GET THE BIG PICTURE

[Music] before your eyes in a seemingly simple situation an accident is developing watch it's coming to the crucial point right now [Music] were you ready before it happened did you diagnose it in time as you move along in traffic your vehicle is constantly entering new situations each of these is full of details that make up a big picture your eyes should be snapping this big picture as it constantly changes to the front to the rear and to the sides in open areas where you can see farther down the street or Road your big picture should cover everything up to a half a mile ahead of you in city situations your big picture should cover at least a full block ahead when you drive your eyesight is working two ways with clear central vision and with fringe vision when you look 100 feet ahead all you see with clear central eyesight is an area about 5 feet wide at a thousand feet this clear portion is only about 52 feet wide you're clear central vision can be called identification vision your fringe vision is actually fuzzy and out-of-focus at the sides and at the top and the bottom of your view it is in effect a scanning device that helps you decide which objects you want to bring into focus your fringe vision works by picking up objects lights and movements in the upper lower and side range of vision it acts as a magnet for central vision and you quickly shift the clear central part of your eyesight to whatever has been caught by your fringe vision you do not notice that your fringe vision is not in focus your central vision and your friends vision together cover a very wide angle you get a big picture now but experts seeing requires you to move this big picture ahead continually and to concentrate on the situation your vehicle is moving into to build the big picture habit practice making your own predictions of how the traffic picture ahead of you will develop you should be able to tell specifically well in advance what others are probably going to do particularly in relation to what you are doing once you really become aware of the big picture and get the knack of predicting to yourself just how it will probably develop you can allow for any unexpected developments and you can reduce the number of surprises that may occur learning to get the big picture permit you to handle delays in your path before they affect your progress this way your driving is less tiring less nerve wracking and you get there faster and safer when you have the big picture habit you can almost always anticipate all the problems coming up and figure out your best moves in the whole traffic situation you can get yourself into a position to keep on going without strain one happy characteristic of the top professional driver who has developed the big picture habit is that he always seems to make the lights he proceeds along his route without a lot of starting and stopping because he is always aware of the condition of the traffic lights ahead but having the big picture also means that you're always ready for smooth stops and turns because you can see the need for a stop or a turn well in advance you got yourself set to do what is going to be necessary for example when you come to a point where you will obviously be required to stop you got your foot to the brake pedal and have it resting there lightly so that you can start a smooth braking operation that will bring you to an easy stop at the right spot the same advantage works for turns that you know you will have to make the big picture habit helps you to get down to a comfortable speed before it's time to turn and the turn is easy drivers who only see a small picture often find themselves going around terms at dangerous speeds drivers who are not in the habit of disciplining their eyesight to watch the big picture in driving may find themselves distracted by little pictures that are useless to a professional driver who is serious about what he is doing practicing the big picture habit constantly will help you to ignore scenes that are non essential to driving and will make your driving smoother safer and far less subject to quick emergency reactions your eyes should develop the habit of snapping the big picture in a full glance your clearer central vision being only a small part of your whole eyesight should never be focused on anything for more than an instant your vision should continually move around the traffic situation in a series of quick glances ranging across the front to the sides and to the rear you can master this important habit only with practice but you'll find it is well worth your while the third rule of experts seeing keep your eyes moving concerns itself entirely with this constant scanning process it is covered in a special training film of its own devoted to techniques of snapping the big picture constantly maintaining a space cushion is your best means of getting far enough away from the driver ahead of you so you can comfortably take your eyes off him and get the big picture whenever you find yourself in a situation where there is interference with your view of the big picture it is a wise move to drop back a little or change lanes or otherwise move to a position where your eyes are in full command of the whole traffic situation you can check this for yourself as a competent driver you will probably find yourself feeling very uncomfortable or hemmed in when you get into a situation where you have no space cushion and your big picture is blocked while you are driving it isn't always the bulk of the vehicle ahead that causes seeing problems some detail of the vehicle ahead or something in it may tend to attract your attention unless you have drilled yourself to see only the big picture specifically to get and keep the big picture you must practice proper spacing between your vehicle and the one ahead under normal conditions double the minimum spacing usually recommended that is allow about two car lengths for each 10 miles per hour of speed remember that this is primarily for the purpose of helping you to see the big picture with plenty of room to get the big picture you automatically have enough time and space to maneuver safely while watching situations develop a lot of other drivers you can adjust your own speed and direction to avoid trouble on the highway the big picture method calls for you to pull out into the passing lane while you are still well back of the other vehicle this gives you safe space to build up passing speed and both time and space to pull back into your lane if you see that oncoming traffic will make it necessary training your eyes to snap the big picture includes the use of some little tricks that help you to be aware of the probable next movement of vehicles around you a clue comes from the relationship of the front wheels to the road once you have the big picture habit you will always include in your glance a picture of the front wheels of other vehicles not only at the time you are overtaking to pass but particularly when you are meeting oncoming cars that could possibly cross your path big picture discipline takes practice but it provides a positive system that assures you of continuous observation of the details that count when you are behind the wheel of a beer training your eyes to snap the big picture helps you drive with maximum swiftness and safety while avoiding strain and fatigue [Music]