WHEN TO GO
MERGING, YIELDING, AND OVERTAKING
HOW TO DO IT WELL
Certain drivers, in particular new drivers, encounter problems when judging the time and distance required to execute movements in traffic. In addition to that, it is important for your new driver to ensure that they leave enough room to complete the maneuver, thus decelerate or accelerate to the correct speed and keep a look out for pedestrians and immobile vehicles, when turning onto a street or driving straight across an intersection. Changing lanes and merging with traffic requires that the new driver consider keeping a reasonable amount of space around their vehicle. They must also remember to yield to oncoming traffic.
THE ROLE YOU PLAY
Lead you new driver step by step through the selection of gaps, through for e.g. having them select gaps for you when you drive and informing you whether the gap is safe or not. You can give your new driver a watch so that they can time the gaps.
When your new driver is driving, they should tell you which gap should be chosen prior to actually moving into that gap, and you reply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ before the move is executed. After you have practiced, your new driver should be capable to chose and move into traffic gaps of all kinds, evaluate decisions immediately and make suggestions when required. Your new driver should avoid taking unnecessary risks, and allocate extra space when performing anything for the first time, they should also be patient and await the best time to make their move. At times it may be necessary to change direction for e.g. if they encounter problems in turning left, they could change direction and turn right and make a U-turn when it is safe to do so.
Serious decisions are needed for passing, thus you have to choose carefully the time and place to practice this. To start off have your new driver become adept in overtaking vehicles on a multi-lane road prior to attempting overtaking on a dual-roadway. If it is possible, have someone else drive another vehicle so that your new driver can practice overtaking and being overtaken.
SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PROBLEMS
Controlled intersections or uncontrolled intersections are one of the most difficult skills for new drivers. Executing a right turn on a red traffic light is another challenge, one that you may merely advise against except when there is no traffic with which to merge. When your unskilled driver chooses a good gap in traffic, ensure that they accelerate to an appropriate speed as quickly and safely as possible. New drivers have an inclination to decelerate when changing lanes, which is the opposite of what they should actually do. Prompt your new driver to not decelerate in most lane-change movements. If your new driver is driving too slowly, an acceptable gap may soon become unacceptable. Observe to ensure your driver does not concentrate so much on making the correct gap selection that they forget to watch out for other road users.
IMPORTANT LESSON
Gap selection is a skill that must be practiced as it is difficult
- Maintain speed when moving into a gap.
- Practice on multi-lane roads.
WHERE TO PRACTICE
Practice overtaking on quiet roads with little traffic prior to attempting to practice selecting gaps in heavier traffic where your new driver will find more daunting gap selections for e.g. lane changing and overtaking. You can have your new driver choose gaps for you when you are driving so they do not have to follow through on them, then talk about what was correct and what was incorrect about those selections. Gap selection is a skill that should be practiced many times. Do as much of this practice as possible on side streets before moving into heavier and/or faster traffic.
