Observation

ergonomics

Hi all. From what I've heard, read and been told observation is one of the things people get a lot of faults on when doing the test. I think I have good observation as it is, check my mirrors a lot as well as looking into junctions/driveways as I'm going along. I also keep on eye for pedestrians and animals and all other hazards and as a result have never had to brake suddenly for someone cause I've always seen them coming.

My boyfriend has told me that I need to be physically moving my head to look at junctions and stuff or else my tester won't know I'm 'observing'. I can see his point but I feel this is more dangerous as moving my head means taking my eyes off the road for longer than a split second. Was doing this the other day and in the time I moved my head to look at a junction and moved it back again (say 2 seconds max) the car in front of me had braked suddenly and I had to slam on the breaks as I hadn't seen him.

So I'm confused. I can see why the instructor would need me to move my head so they know I'm observing properly but I believe that's dangerous and could result in something like a grade 3. What to do?

bonkey

ergonomics wrote: »

My boyfriend has told me that I need to be physically moving my head to look at junctions and stuff or else my tester won't know I'm 'observing'.

I don't know if its true or not, but I was taught the same thing - that for the test, certain things have to be slightly exaggerated to make it unmissably clear that you're doing them.

I can see his point but I feel this is more dangerous as moving my head means taking my eyes off the road for longer than a split second. Was doing this the other day and in the time I moved my head to look at a junction and moved it back again (say 2 seconds max) the car in front of me had braked suddenly and I had to slam on the breaks as I hadn't seen him.

So I'm confused. I can see why the instructor would need me to move my head so they know I'm observing properly but I believe that's dangerous and could result in something like a grade 3. What to do?

2 seconds is a huge amount of time. You should be able to look to your left our right, then have your eyes straight back ahead in well under a half a second.

If you need to, do it twice quickly, rather than once slowly. The way I was taught it was that a single glance gives you a "picture", where two gives you a "movie". Looking for a fraction of a second once will tell you if there's something there. Look back ahead, then look to the side again. Now you'll know if the something is moving, but won't have had your eyes off the road in front of you for as long.

I should stress (as I always try to) that my experiences are based on the Swiss system, not the Irish, so don't take this advice as a good approach for the Irish test without getting an irish instructor or someone similar to verify it.

Perhaps more importantly....

From your description of what happened, here's what I understand : you were looking to your side , and didn't see brakelights straight ahead...which should have been in your peripheral vision. If you hadn't moved your head, then this same peripheral vision is what you're trusting to see everything to your right/left.

Now, on one hand, you say you can see this stuff fine without moving your head. On the other hand, you say that having moved your head, the very same peripheral vision failed to see lights come on in a car.

Its entirely possible that you may be misjudging what you can and cannot see with your peripheral vision. Alternately, its possible that when you don't move your head, you check left/right by flicking your eyes. In that case, you can check whats ahead of you by flicking your eyes while looking left/right. Its the same trick...if you can do it one way you can do it the other. If you can't do it one way, then you're kidding yoruself thinking you're safe doing it the other.

I think I have good observation as it is, check my mirrors a lot as well as looking into junctions/driveways as I'm going along. I also keep on eye for pedestrians and animals and all other hazards and as a result have never had to brake suddenly for someone cause I've always seen them coming.

(I know I took your post out of order...forgive me...it makes my response easier to take it in this order)

Some more comments...

Firstly, a potentially-fatal flaw for any driver is to assume "I've always managed <x> up to now, ergo I'm doing it right and will never have a problem with <x>". Just because you've seen everything coming up to now, doesn't mean you always will, nor that you're even in a position to do so. It could be that you've a dirty big blindspot in that peripheral vision (that failed to see brake lights when not looking straight-ahead) that you've never noticed before. Now...if you have...what happens if a hazard materialises from that direction while you're looking straight?

Pedestrians, animals, junctions etc. are all things that you see coming from almost-straight-ahead (i.e. you identify the hazard from a distance away, through the front windscreen). What about the cyclist who pulls out onto the road into the blindspot of what your wing-mirror shows, and then moves forward until the very same peripheral vision which failed to see brake-lights ahead is what you're trusting to see him? It might never happen....but if you've identified a blind-spot in your peripheral vision (which your description of not seeing brake lights while looking out the side) suggests, then without moving your head, you'll never see the guy.

javaboy

ergonomics wrote: »

Was doing this the other day and in the time I moved my head to look at a junction and moved it back again (say 2 seconds max) the car in front of me had braked suddenly and I had to slam on the breaks as I hadn't seen him.

At least you're following the 2 second rule!

You should get some lessons with a driving instructor who will clear up any of these issues. I caught my tester watching my face sometimes to see if I was looking around so I didn't have to exaggerate my movements but some testers aren't that thorough. You should only move enough to see what you have to see and as said above, two glances is better than one.

Noskoda

ergonomics wrote: »

...... looking into junctions/driveways as I'm going along.

There are 2 sections on the test marking sheet to do with 'observation'

Section 5 is all about mirrors. Any faults recorded in this section relate to not using / not using before indicating / not using early enough / - your mirrors

Section 3 is all about 'observation' and has no relation whatsoever to the use of mirrors. I would be concerned from your post that you are not looking ahead enough. You should NOT be looking into driveways and junctions as you pass them. If anything is emerging from a driveway or a junction and likely to give you any problems, it will be almost in your path and can be seen in your peripheral vision without turning your head to 'look into' .......

Candidates on test often make the mistake when coming onto a main road at a T junction of getting half way round their turn, and then looking back. You need to KNOW you are safe to emerge before coming out of the road, and you need to keep looking in the direction where you are going.

redcar

A word of warning with observation, I failed my test first time on observation... but because I did too much of it. The testers words "too observant" to the extent it caused me not to react to hazards.

Passed second time and decided only to do what I normally do, I looked around as normal, and just made sure he knew I was looking around at junctions before pulling out.

Matt Holck

when I drive
I have 360 vision through mirrors
I check blind spots looking over my shoulders
and imagine an elliptical boundary surrounding my vehicle
which alerts my attention should any object enter my extended space

I watch traffic 100 yards in front of me
observing lane change , relative speed between the vehicles and brake use
an ideal speed is a relative 0 to all the cars moving in the same direction
you don't overtake them
they don't overtake you
---for example
as I was going down a hill
when a car pull up behind me
then passed my right
and got ahead of me
then slowed down in front of me
so I slowed down
not wishing to reengage the vehicle

change lanes as little as possible
and change lanes early

wicklow eoin

The section on mirrors on the test sheet relates to the rear view mirror in your car( hence mirrors stopping), the section on observation on the test sheet relates to the two mirrors outside your car. (Hence obersevation turning left/ right etc). But on a test in a van your outside mirrors are marked under the heading mirrors

sonicthebadger*

Matt Holck wrote: »

I watch traffic 100 yards in front of me

Just to clarify, this does not mean look 100m ahead, look to the limit of your view. You should look to the point where the road disappears and then scan back along the road to prioritise the hazards you can see.