Driving Lessons - What is scanning.

Scanning for hazards

Scanning means taking in the whole scene 360 degrees around your car. This is a key hazard perception skill that drivers need to use to avoid crashes.You need to scan constantly for hazards when you drive.

Effective scanning means constantly moving your eyes and/or your head when driving so that you can detect hazards that may arise ahead, to the sides and behind your vehicle. Research shows that new drivers are not good at scanning.They tend to focus on the road just ahead of their car. The good news is that new drivers get better at scanning with practice.

How to scan for hazards when driving

To scan effectively you need to move your eyes, your head and perhaps your upper body to get a good view of what is going on right round your car.

This means that you need to look out of the windscreen and the side windows to see what is shaping up ahead and to the sides. You also need to use your mirrors to see what is behind you. But your mirrors can’t cover all of the view behind. You always have “blind spots” – areas not covered by your mirrors. To check your blind spots you need to turn your head and look out the side windows.

Blind spots will be different on each vehicle that you drive. Vehicles such as vans or trucks often have more blind spots than passenger cars. Checking the blind spots with a head check is vital when you want to change lanes or when reversing.

A scanning routine

Experienced drivers constantly scan for hazards when driving. They do it automatically. To help you become better at scanning for hazards, here is a good routine to develop.

Look up to 12 seconds ahead. In a 50mph zone this means looking up to 200 metres ahead; on a motorway at 70mph it is up to 300 metres. Scanning this far ahead gives you a chance to spot hazards that are shaping up well in advance (eg a broken down lorry, an accident, the road narrowing to one lane). You will also have time to avoid them.

Scanning far enough ahead may mean looking through the windows of vehicles ahead of you to see what is happening. For example, by doing this you will know in advance if a car ahead is braking as you will see the brake lights come on several cars ahead. This gives you more time to brake if you have to. Scanning means that you are not just looking at the vehicle immediately in front of you.

Looking ahead also means scanning from side to side for hazards on the roadside or at junctions. Hazards may be parked cars, cyclists or pedestrians. Effective scanning means keeping your eyes and/or your head moving and not concentrating on just one spot.