I got done for speeding recently.
How indignant was I! It was just after 7 on a Sunday morning on a country A road, no one was around, I was only a smidgen over the limit, what harm was I doing?...
My choices, £100 and 3 points or a 3 hour Driver Awareness Course for £1301. I opted for the latter, acutely aware that I was swapping my precious time, as well as cash, for ‘3 points’. Would my investment be worth it?
It was.
Looked but did not see
The course focussed on insights into human behaviour. About why we do what we do, how we justify it, how it affects others and how we can be encouraged to change.
Apparently the leading reason recorded by the police for serious injury and death on the roads is ‘Looked but did not see’. This might have a physiological cause known as Saccadic Masking but is as likely to be down to the drivers behaviour and biases including:
A lack of Concentration
Over Confidence
The Optimism Bias leading to over familiarity and risk taking2
The Self Enhancement bias which causes us to think we are a better driver than average…it’s the ‘others’ who aren’t any good…and
A lack of Consideration for others
Consideration for others
Consideration for other road users was at the core of the course.
Most of us would like to think we are considerate but how often do we:
Drive feeling agitated or angry?
Not leave enough time for our journey so we become stressed about being late? Or if we are running late, do we accept it, relax, maybe pull over and let the person know instead of taking unnecessary risks to compensate?
Not give someone the benefit of the doubt when they cut us up, jump a red light or get too close? Afterall, we don’t know what’s going on in their life that has caused them to do that.
Instead we ruminate, stress, shout and gesticulate at another driver or cyclist potentially becoming an unsafe driver ourselves.
OK I hear you, some people are just dicks on the road and put us all at risk. There is of course a truth in that. But does it have to be us too?
Do we really think about the impact of our action and behaviour on others?
The impact of our behaviour on others
It fascinated me how applicable the course observations were to other aspects of life whether at work, home or play.
I was reminded of a work lesson in my 30s. Unbeknown to me, my boss observed me fidgeting, humpfing and making critical comments as a colleague practiced his client presentation in front of the sales team. After the session he pulled me to one side to ask -
“What was going on for you in that meeting?”
I replied,
“Nothing, why?”
To which he rehearsed back to me my body language and comments saying,
“Never underestimate the impact of your behaviour on others, positive or negative.”
It’s lived with me since.
Me and you
Of course, even in my 1000Weeks, when I should know better, I don’t always remember my boss’s sage advice, nor drive or behave faultlessly but I do try to consider others in my decision making. Yet, I’m sure I could do better…
How about you, what are your trigger points? When do you metaphorically or literally, jump a light, cut a corner or tailgate someone, prioritising your needs over others?
We all do it don’t we. It’s just sometimes the consequences of our behaviours are greater than others.
Do drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.
Drive safely my friends,
Until next time
Ruth x
Reminds me of my My Crypto Story #012 from May…when will I learn?…
Insightful as always, Ruth.
I've been on (a couple of) the speed awareness training courses.
And like you, found them most valuable.
What amused me, on the second occasion (separated by a few years!) was how indignant first time attendees are, until they learn the facts about energy and stopping distances etc.
I was indignant too, first time around.
But the first learning experience made me more open to learning more.
Funny that 😄
Exactly the same for me too Paul. This latest one was less about stopping distances et al and all about behaviour. Turns out it isn’t just us in finance who are recognising the importance of this fascinating stuff, humans hey!