I try not to be just fenced in by my ski tips and a few extra meters beyond them. I want the full picture and a maximum view allows me to move around more safely and efficiently. This seems to also be applicable to driving under winter conditions.
I recently read and article by Alexander George, from Popular Mechanics where he writes that to become a better winter driver, we just need to look where we want to go. He explains that our natural instinct is to focus where we DON’T WANT to go.
He explains that we do it, “Because our very reasonable instinct is to instead focus on where we don’t want to go. When the most urgent threat to your bodily safety and insurance premium is the car ahead of you or a guardrail, you watch that thing. But when you’re at speed, you involuntarily direct yourself towards wherever you’re focused. It’s formally known as target fixation, a term you’ll see in literature for fighter pilots and motorcycle racers.”
Instead, we should fix our eyes on the middle of the lane, at the spot you want to be several seconds later, even if that means ignoring the car in front of you. We should count on our peripheral vision to see any unexpected braking or road debris. Well whether you ski or drive this winters keep this powerful tip in mind!
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