[Sn1p3r]

Amazing exemplary explanatory write up.

For someone who's driven in almost all the western european countries, I say driving in Scandinavia was toughest in winters and I was amazed at the Norwegians/Finnish/Swedes the way they drove (remind you they are fast) and still have such controls. I did my driving on Indian Driving License mostly on company/rental cars. In Sweden I always got S60 (2006-2008 ) models and only once I drive with winter studded tyres. It was an amazing experience.

We should have stricter license procedures, it will ease the traffic flow and there will be far less fatalities in India.

5* Anekho. Do wrap up the unfinished business and let the readers exalt your passing and enjoy with cheers your DL coming home

[anekho]

Risk Education - Part 1

One or two lessons after my return, J told that the time had come.

It was time for the first of two ‘Risk Education’ courses that one needs to pass before appearing for the final theory and driving test.

I was ecstatic. This really felt like a milestone and I was that much closer to getting my license!

Wasting no time I signed up for the course, named quite conspicuously ‘Risk education 1’. A course meant to humble any road racing/rash driving/Salman Khan () aspirations that the budding driver might possess.

So one week later, on a particularly murky Saturday afternoon I was at the Driving School, ready to attend the 4 hour class. This course was not taken by J but another teacher who, to be honest, appeared to be a very grim person.

There were about 15 of us registered for this class and as we filed in to the classroom he gave each one of us the *look* (the ‘you useless youngsters’ kind). After we’d settled down, he silently drew down the shutters, creating a heavy, dark ambiance in the room (as if the murky weather wasn’t bad enough).

And then he began, with this video:

Jacqueline Saburido: The Short Story - YouTube

Everyone had a lump in their throats by the time the film had ended.

Our teacher summed up the video quite effectively with, ‘Driving is a privilege. Not a right. Don’t misuse it.’

The lesson continued and our teacher delved deeper into being a responsible driver, and how the human body performs is influenced by various factors (like medicine, alcohol, tiredness). He would bring about a topic, setup a hypothetical situation, and then ask us to discuss and choose an appropriate answer. Also to pass the lesson, active participation was a must.

I thought I’d summarize some of the topics that the teacher brought up during the class in bullet form.

Stress

• Everybody has individual stress tolerance levels. Understanding how much stress you can handle is key.
• Contrary to popular belief, reasonable amounts of stress improve a person's performance.

The y-axis represents performance and the x-axis stress levels. As visible, some stress is good!

• High levels of stress can be devastating.
• As a driver reduce the stress of driving by allocating a sufficient amount of time for the journey and driving at lower speeds.Adapt a defensive driving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_driving) style.
• The condition of both the car and the driver matter.

Peer-Pressure

• Make sure that you are always in control - dare to stand up to others who want to influence your driving.
• Insecure people with low self-confidence are affected most by peer pressure.
• A mature driver makes his/her own decisions and knows how to handle pressure.

Vision

• What we see ‘directly’ (in full focus) is only 1-2% of our field of vision. The rest is peripheral vision.
• Peripheral vision is worsened by among other things alcohol, tiredness and stress.
• The difference between experienced and inexperienced drivers:

Experienced drivers mainly observe objects in motion. They analyze their surroundings more actively and can observe a much broader area. (first photo above)


Inexperienced drivers however, mostly notice still objects like the curb, parked cars, buildings etc. They also ‘lock’ their vision on one object and tend to ‘follow’ it. Additionally they observe a narrower area. (second photo above)

Ability to react

• Typically younger people can react faster.
• With respect to driving, experienced drivers react more quickly than (typically younger) inexperienced drivers. Studies reveal that experienced drivers, 45-54 years of age, have the quickest reaction times.
• Simply put: experience = foresight = quicker reaction times

Tiredness

• Tiredness reduces your ability to take decisions, concentrate, coordinate, react and understand.
• Plan your driving. Take a break after 90 minutes of driving. Maintain a cool temperature in the car. Avoid heavy food.
• Tiredness sneaks up on you. Listen to your body. Even a momentary lapse of concentration can prove fatal.

To round up the lesson the teacher played two more heart-wrenching videos, ending the day on quite a heavy note. Their message was clear.

‘Driving is a privilege. Not a right. Don’t misuse it.’

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by anekho

Wasting no time I signed up for the course, named quite conspicuously ‘Risk education 1’. A course meant to humble any road racing/rash driving/Salman Khan () aspirations that the budding driver might possess.

Very necessary for our romeos on road!!

Originally Posted by anekho

‘Driving is a privilege. Not a right. Don’t misuse it.’

Stress

• Everybody has individual stress tolerance levels. Understanding how much stress you can handle is key.
• Contrary to popular belief, reasonable amounts of stress improve a person's performance.

• High levels of stress can be devastating.
• As a driver reduce the stress of driving by allocating a sufficient amount of time for the journey and driving at lower speeds.Adapt a defensive driving (Defensive driving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) style.
• The condition of both the car and the driver matter.

Peer-Pressure

• Make sure that you are always in control - dare to stand up to others who want to influence your driving.
• Insecure people with low self-confidence are affected most by peer pressure.
• A mature driver makes his/her own decisions and knows how to handle pressure.

Very interesting I never knew the following ones!

Originally Posted by anekho

Ability to react

• Typically younger people can react faster.
• With respect to driving, experienced drivers react more quickly than (typically younger) inexperienced drivers. Studies reveal that experienced drivers, 45-54 years of age, have the quickest reaction times.
• Simply put: experience = foresight = quicker reaction times

Tiredness

• Tiredness reduces your ability to take decisions, concentrate, coordinate, react and understand.
• Plan your driving. Take a break after 90 minutes of driving. Maintain a cool temperature in the car. Avoid heavy food.
• Tiredness sneaks up on you. Listen to your body. Even a momentary lapse of concentration can prove fatal.

To round up the lesson the teacher played two more heart-wrenching videos, ending the day on quite a heavy note. Their message was clear.

‘Driving is a privilege. Not a right. Don’t misuse it.’

Originally Posted by anekho

Originally Posted by anekho

Fantastic points anekho! So how did you solid mechanics exam go? Have you finished your thermodynamics exams?

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by anekho

It was time for the first of two ‘Risk Education’ courses that one needs to pass before appearing for the final theory and driving test.

Hello Anekho,

Thank you for this thread. The information you have given here with your narrative style is in itself a great lesson for drivers in this part of the world. Many of the facts you have listed in your Thread are unheard of here.

It is amazing to see how much value Sweden puts on loss to Human life & property & ensuring that nobody gets a Drivers License by short-cut methods. I also the integrity of Teacher, who is committed to ensure that you learn all the Driving Lessons throughly & he too never deployed any shorts-cuts.

Given the system of issuing Driving License here, no wonder why India tops in numbers of Accidental Death every year.

Anyways what happened next? did you cleared your Risk Education courses & Final Theory & Driving Tests? Waiting to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

[anekho]

Gentlemen, the next post will be up by Sunday!

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

Amazing exemplary explanatory write up.

For someone who's driven in almost all the western european countries, I say driving in Scandinavia was toughest in winters and I was amazed at the Norwegians/Finnish/Swedes the way they drove (remind you they are fast) and still have such controls. I did my driving on Indian Driving License mostly on company/rental cars. In Sweden I always got S60 (2006-2008 ) models and only once I drive with winter studded tyres. It was an amazing experience.

We should have stricter license procedures, it will ease the traffic flow and there will be far less fatalities in India.

5* Anekho. Do wrap up the unfinished business and let the readers exalt your passing and enjoy with cheers your DL coming home

Thank you for the kind words, sn1per! Yep, driving on snow and ice has it's fair share of thrills

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Very necessary for our romeos on road!!
Very interesting I never knew the following ones!

Fantastic points anekho! So how did you solid mechanics exam go? Have you finished your thermodynamics exams?

Glad you enjoyed the post, Alphakilo!

OT: I've taken two of three solid mechanics exams with one more coming up in a few weeks. Also, I've got a Materials exam this Saturday :| Done with thermodynamics though!

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello Anekho,

Thank you for this thread. The information you have given here with your narrative style is in itself a great lesson for drivers in this part of the world. Many of the facts you have listed in your Thread are unheard of here.

It is amazing to see how much value Sweden puts on loss to Human life & property & ensuring that nobody gets a Drivers License by short-cut methods. I also the integrity of Teacher, who is committed to ensure that you learn all the Driving Lessons throughly & he too never deployed any shorts-cuts.

Given the system of issuing Driving License here, no wonder why India tops in numbers of Accidental Death every year.

Anyways what happened next? did you cleared your Risk Education courses & Final Theory & Driving Tests? Waiting to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

Thank you Jignesh; I'm glad you're enjoying the write up!

The Swedish government are constantly working towards a 'zero deaths in traffic' environment and statistically the number deaths per year are dropping. All the theory and driving that is taught is focused around this goal!

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by anekho

The Swedish government are constantly working towards a 'zero deaths in traffic' environment and statistically the number deaths per year are dropping. All the theory and driving that is taught is focused around this goal!

Not only Swedish Government, but the entire system is committed to 'zero deaths in Traffic' environment. By Entire system, I mean ofcourse the Government, the Driving Classes, the Teachers & the Students.

In your entire thread I have seen thing that everyone is honestly committed. The Driving Classes do not let anything to chance. The Teachers make sure that you learn Driving well & at the same time also ensure that you understand & implement the theory part every time you drive. Also the students take up the classes honestly.

With this committment from all the concerned stake holders, I am sure Sweden will achieve "Zero deaths in Traffic", if not it will surely have least road accidental death figures in the World.

I have visited couple of countries in Europe & I was really impressed by the traffic manners displayed by everyone on the roads

Thanks,

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by anekho

Gentlemen, the next post will be up by Sunday!

The Swedish government are constantly working towards a 'zero deaths in traffic' environment and statistically the number deaths per year are dropping. All the theory and driving that is taught is focused around this goal!

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Not only Swedish Government, but the entire system is committed to 'zero deaths in Traffic' environment. By Entire system, I mean ofcourse the Government, the Driving Classes, the Teachers & the Students.

In your entire thread I have seen thing that everyone is honestly committed. The Driving Classes do not let anything to chance. The Teachers make sure that you learn Driving well & at the same time also ensure that you understand & implement the theory part every time you drive. Also the students take up the classes honestly.

I have visited couple of countries in Europe & I was really impressed by the traffic manners displayed by everyone on the roads

This is exactly what I have been saying for quite a while now! That is, in India, its not just the system that has to change, but also our mentalities towards being a part of that system and contributing to maintain that system should change. I dont think that if India adopts the rules from Sweden in giving driving licences, still it will in no way change the current situation! And when the mentality of individuals change, I believe, even with our current system(of course better driving techniques should be taught or made mandatory to be taught by the driving schools), then for sure we will see a lot of change. Discipline instilled through fear will lead to uproar! rather imho, discipline has to come from within oneself.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

This is exactly what I have been saying for quite a while now! That is, in India, its not just the system that has to change, but also our mentalities towards being a part of that system and contributing to maintain that system should change. I dont think that if India adopts the rules from Sweden in giving driving licences, still it will in no way change the current situation! And when the mentality of individuals change, I believe, even with our current system(of course better driving techniques should be taught or made mandatory to be taught by the driving schools), then for sure we will see a lot of change. Discipline instilled through fear will lead to uproar! rather imho, discipline has to come from within oneself.

Hello AlphaKilo,

Thank you for sharing the opinion.

Yes. You have hit the Bull's Eye. All policies, rules & regulations are in place in India. Infact in Mumbai earlier (when licenses where issued as a Booklet) it was clearly written on License that "Driving is a Priviledge & not a Right", but nobody seems to understand this fact.

But first most important, the mentality of people has to change. When we in India start "respecting" other's time, property & lives, things will improve. What we see on Indian Roads is utter lack of Respect for others. People are always in a hurry to reach their destination at shortest possible time & lowest possible Cost. So they always jump signals, cut lanes & never think of others (& self) safety.

Thanks,

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

... Discipline instilled through fear will lead to uproar! rather imho, discipline has to come from within oneself.

The law has to take a lead. Believe it or not, both seat-belt and drink-driving laws were seen by many in UK as big intrusions into civil liberty. Now that attitude is totally changed among the vast majority.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The law has to take a lead. Believe it or not, both seat-belt and drink-driving laws were seen by many in UK as big intrusions into civil liberty. Now that attitude is totally changed among the vast majority.

sir, not starting an argument(we both are on the same side!) and before i am deemed going OT,
you are correct! Law should take the lead, but then why do people follow it in UK now, is it because they are afraid of their police/fine or have they realised the importance of seat belts and dangers of driving under influence? I believe the latter is the answer! And all I want is the latter to happen and for that to happen, as you said, Law should be in place. But my point is, when we are not following whats already in place, what is the point in adding more text to the rule book? And always there will be a group who will rebel against any rule/law made! We are worried about the majority. And especially in chennai, we have people with so much courtesy that they tend not to give way to ambulances/emergency services or trail them to reach their destination faster! Which rule/law will curtail this from happening?

I am sorry for going too much OT!

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The law has to take a lead. Believe it or not, both seat-belt and drink-driving laws were seen by many in UK as big intrusions into civil liberty. Now that attitude is totally changed among the vast majority.

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

And especially in chennai, we have people with so much courtesy that they tend not to give way to ambulances/emergency services or trail them to reach their destination faster! Which rule/law will curtail this from happening?

Hello Anekho,

I apologize for going off topic again.

Hello Thad & AlphaKilo,

That is exactly what I have posted above. It is not about any rule book or fear of law /police. It is about respect (Change of Mentality).

Once people start respecting others time, life & money (property), roads will be safe in India. Be it Chennai, Pune, Delhi or Mumbai, somehow people in India seem to be in never ending hurry to reach their destination. Ours would be probably one of the few Countries in World, when people speed their vehicles the most on seeing Green signal turning Amber.
AlphaKilo's above example (of ambulance in Chennai) is a classic example of our lack of Respect for others lives. Instances like this are visible in every Indian city each & every day.

Anyways, let us not hijack the thread here & wait for Anekho's next post on his experience in getting Swedish Driving License.

Thanks,

[anekho]

Eco-Driving

If there’s one thing the road authorities in Sweden love promoting, it’s eco-driving. And rightly so. Fossil fuels won’t last forever and baby polar bears are growing up in warm, ice-less environments. We’ve all heard Al Gore say so.

I digress.

While some driving instructors teach you eco-driving in hurried manner just so that the student passes their test, General J was a strict eco-driving advocate. His heart bled for the cause of baby polar bears and this was evident from the emphasis he laid on the matter.

J never had one specific lesson on eco-driving (many schools adopt this approach). Instead it was a constant drone.

‘Aneesh, what gear are you in?’

‘Aneesh, why did you brake there? If you slowed down earlier you wouldn’t have had to touch the brakes at all!’

‘Plan in advance! Scan the roads.’

‘Aneesh. STOP revving. You’re at a red light.’ (This was on a hot autumn evening when I thought I could impress some very pretty girls by revving the Volvo’s diesel heart. Ended up making a racket, upsetting J and scaring a dog )

While the enthusiast in me was somewhat fed up with all this green advice (hey, I’m a vegetarian and our family car is a Prius - isn’t that enough?), in hindsight, I truly appreciate J’s effort. He wasn’t just ingraining eco-driving into my mind, he was moulding my driving style into a defensive one. Essentially, eco-driving and defensive driving go hand in hand - they’re the same thing.

My theory book summarized the whole eco-driving chapter elegantly into the following points:

• Use the first gear for a maximum of two car lengths and then upshift. DON’T drive in the first gear.
• Shift up as early as possible (without lugging the engine).
• Skip gears.
• Release the accelerator well in time.
• Don’t rev unnecessarily.
• Avoid stopping.
• Avoid dumping the clutch early to stop - engine brake instead.
• When accelerating, accelerate firmly and then cruise. Avoid bursts of acceleration.
• Scan the roads while driving. Discover dangers early.
• Plan your route in advance.
• Leave early. Don’t stress.
• Make sure your car is in good mechanical condition.
• Make sure your tires are in good condition and have the correct pressure.

The book also states that adapting these methods actively will result in a 20% improvement in FE. Worth a shot, no?

[anekho]

Of Curvy Roads and the Stop Sign

'Today we hit the country roads!' exclaimed J in a remarkably southern, wild-west accent one evening. The majority of the last few weeks had been spent in the city and it was time to move on.

Country roads (or landsvägar, as they’re known) are single lane, divider-less roads that cut through the countryside, connecting the smallest of dots that one would find on a map. They’re fairly fast paced (typically limits of 90 km/h) and overtaking is common - exciting stuff then.

As we steered out of the city the usual question-followed-by-questionable-answer session () ensued and soon enough we were on a landsväg.

Doing 90 km/h was nice. The Volvo was chugging along nicely in 6th gear, merely ticking over. The road was curvy. Involving.

‘Plenty of animals out here. Especially small ones like rabbits or hedgehogs.’

I nodded. What followed next kind of shocked me though.

‘If a small animal come out onto the road, don’t try swerving or stopping. The road is narrow, the speed are high and we have several blind corners. Too many risks involved. Just run it over.’

This was uncomfortable. Running over animals was definitely not on my to-do list.

As we drove further J said it was time to introduce me to the hardest part of driving on a landsväg: getting on and off them.

You see, unlike highways, country roads don’t have exit lanes or ramps. They have narrow, narrow lanes that connect right up to them - most often perpendicularly.

This means exit and entry are slow - much slower than the pace of the traffic on the country road. So what does one do?

Getting off a landsväg

Be ready. And I can’t stress this enough. Be aware of your surroundings. Indicate early (and by early I mean like 200 meters early). Make sure that everyone around you is aware of the fact that you are going to turn off the landsväg. As you indicate, slow down gradually and move to the edge of the road (if you’re turning right). Do the slowing down by downshifting. Engine Braking. Dab the brake-pedal ever so slightly just so that the cars behind you know you’re slowing down. By moving to the edge of the road, you have given enough room for other motorists to, given the possibility, pass you. As your turn comes up, turn (but remember the correct turning technique - no clutching your way through this!). You have now successfully turned (right) off a landsväg.

This however is still a walk in the park. Turning left off a landsväg is somewhat more hairy. Because you never want to end up coming to a standstill on a landsväg, surrounded by blind corners and cross-continent truckers hurtling down towards you. It’s not exactly the most relaxed of environments.

When turning left, be *even* more aware. As you spot your turn coming up, indicate, slow down (as described above). Now however, you want to place your car right by the dividing line of the road. The middle. This means that as you slow down there isn’t enough room for traffic behind you to pass. They also have to slow down. So, one strives to adapt ones slowing down to the pace of the oncoming traffic.

Essentially you’re looking for a gap in the stream of oncoming traffic that will allow you to turn left without having to come to a standstill. Timing is key. Scan what’s in front of you, target the gap and be swift. And cautious.

Getting on a landsväg

Getting on a landsväg involves familiarization with a sign that we don’t see often in Sweden.

America’s sweetheart, lo and behold, the ‘STOP’ sign!



The authorities Sweden (and Europe in general) like to keep traffic flowing. Bringing a vehicle to a complete standstill and then moving off again, isn’t good for the environment. Which is why the ‘give way’ sign is used everywhere. Slow down, check, keep moving. The stop sign is a rarity, and hence when I encountered it for the first time, I didn’t really take it seriously!

This upset J.

‘Why didn’t you stop?!’ he exclaimed as he stomped down the extra brake pedal on the passenger side of the car (he didn’t use it often but when he did you knew he was serious). The car came to a halt just before we were going to get on the Landsväg.

‘Errr, I slowed down, saw no traffic and thought I’d hit the road!’

‘Always STOP when you see the STOP sign!’

The sheer simplicity of this instruction struck me hard. It made sense! Fair enough I thought.

He continued with an explanation:

‘The Landsväg is full of blind corners. Poor visibility. People are doing high speeds. Slowing down isn’t enough. Stop, make sure that you have enough time to complete your turn and *only* then proceed.’

And so we practiced stopping at the stop sign. Things like these might appear trivial, but the devil is in the detail and J made sure no detail was overlooked.

One satisfied, he decided it was time to join the Landsväg and head back to the school.

‘As soon as you are sure that you can proceed I want you to turn sharply onto the Landsväg. Try to stay close to the edge, and then accelerate as hard as you can up to 90. No eco-driving here. You want to be quick.’

This was music to my ears. My first rolling-start, pedal to the metal-ish, dash! I was psyched.

And so, on that high note the days lesson ended. We’d be continuing with Landsväg driving for one or two more lessons.

[anekho]

BONUS:

This is one of the pictures from my theory book on the topic.



Red line: turning off the Landsväg.
Green line: joining a Landsväg. (note the stop sign!)

[anekho]

Parking

‘Stopping correctly is just as important as driving correctly.’ said J one morning.

We would be dedicating a major portion of the day's lesson to parking.

‘The examiners WILL fail you if even if you’ve driven perfectly through your driving test but then park badly.’

And so we set off on a small drive through part of the city towards a parking lot J always used for this lesson.

It was non-descript, fairly empty and decently large. Perfect. We then began by J asking me to give him my best shot at perpendicular parking.

As I completed my maneuver (which in all honesty I thought was pretty good) J remained silent.

He then pointed out why he was not pleased with my attempt at parking:
- The car wasn’t centered. It was closer to one side of the slot.
- The car wasn’t straight. It was slightly diagonal.
- I had made several smaller adjustments back and forth - the maneuver wasn’t smooth, fast or effective.

‘There is room for improvement!’ J grinned.


I summarize below J’s top tips for parking:

Perpendicular Parking (forward)



Assuming you want to park your car (A) in the open slot between the red and blue cars do the following:
1) Approach as pictured (i.e along the parking slots on the opposite side)
2) Stop when your shoulder is in line with the rear light of the red car (as shown by the green line)
3) Completely lock the steering wheel.
4) Turn in and straighten the wheel.
5) Success!


Perpendicular Parking (Reverse)



Again, you want to park your car (A) in the open slot. Now however, you want to reverse in. Easiest way? As follows:
1) Approach as pictured (i.e along the side you want to reverse into)
2) Stop when your shoulder is in line with the center of the slot you want to reverse into (as shown by the green line)
3) Completely lock the wheel.
4) Move the car to position 1.
5) Now lock the wheel in the opposite direction.
6) Reverse the car into the slot (adjust the wheel as you do so) and straighten.
7) Success!


Parallel Parking

Parallel parking is something a lot drivers get nervous about. IMO, it’s a great test of vehicle control and nerves (try parallel parking on a street in rush hour!). It’s also known to be an examiners favourite part of the driving test.



So, now you want to park your car (A) in the space between the blue car and the red car.

1) Approach as pictured (i.e along the side you want to park into. Note try to be really *close* to the cars already parked.
2) Align the car so that it’s rear is in line with the rear of the blue car (as shown by the green line)
3) Lock the wheel completely and reverse in.
4) Stop when the front of the red car is completely visible on your driver side outer rear view mirror.
5) Now lock the wheel in the opposite direction and continue reversing in. Straighten when parallel to the curb.
6) Move the car forward if necessary so that you have sufficient space both in front of and behind your car.
7) Success!

PS: Excuse the illustrations. I tried my best!