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An interactive mini-game from JustPark has been recording drivers' reaction times and guessing their age by how quickly, or slowly, they react when asked to perform an emergency stop.
Tested on 2000 people of all ages, the game has thrown up some interesting statistics.
According to the analysis, the reaction time of regular drivers is 10% faster than that of non-drivers, people who slept eight hours the night before the survey reported the fastest reaction times (up to 20% faster than those who slept less), reaction time gets better with driving experience (drivers with one to two years' of driving experience reported a 27% faster reaction time than those who had a driver's licence for less than a year), people with higher levels of alcohol consumption reported slower reaction times - up to 20% slower, and those who had drunk more tea and coffee were slower to react by as much as 7%.
A quick reaction can be the difference between life and death when out on the road, and this survey is a stark reminder as to how that can be affected by our lifestyle, age, driving experience and what we eat and drink. What the survey doesn't cover is how other distractions, such as mobile phones and other in-vehicle technology can also slow our reactions too.
That aside, a safe driver does not really rely on their reaction times to stay safe. Instead, they remove the need to quickly hit the brakes or swerve by not getting too close to the vehicle in front, using hazard perception skills to predict the potential dangers ahead and driving at a speed suitable for the conditions.
It basically means that someone with a slow reaction time, who has left ample distance between themselves and the car ahead, and is constantly picking up clues to potential hazards, will always be safer than someone who is quick to react but has to rely on their instincts to stop.
Insurance companies and fleet operators will tell you that hitting 3rd parties in the rear, also known as rear end collisions, are the bane of their life. For many fleets, around 30% of incidents are of this type, and unsurprisingly the training provided to stop this type of collision doesn't involve educating drivers to hit the brakes quicker!
I'm not disputing the need to educate your fleet drivers about being fresh and alert to drive - which means not driving when tired, taking regular breaks and, of course, not drinking alcohol etc.
But if you're struggling with high numbers of rear end collisions, my advice would be to focus on hazard perception and observation/concentration skills as a priority, plus educating drivers about safe speed and following distances - all of which can be taught online, and at E-Training World we have a number of e-modules on these topics.
On a final note, a well-known phrase in the driver training profession is, "You can't crash in space!" It sounds very obvious, but if you leave yourself with plenty of space on the road there's very little for you to react to!
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