How to scan the road with your eyes

If you're looking ahead you won't have to look down because you've already seen it. Just takes practice. I almost hit a moose the other day. It was dark out and I only saw a quick flash of the white of his hock and slammed on the brakes. Being vigilant is the best thing you can do

 

Don't sleep. White Line Fever gets you killed or someone killed.

Get to safety and sleep if you got it coming in.

The truck becomes part of me. I don't think about the truck. It does my mental command via my limbs. Sometimes fi the trailer breaks loose on ice and the drives scrabble, you calmly work though the aberaation depending on physics to overcome the problem before it gets too far.

When your mind kicks into a fight and flight fear for it's existence your eyes get really big, time slows down drastically and you have a thousand years before your rig goes off that pavement. What do you gonna do now Mister?

Yer it.

Some people go over unable to function. They are essentially a blob not doing anything.

Because they did not see that ice patch hiding in the shade of the tall pine on the downgrade curve ahead.

If you know it's the day for that scenario, you have won that battle a thousand times before your tires break traction.

Animals? THUMP.... aw that's too bad. Family pets? Now that's really bad. You run through everything possible in the last 7 seconds to impact. One decision I made was to turn the wheel for a mercy kill vs the head. It did not work out that well.

To do anything else endangers people on both sides. How did all of that set up? Well that's something you work out and try not to be in that situation again.

I can generally see things coming. And try to solve the problem. If I have time. If not? Im effed. And we will see if there is a future or not. Either way it's all taken care of in advance.

 

I spend the majority of my time looking in my mirrors and trying to see over the passenger corner for the Morons who like to play hide and seek with their Prius.

 

I find it easier, make that much easier in a truck than a car. I just look down the road and check my mirrors every now and then. A lot of guys ask me if I saw that bear or moose or whatever, well if it wasn't in or near the road, no I didn't I was not driving through the tundra was I. lol
If I am city driving, I keep a constant watch in my mirrors, I want to know if someone is in my blind spot at all times, just in case I need to swap lanes in a hurry.
When I rode a bike all the time I always knew if someone was coming up behind me, it saved my bacon a time or two.
There was a time in houston traffic, I was fine in a big truck or on my bike, but put me in a pickup or car and I was nervous. lol

 

I find it easier to see everything with a glance in the truck. When I am in a car it is always trying to look above and around things.

But scanning the road with your eyes is the same.
Never focus in the same spot for too long; keep looking around, and checking mirrors when needed.
On a lonely highway there is less need to check mirrors, unlike when in heavy traffic. Even in heavy traffic there is not as much need for mirrors if you keep what is in front of you - and what is coming in front of you from the sides - in focus, and maintain some stopping distance.

That SMITH system says to always have way out, and stresses using the mirrors so you see openings around you.
I disagree to some degree with that.

Changing your focus to the mirrors takes your eyes off of what is happening in front of you for a second or two.
A lot can change in 2 seconds.

Mirrors are for when you need to change lanes or see what is happening behind you, like when turning a corner. They should never be relied on for anticipating a gap you can pull in to a few seconds hence, because that gap can close very quickly.

The only safe way out is to see what is happening right in front of you, and respond to that in a safe way.

 

I just keep my eyes moving. Keep looking at any and everything. Make sure not to gaze at anything.
I also try to keep away from others. Won’t run in a pack of trucks. Just slow down. Let them go on ahead.

 

That is all fine and dandy, but I know you have had 4 wheelers close your gap while on their brakes before or rounded a curve only to find something dead in the road halfway around it. I like to always have an out beside straight ahead, if possible.

 

But as we all know, it is not always possible.

 

That's not real difficult, look down the road not at the road in front of your nose, dont forget about your cushion space in front of your nose, and check the mirrors every once in a while.