When people think of common sense on the road they immediately think of the hooligan type driver as an example where common sense is lacking. Since there are a number of other common examples they will be provided so that they are not overlooked.
In a line of heavy traffic , just keeping up with the car immediately in front is common sense. Dawdling along, unconcerned about the welfare of other drivers, presenting a continuing hazard, is nearly as bad a practise as trying to pass them all.
To arrive at an intersection in a situation where you have legal right of way and enforce that right of way regardless of the possible consequences is dangerous and unnecessary, and indicates an equal lack of common sense. This particularly applies where the car that should give way to you has no other car for some distance behind it. As you have slowed for the intersection anyway, it is easier and safer for you to allow the other car to continue its unhindered progress and move out after it has passed than it would be for you to push out in front, despite the fact that you technically have right of way.
To drive in the centre lane of a four lane road when the left-hand lane is clear is a good example of a lack of common sense. Even though you may be driving at, or above, the speed limit for the area, there is no justification for you playing traffic controller in an effort to make sure everyone else stays behind you. When you overtake a slower car you should move back into the left lane, when it is clear, to leave the centre lane free.
The same applies to long steep ascents where a single lane road widens to provide for slow-moving traffic. There are a great many drivers who think that 'slow-moving traffic' applies only to heavy trucks. On the highway, the 70kph driver will religiously stick to the centre lane, forcing faster cars to overtake on the left. When they do, he will blow his horn and shout abuse, suggesting that they are the drivers in the wrong. No common sense.
In the metropolitan areas many drivers will move from a parked position at the kerb to join a free-moving flow of traffic and having done so, accelerate ever so slowly to the speed of the surrounding traffic. The following cars, even though they may have had plenty of room when the entering car began its move, close the gap very quickly and then are forced to brake to avoid the slow mover. This begins a chain reaction that disturbs the flow of traffic for a hundred metres or more. When you enter a line of heavy traffic from any source, accelerate briskly to the traffic speed. That's common sense.
Then there's the driver who wants to turn right at an intersection with lights. He stops, logically, in the centre lane but does not yet give a signal. The following car, seeing no signal, assumes that our offending motorist is going straight ahead and falls in behind. Then, when the lights change, the driver at the head of the growing line, puts on his right-hand turn indicator and moves out into the intersection. The drivers in the line astern explode into a fit of righteous pique, and begin to shuffle into the moving lane disrupting traffic all the way down the line. Signalling your intention well ahead is common sense.
So you can see that lacking common sense is displayed many situations that have nothing to do with reckless speeding and hair-raising driving. The funny part about it is that it is so easy and satisfying to 'do it right' and so embarassing and dangerous to 'do it wrong'.
Being observant is the second of our six basics and it is far too little practised. Being observant means so much more than just being aware of traffic around you. You must watch anything that may have some bearing on your driving. You must watch the road ahead, both ahead and immediately in front of you, side streets, parked cars, children playing, pedestrians, cyclists and your rear vision mirror or mirrors all in an instant. On the open road, you must watch for animals, broken road shoulders, a change in the road surface, patches of water from cliff runoff, branches of trees, the traffic and any direction from which it might come, particularly from behind. If you are in a line of traffic, watch the car at least three in front of you. This will make you more responsive to the car immediately in front. By being observant you will be able to anticipate and this is half the battle in being able to take corrective or avoiding action.
Every section of road that you cannot see may present a new hazard and you must be prepared for them. You cannot see into dips or over crests so obviously it would be wrong to approach either with your foot on the accelerator. Lift off and have your foot hovering over the brake pedal and you will have saved half your normal reaction time if you should need to slow or stop suddenly. Try reading the curve of the road well before you enter a corner. If you can't be sure of its radius, go in much slower than you would otherwise.
On country roads, don't use telegraph poles to judge the curve of the road. They may follow the line of the road for miles and just when you are beginning to depend on them they will march straight off across a paddock while the road turns sharply.
You will have to agree that you cannot be observant unless you are prepared to concentrate. Lapses in concentration, at any speed, very often prove fatal. The job in hand when you are driving is of such magnitude that at times you should be concentrating as hard as you would on a game of squash or tennis or any of your favourite sports. You must drive quickly enough so that you are involved with your driving. This is usually a speed that feels 'comfortable'. You should not feel 'rushed' but neither should you feel 'bored'. If you pick the right speed you should find that you are driving at about the same speed as most of the traffic around you. There will be times when you should avoid conversation and turn off your car radio. In fact, if you are easily distracted you should not talk either to your passenger/s or on the mobile phone, or have your sound equipment on at any time. Leave that for when you stop.
Judgement is something you usually have or do not have. However, to an extent, it can be developed with practice. There are three things you have to be able to judge accurately, if you are to be a good driver. They are speed, distance and radius of the curve. If for any reason at all you have found that your judgement is not good, you should certainly never drive fast and, to compensate, you should concentrate harder. You can develop your judgement by estimating speeds and distances and checking your guess against your speedometer and odometer. Try it when you are on the beach or in a park- guess the distance to a certain point and then pace it out to see how close you were. To practise estimating speed, get hold of a stop-watch, tape your speedometer over and try to drive at a fixed speed over a pre-measured distance. Do not, however, do this on public roads in heavy traffic. Find a quiet bush road or a section of private road. In these ways you can improve your judgement and this, in turn will improve your driving.
Being able to anticipate the actions of other road users and, for that matter, pedestrians, is obviously another significant point. As we have already seen, anticipation follows observation. It sometimes almost requires a sixth sense to guess what some drivers are about to do. Everyone has had the experience of seeing a driver make a sudden turn with no warning or stop for no apparent reason. These people make anticipation very difficult but, if you watch closely, most drivers will give some warning of their intentions. A sudden look around or a shift in driving position, a flick of brake lights while he makes up his mind, any of these points should give you cause to anticipate some action and will prepare you for counter-action on your part. Anticipation will help keep you out of trouble. It will make you more responsive and a safer driver. it is a technique which must not be regarded too lightly.
The last of the basic requirements is courtesy- but it is far from being the least important. Courtesy comes usually with a pleasant disposition but people who are easily put out need to exercise self-control. Giving another driver their legal right is not only necesssary but also gratifying, particularly if they give you a wave of acknowledgement in return. There is no point in trying to get even with someone who causes you a bad moment on the road. Let them have their way and control your urge to get even; this will result in a feeling of satisfaction at your own tolerance of people who perhaps do not drive as well as you. When someone wants to overtake you, let them, no matter what the circumstances. If you think they are going to be in trouble with an oncoming car, try to make room for him to get in front of you. You know they were foolish to try it. There is no reason for you to bring yourself down to their level by keeping them out where they will be in real trouble. Your superior judgement and anticipation will enable you to decide for them whether they can make it or not and, although they will not show any gratitude, you have your satisfaction in knowing that your skill helped avoid a dangerous situation.
If you can master all the basics you are well on the way to being a good driver. But there is still much to learn and many points you must be aware of.