{"id":281,"date":"2025-02-27T10:18:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T10:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/?page_id=281"},"modified":"2025-03-29T09:18:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T09:18:28","slug":"the-mind-driving-perspective","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/?page_id=281","title":{"rendered":"Crashes Are Not Rocket Science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055-624x468.jpg 624w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/FB_IMG_1718460383055.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The purpose of this Campaign is to reduce the risk of <em>all <\/em>crashes regardless of severity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our starting point is to deeply undertand the root causes of crashes as viewed through the uncompromised lens of the Mind Driving Risk Model. Only by doing so will we gain a cool-headed appreciation of the role of speed in relation to all other factors involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is necessary to counter exaggerated claims made by the &#8220;Speed Kills&#8221; lobby whose superfical propaganda compromises safety by glossing over what is really going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Recipe For A Crash<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mind Driving shows that <em>all<\/em> crashes contain the same three ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>something is moving<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>something unexpected happens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>someone runs out of room.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the impact occurs \u2013 it\u2019s as simple as that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We don\u2019t crash if nothing is moving<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We don\u2019t crash if we anticipate what could happen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We don\u2019t crash if we ensure our distance from others never gets to zero<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p> This can usefully be thought of in just three words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Speed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surprise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Space<br><br>These elements are the ingredients of the crash recipe. They are ever present and it is imperative that all drivers are fully trained to understand them &#8211; unlike at present.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Mind Driving Risk Model Revisited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As described on the Mind Driving page, the relationship between the three crash ingredients is a crucial one. It can be modelled as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"281\" height=\"62\" src=\"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We noted previously that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>increasing Speed or Surprise will normally tend to raise risk&nbsp;but<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>increasing Space will normally lower risk &#8211; often dramatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This realisation carries weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Three Questions For Drivers To Keep at the Forefront of their Minds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Speed: <em>How well can I change speed or direction to avoid a potential collision?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surprise: <em>How certain am I about what will happen next?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Space: <em>How much room do I have available to use, and share?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Drilling deeper we can add&#8230;&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Speed:<\/u> <em>How well can I change speed or direction to avoid a potential collision?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Controlling speed is not an isolated element of safety<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More casualties happen in crashes below speed limits than above them<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choosing a safe speed is the driver or rider\u2019s responsibility and cannot be delegated to a speed limit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The driver&#8217;s assessment of the risks in their chosen speed should be very objective<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Surprise:<\/u><\/strong><strong> <em>How certain am I about what will happen next?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collisions are caused by things we did not expect to happen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surprise causes rushed thinking and sudden actions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When it is properly understood, Surprise is probably the biggest source of danger on the road<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Space:<\/u><\/strong><strong> <em>How much room do I have available to use, and share?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Road space is to be shared, not hogged as a piece of \u2018personal territory\u2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increasing space dramatically lowers risk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Good use of space is a sign of many other skills too<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This leads to the conclusion that&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>THE WAY TO AVOID CRASHING THEN IS TO<\/strong> <br><strong>KEEP<\/strong> <strong>ALL THREE ELEMENTS OF THE RISK MODEL <em>IN BALANCE<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The Road Safety Establishment&#8217;s Best Kept Secret<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The fact that a miniscule number of drivers know about something of such fundamental importance as the Risk Model, other than intuitively, is because a requirement to teach it was never adopted by the DVSA. Consequently drivers ever since have been deprived of a proper understanding of how to stay alive on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This is a travesty for drivers and for crash victims alike. It could so easily be rectified with political will which has so far been absent. Our <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Reform 2<\/span> seeks to rectify this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em><strong>Every driver when asked about any situation encountered on the road <br>should be able to respond instantly and effortlessly<\/strong><\/em><br><strong>in terms of the Risk Model<\/strong><br><br><strong><em>The words &#8216;Speed, Surprise and Space&#8217; should roll off the tongue<br>and the need to keep all three in balance should be well understood.<\/em><\/strong><br><em><strong><br>The common language of the Mind Driving Risk Model<\/strong><\/em><br><em><strong>will have been drilled into them in training <br>and their understanding and application of it thoroughly tested<\/strong><br><strong> before being awarded a full driving licence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Putting The Risk Model Into Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although apparantly obvious, drivers only begin to appreciate the profound significance of the Risk Model when they come to apply the discipline of keeping speed, surprise and space <em>in balance<\/em> every time they get behind the wheel. This then becomes a generic skill across all situations and gives their driving purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Campaigns to remind us to keep our distance or not to hog the middle lane of a motorways become largely redundant if we drive in accordance with the Model. We then know automatically how to approach every situation from icy roads, horse riders, cyclists or low winter sun without the need to be patronised with dictats and rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because Mind Driving trains us to <em>think for ourselves<\/em> and to take responsibilty for the way we drive with reference to the Model. So, for example, if the low winter sun <em>is<\/em> in our eyes we instantly recognise that <em>Surprise<\/em> may lie ahead that we cannot see because of the dazzle. We adjust our <em>Speed <\/em>so as to create <em>Space<\/em> until we can see the road ahead clearly again; Speed, Surprise and Space working together in balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Becoming a better driver means taking an explicit decision to continuously learn from these driving encounters. The more we apply the Model when driving, the more our control of risk becomes intuitive and the safer we become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>An Example In Which &#8216;Surprise&#8217; is Prioritised <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We noted above that, when it is properly understood, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Surprise<\/span> is probably the biggest source of danger on the road, so let&#8217;s start with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three types of surprise and all are equally deadly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Received Surprise<\/span> &#8211; Someone surprises you. <br>(Antidote: <em>Anticipation<\/em>)<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Given Surprise <\/span>&#8211; You surprise someone else. <br>(Antidote: <em>Being Predictable<\/em>)<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Self-inflicted Surpirise<\/span> &#8211; You cause yourself to be surprised <br>(Antidote: <em>Having Specific Intentions<\/em>)<br><br>So, Surprise isn\u2019t just about what people do to you, it\u2019s as much about what you do to other people and what you do to yourself. Only vigilant observation plus skilled interpretion of what we are seeing and sensing all around us will keep everybody out of harms way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We further noted that increasing <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Space<\/span> dramatically lowers risk. And so if we have used our powers of observation and interpretation correctly, and given space to danger, we will create a safety buffer against collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we assessed these element correctly, and applied the maxim that our choice of speed should be very objective, a <em>safe speed<\/em> in every situation becomes a consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Problem With Having To Relinquish Control Over Speed To A Speed Limit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are currently in the midst of a trend which is seeing speed limts set unnecessarily low throughout the UK for ideological reasons masquerading as safety. This irrational speed limit setting is part of a globalist agenda designed to make driving irksome and unattractive in order to get cars off the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with relinquishing control over speed to a speed limit from the Risk Model perspective however is that Speed becomes separated from Surprise and Space, and therefore&#8230;..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Fixation on<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>speed in isolation leads drivers to wrongly assess risk. <\/em><\/strong><br><strong><em>It destroys the possibility of achieving the balance required by the Risk Model <\/em><\/strong><br><strong>and <em>thereby sub-optimises safety. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bottom Line &#8211;  Do Not Infantilise The Majority Because Of A Minority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because drivers face a unique and dynamic combination of circumstances behind the wheel, they must be afforded full control over their decision making, seeking to keep the three risk factors <em>in balance<\/em> in order to keep themselves and others safe. <br><br>After all, having been awarded a full licence to drive after a DVSA approved test, people have a reasonable expectation that the State will treat them like grown ups and trust them to process information correctly in accordance with their training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully the overwhelming majority of drivers can be so trusted and it is only a small  minority who, for whatever reason, cannot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If government is really concerned about improving road safety therefore, the system should be geared to raising the driving standard in the first place and offerring additional help to those that the police identify could benefit from remedial training or else need to be taken off the road. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1022\" height=\"1022\" src=\"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1698\" style=\"width:278px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1.jpg 1022w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Picture4-1-624x624.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Our Reform 2 addresses the first point and the  restoration police patrols (Reform 3) will weed out the genuinely rogue drivers who are incapable or unwilling to become better drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not the job of the State, however, to seek to micro-manage peoples&#8217; driving as a substitute for fulfilling its own responsibilities, attempting to usurp control of driver&#8217;s decision-making behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By setting speed limits unreasonably low, the personal responsibilty for choosing a safe speed is stolen from all drivers by the nanny State. Yet the driver is still held responsible when things go wrong and &#8220;the State&#8221;, which cannot possibly be aware of the prevailing circumstances, simply washes its hands of any responsibility. This is an intolerable situation which cannot be allowed to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is that the overwhelming majority of drivers are sensible people who if properly trained should be trusted to choose a safe speed for the circumstances. Let them do so acknowledgeing that crashes will still happen from time to time as a simple fact of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How much safer would we be however if the dynamics of the Risk Model were to be drilled into learner drivers and their thinking skills tested explicitly in a driving test?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Conclusion <\/span><\/strong><br><br><strong>Obsessing About Exceeding Speed Limits Is A Dangerous Smokescreen<\/strong><br><strong>It Detracts Attention From The State&#8217;s Responsibility <\/strong><br><strong>And The Thinking Skills That Drivers Really Need  <\/strong><br><strong>Thereby<\/strong> <strong>Doing Drivers and Crash Victims an Enormous Disservice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em><strong><s>Speed Kills<\/s> or <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Better Driving Saves Lives<\/span><\/strong><\/em>? <br><strong>You Decide<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The purpose of this Campaign is to reduce the risk of all crashes regardless of severity. Our starting point is to deeply undertand the root causes of crashes as viewed through the uncompromised lens of the Mind Driving Risk Model. Only by doing so will we gain a cool-headed appreciation of the role of speed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-281","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=281"}],"version-history":[{"count":80,"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1758,"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281\/revisions\/1758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterdrivingsaveslives.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}