Juggling buses, tailgaters and other hazards

Hazards and hazard identification are a constant theme of driving and of course, the theory test. You will become more and more familiar with the types of hazard the road will throw at you as we go. You may think that hazards are obvious (a child running into the road right?) but when you are driving and you have multiple hazards to concentrate on (the bus ahead, the idiot tailgater behind, the rain, the dog walker on the pavement etc) it can be difficult to decide or focus on what poses the biggest threat. Lets prioritise then, the dog is on a lead and under control, we can give them a bit of a wide birth anf move on. The tailgater is going nowhere for the moment, lets just extend our own safety gap from the bus in front (just in case it stops suddenly) that will give us more space to brake gently so the tailgater has more time to react and brake himself. (thats very considerate of you, although don't expect any appreciation from tailgater) thats fine, it’s yourself, your passenger and your vehicle you're really protecting here. The rain is reducing visibility so you can put your dipped headlights on, as you can see, everyone else is. That leaves the bus as our immediate hazard. Look ahead, there is a bus stop coming up and the bus will likely indicate to pull over. Now you are controlling your situation and with this forsight you will know to prepare and be ready to slow down and stop yourself.

There are about six people at the stop waiting to get on so we can assume the bus will be stopped for a minute or two, enough time to make it worth checking if we can overtake (if there was only one or two people at the bus stop then it might not be worth the effort)  Get yourself into an overtaking position and watch for gaps in the oncoming traffic, Ok, time for a fresh assessment of the situation, don’t be pressured by the tailgater just focus on what you can and can’t see ahead for the moment. Can you see enough clear road beyond the bus? Are there any junctions just past the stop? The bus is creating one big blind spot here, there may be road users about to emerge from a hidden turning in front of it, but what of the passengers alighting from the bus itself? Some of them may well come around the front of the bus to cross the road. Oops, I have kept you talking for too long and the bus is signalling its intention to pull away again. You had better let him go (you can be sure he won’t wait for you to pass, it is also a highway code requirement that you let him go)

These assessments will normally take place in seconds as you continuously refresh your driving environment. What of the tailgater for instance? in such a situation and seeing you hesitating, he may have decided to overtake both you and the bus in one fell swoop. Let's not think about the potential outcome of that decision, you can only be responsible for your own conduct and safety (and by extention, the safety of those in your vicinity) www.facebook.com/TheoryTestNovel http://twitter.com/theorytestnovel