How to drive with a black box

Without someone there to remind you, it can be easy for your right foot to become heavy and your acceleration to become harsh. Remember - everything should be done with a certain finesse. Why accelerate firmly to then have to brake at a red light, or traffic ahead, when by just by looking further down the road and planning for what is happening next you can make your driving smoother? As an added benefit you will use less fuel and here’s the real surprise you will get there quicker – why hurry up to wait?

By keeping a safe distance between you and the car in front, you can avoid too many instances of harsh braking (and avoid your passengers getting queasy!). I’m sure nearly every driver has the two second rule ingrained in their brain. You never know when the car in front may apply the brakes, so you need to ensure there is a wide enough gap for you to react and stop. The 2 second rule recommends that you ensure you pass the same point more than two seconds after the car in front passes that point (if it is less, you need to slow down a little).

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given about driving was ‘have the confidence to drive slowly’. The first guarantee required to get somewhere quickly is to get there. Speed limits are just that, they’re not targets. To stay legal, know what they are, but to stay safe understand that at times we need to be well within them. Make sure you can see your speedo, search for the speed limit signs which are often hidden or placed where you are concentrating on other things, like the exit to a roundabout or as you turn in to a junction. Start actively hunting for them. It is a great feeling when you see a speed camera, know what the limit is and don’t have to take any action. Here’s a tip – even if you are going the speed limit, some drivers will brake anyway when they see a camera, so keeping that safe distance will avoid you having to brake too.

When you finish your journey try to view it through the eyes of your good old instructor. Would it have been a quick chat and then off or would you still have been listening for a while and feeling yourself reddening at the stuff you had (or had not) done? Even now a good few years into a driving career I still hear the voice of various instructors and mentors offering advice. Sometimes it is even as short as a ‘Richard, you know’ in my head and I know to press the reset button and revert to what I was taught. It’s easy to review journeys with the Marmalade Insurance App, which shows where you have driven and highlights how you’ve driven well and areas for improvement.

Don’t focus on driving for the benefit of the black box, focus on driving safely and for the benefit of everyone – extend the courtesy you would display face to face into your driving world. It is often said we change behind the wheel and sometimes the behaviour you witness bears this out. We all know how good it feels when other drivers show us kindness on the road, but also how scary it can be when others drive aggressively around us!