Bicycling Visual Skills

[Music] [Music] my brother's lucky he's learning how to drive hi Mike hi Karen what's up hi Ted we're just waiting for you you know Ted here's going to be driving that car by himself pretty soon I wish I was old enough to drive well you already are Karen really sure many of the skills you use to drive your bike safely are the same skills car drivers use say I have a new film on safe driving skills that I'm going to look at in the morning would any of you like to look at it can you meet me back here at 9:00 sure okay all right see you in the driver's education room see you later bye bye hey Mike come back here I've got something to tell you that you'll probably see in the film tomorrow but I think you need to know it now every time you come to a stop sign you should always use the slow down or stop hand signal then you should look behind you to make sure that no cars are coming then look to the left and always wi it's a three intersection look straight ahead to the right to the left again and then once it's clear you can go through all right okay let's [Music] go [Music] very good morning hi good morning I've got this all set and ready to roll take your seats Karen could you get the lights for me sure did anyone bring any popcorn [Music] driving any vehicle takes special skills and concentration let's put ourselves in the driver's seat you can pick whatever vehicle you want for your imag Ary trip to see what a skillful driver [Music] [Music] does all Vehicle drivers need good visual habits to drive skillfully this line is called the line of sight it's an imaginary straight line from your eyes to the object in the distance you're focusing on side Vision or peripheral vision is everything you can see on either side of your line of sight without moving your head everything you can see at one time is called your field of view look what happens to your field of view when you turn your head every time you switch your line of sight your entire field of view changes you can see more of some things and less of others there is always a lot to look at when you're driving any vehicle but if you increase your speed there is too much to look at let's take this trip again this time more slowly now you can see everything clearly and you will have time to react if something gets in your way learning how to deal with an overloaded visual field is just one skill drivers use there are many more your main focus should be on your path of travel but look around too look back and forth and glance quickly to avoid staring at one object very long accidents often happen because bicycle Riders forget to check behind them before turning or changing direction a rear viw mirror helps to check for vehicles coming up behind you if you don't have one slow down before you turn signal that you are turning check behind to make sure no cars have missed your signal and are about to pass you check ahead in the inter section for traffic check to the left and to the right then put your hand back on The Handlebar and check behind again to make sure it's clear before you [Music] turn hey hurry up we're late we're going to cream those guys this time you bet I hope I get to play first base I just hope I get to play Anywhere hey who do you think's going to pitch today I hope it's not [Music] melie get for bring it over here roll over this way Bo plat one you can cancel all the other cars we control [Music] okay let's move back out of the street please don't to have another intersections pose the most dangerous threat to all Vehicle drivers bicycle Riders should be especially alert when they come to an intersection [Music] look far ahead and aim high to pick out intersections coming up ahead of time and to look for other possible problems like Park vehicles in your [Music] path parked Vehicles can mean trouble another trouble spot for bike riders comes up when wide roadways suddenly get narrow if you are constantly checking far ahead you will be ready for these situations some dangers aren't as easy to see as [Music] others any large obstruction could be hiding a possible Danger large trucks buildings trees bushes and especially walls can hide another vehicle from your view rain or other bad weather conditions can cut down a driver's ability to see you it also cuts down your ability to see other vehicles if you must ride in bad weather slow down and be extra careful search the ground for changing Road surfaces your bicycle reacts differently to each one loose gravel is slippery bricks are bumpy adjust your speed to each surface to keep your bicycle under control look near to quickly determine Direction changes of other vehicles it's easier to spot pedestrians especially short children by looking at the ground between parked cars and watching for their feet all the skills we have learned so far concern using your eyes but your ears can help too we can often tell if a car is slowing down [Music] what speeding up or sliding out of [Music] control don't depend on your ears alone however always use a visual check to verify what you hear [Music] let's review the skills we've learned keep your main focus on your path of travel but look around too direct your vision search far ahead in order to pick out dangerous situations before you get there this will give you more time to react search the ground around you to determine road condition I conditions look near for sudden Direction changes of other vehicles use your ears for Clues too whether you drive a fire engine a Jeep a tank or a bike these skills will make you all better drivers [Music] this film told us to learn to look and listen to be more skillful drivers we've been told to look and listen for safety ever since we were in Nursery School that's true only now you're learning more sophisticated rules to go along with those words hey Mike how about unpacking this box for me sure I'll help great surprise is the one main element in almost all bicycle accidents and that's why we need to learn to look and listen so nothing will surprise us by being aware of dangerous situations and how to avoid them we're ready for any surprises and you'll be better prepared to drive a car when that time comes thanks for showing us the film Mr Mattis that was great you're welcome yeah thanks a lot I'm going to practice looking far and high and near and all that stuff see you tomorrow okay bye [Music] you [Music] I [Music]