Did you know having good anticipation skills can reduce your chance of getting into an accident?
Anticipation is all about reading your surroundings and remaining aware by being alert. Becoming more aware of the road activity ahead will help you have more reaction time and additional space for safety.
How is Anticipation Measured in BlueTree Scorecard:
Anticipation: time between acceleration and braking – the goal is 1.5 seconds or more.
Anticipation measures the time taken before the brake is pressed after a driver lifts their foot off the accelerator. Large numbers of events of short duration (e.g. less than one second) show that the driver has to react too rapidly to events instead of the opposite, a controlled braking event.
In other words, slamming on the brakes would be given a high anticipation score and, if this happens repeatedly, could be a sign of unsafe driving or poor awareness of the road. However, easing off the acceleration and waiting for a period of time before braking afterward shows that the driver is coasting to a stop and is in complete control.
What Poor Anticipation Behavior Can Cause:
Wear and tear on brakes & tires: Not only does this impact driver safety but it can also negatively impact equipment longevity, increasing operational costs.
Poor fuel efficiency: When drivers are aggressively braking, it’s often because they don’t have enough time to ease off the acceleration and coast to a natural stop without wasting fuel. While improving road awareness can help to improve reaction time, Anticipation scores can show which drivers need to prioritize fuel economy.
Potential accidents: With long days, drivers are bound to lose focus from time to time. Anticipation is a way to assist drivers in identifying the habits that could be risky so they can work on changing them before an accident occurs.
Tips to improve anticipation behavior:
Key 1 Aim High In Steering
- Look ahead to where you will be at least 15 seconds (or more) into your future.
- A 15 second eye lead time provides advance warning and gives you an additional margin for safety.
- Use improved eye lead time for more efficient and economical driving.
Key 2 Get The Big Picture
- Position your vehicle in the lane of least resistance.
- Stay alert to the relevant information that can assist you in making well-informed decisions.
- Eliminate vision barriers by establishing proper following distance.
- Stay far enough behind other vehicles to obtain the visibility necessary to make your own decisions.