25/01/2016
"Do I go or stop?"
When you are learning to drive there will be times when you have to start making decisions but don't know what to do.
There are three distinct choices that you can make in any situation ...
• Stop
• Go
• Don't know
If it's obvious that the road is clear, then you can go. If it's obvious that it's not clear, then you stop. If you don't know if you should go or stop then just remember... being unsure is an automatic safety warning designed to keep you safe. As you gain more experience you will find the decisions become easier to make.
But 'don't know' will be keeping you safe when you are out with your instructor on driving lessons, when you pass the driving test and for the rest of your driving life!
We all want to get stuff right, but sometimes you will not know what to do in certain situations. Well the good news is that 'Don't know' is what expert drivers do all the time. It's what keeps them alive!
Don't know means don't go, but you must make sure you take action as soon as you are uncertain, not at the last moment! You will know when you feel uncomfortable, this is the start of your 'don't know' situation - as soon as any uncomfortable feeling starts, take action - slow down. By slowing down you will give yourself more time to think and give other drivers more time to react. If you find that you go too slow or stop, you can easily start again. If you go too fast you might get a ride home in an ambulance (if you're lucky).