a situation. Some drivers have even begun to carry a printed sign that simply says "sorry" in bold letters, to hold up if they do something that annoys another driver.
According to a survey conducted by doctors on the topic of road rage, over half of all riders & drivers in America will either express "road rage" themselves, or encounter another rider or driver in a fit of "road rage" focused at them while they are on the road.
The U.S. Highway Safety Office reports that each year, tens of thousands of automobile accidents can be linked directly to the expression of road rage or by aggressive driving. An extremely frightening statistic: road rage accidents are now the leading cause of death for our children.
A few things you can do to prevent road rage. Driving and Riding has become increasingly personalized, with many riders & drivers feeling that the actions of other riders & drivers are directed at them personally, rather than taking another's errors in stride. Of course, this type of reaction is not uncommon as a secondary emotion to fear, especially if a error causes the enraged rider & driver to make a sudden reactive maneuver to avoid collision.
It has also been found that about 85% of the riders & drivers who were surveyed said that the flash of anger and personalization the experience brought on could be defused and settled if the offending rider & driver had simply acknowledged the error with a gesture of apology.
Keep your eye, mind, and thoughts on the road. Keeping emotions in control makes a huge difference in riding & driving skills, but there are other things many riders & drivers do that take their attention away from the task at hand and can cause problems for themselves and others.
Even if you work in your car and almost never seem to leave it, refrain from eating, reading, map consulting, Internet surfing, applying makeup, or holding our pets while you are driving.
If you use a cell phone and find that you must talk, use a hands-free device while you are driving and keep the calls short and at an absolute minimum. Better yet; pull off the road to talk on the cell phone, this is the safest option.
As long as you are moving, your attention should be on the road and traffic at all times―not diluted by distractions or strong emotions.
Source:DMV.org
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/Merger-between-a-car-and-a-motorcycle.htm
The Gridley Herald
Wed Aug 13, 2008, 09:17 AM PDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gridley, Calif. -
Gridley's Kevin Manes, 38, died Sunday night after crashing into a 2005 Toyota SUV on E. Gridley Rd. around 8:52 p.m.
Manes was traveling westbound on E. Gridley Rd. at a high rate of speed while Gridley's Richard Havens, 50, was driving up ahead of Manes and had just slowed to a stop, preparing to make a left turn onto Gilstrap Ave.
Traveling too fast, Manes was unable to stop in time, and rear-ended the Toyota. His motorcycle immediately erupted in flames and slid underneath the Toyota. Both vehicles were fully engulfed when emergency responders arrived.
Manes, who was wearing his helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Havens suffered a small laceration on the side of his forehead. He was treated and released from the scene of the collision.
Both vehicles were totalled.
Labels: Safety tips, Total Control
posted by DAbbott @ 5:35 AM
