This is a subject that needs no technical know-how, nor does it need any specialist skills to master. You don’t have to have an understanding of science, maths or psychology. This is something that every driver needs to be aware of and should always carry the thought of it in their mind everywhere they go, but very seldom does. What we are talking about here is Third Party Perception.

An understanding of what Third Party Perception is can be obtained by answering this straight-forward question. What impression does another driver or the ordinary person in the street form of you as an individual based upon the public display you give to that person through your driving style? If you are still having trouble with that question, let's put it like this.

Paul Thompson, a fictitious character for the purposes of this analogy, is a man who generally speaking is a responsible individual behind the wheel of a car. Yes he likes fast cars, but not having a high disposable income he has a mid-range family type saloon. He is a married man with young children and holds a responsible position within the company for which he works. A generally well liked, well rounded and respected chap.

One day Paul learns that he is to be rewarded for his work-efforts with the offer of a job promotion. Realising this will give him a better life style, and enhance his personal status, he is understandably excited by the news. By the time he reaches the end of his day at the office, and has been slapped on the back for about the 40th time by yet another mate who wants to congratulate him, he is very excited. As he jumps into his car his mind is racing with the thought of how his wife is going to be so pleased with him when he breaks the news to her upon his arrival home.

Paul drives across the office car park with a squeal of tyres, as he does when he exits the premises onto the road. With his favourite rock song thumping out on his in-car entertainment system he hurries along through the traffic growing ever more eager to reach his homestead.

Ten minutes into the journey our hero suddenly comes to his senses with the thought that he is perhaps becoming a little over-exuberant and that he ought to just calm down a little. Perhaps this may have been prompted by a 'moment' on the road that caused him some alarm. As quickly as the thought came upon him his whole driving manner changes. He reduces speed, turns down the stereo and generally takes on the air of the model driver; this being his normal self style.

Thirty seconds further on a pedestrian walks into the road in front of Paul's car and, not having time to react, he drives into her and causes substantial injury. There was nothing he could have done. All the advanced driving techniques in the world would not have made a scrap of difference even if he had been given those skills. The pedestrian merely timed the entry onto the road to perfection. It truly was not Paul's fault.

The Police and Ambulance service are now on the scene and Paul is feeling pretty sickened by his situation. He doesn't know whether to cry, scream or what to do. He is in some distress. One of the traffic patrol officers asks him for an explanation, at which point he can only seem to manage to put a maximum of three words together in one sentence as he attempts to describe how it was that he became involved. The officer leaves him in the capable hands of the paramedics, but as Paul is seated in the ambulance he notices another police officer talking to two other persons, both of whom seem rather animated in their manner. Paul can't hear them but they do seem agitated.

From the point when Paul left the office until thirty-seconds before impact he was driving in excess of the speed limit, had overtaken four other vehicles which themselves were driving at the speed limit, swung his car from one lane to another to weave through the traffic and did an 'amber gambler' job at a set of traffic lights. His antics overall were probably seen by 20-30 pedestrians, the occupants of the four cars he overtook, the occupants of a public service bus not to mention the many other people who saw him. In this situation how many people took notice of the last 29 seconds of Paul's drive? Not one, because there was nothing remarkable or spectacular about it. This is because Paul was driving sensibly and he did not draw attention to himself.

Reply to the Above

Having posted this subject upon the Ride Drive web site we were very pleased to receive an email from a Mr. David Colbhie-Welch. This is what he had to say.

After reading the web page in the Ride Drive Tip Offs series, whether by coincidence or not, I found myself remembering two previous incidents of which I had experience, one as a pedestrian and one as a motorcyclist.

In 1997, as a pedestrian, I noted a vehicle travelling at excessive speed in my local home town. Such was the manner in which it was being driven it really did catch my eye. Seconds after the vehicle disappeared around a bend it was the sound which this time that caught my ears! I ran the 100metres or so to view the tangled wreckage of that vehicle sprawled across the road adjacent to another that was firmly implanted into a lamp post. I called the emergency services and left my details as a witness, together with a description of what I perceived to be how the crash had happened, before going about my business.

Three days later the officer responsible for investigating the case visited me. I was comprehensively questioned about the evening of the crash. Questions relating to the vehicle type and description, my estimated perception of speed, distances involved and the general manner of the driving I had seen. I should add that in my previous career as a Vehicle Body Shop manager, the description of the vehicle as far as exact colour, model, year and even the question of the vehicle being manual/automatic was 100% accurate. As an ADI all of my comments on the driving manner were considered to be extremely accurate according to the findings of the accident investigator.

Suffice to say even though the incident happened out of my sight, the driver of the vehicle after pleading not guilty was indeed found guilty of Dangerous Driving and had a rather lengthy ban enforced upon him, mainly on the strength of my evidence. I really did feel that on this occasion justice had been done and in my absence may have left the driver receiving far less in the form of disciplinary action.

On the second occasion I was at a road crash scene where the driver of a Mercedes Benz had come into collision with oncoming traffic on a National Speed Limit two-way road. There were on this occasion many witnesses present. Fifteen minutes prior to this the driver of that vehicle had risked just a little too much in his efforts to stop me overtaking him at very opportune moments (I was on a Kawasaki ZX9R motorcycle). Yes I had wanted to make progress, not excessively so, but was forced to abandon many overtakes due to this man’s disregard for the presence of oncoming traffic, that I myself would have had no effect upon. On two occasions The Mercedes driver, after going for my overtake, forced oncoming vehicles onto the verge if not passing 3 abreast.

I remember saying to myself, "I don't care what performance I am on, I'd rather be a key witness to his accident than risk my own life trying to prove something to him.”

My services were not needed as so many other drivers were present for his finale. Anything I would have had to say would have been surplus to requirements.

Very Interesting web stuff, good sound free advice.

David Colbie-Welch