Traffic awareness is extremely important and it goes further than just following the rules. Traffic awareness mainly includes anticipating the environment
When the traffic light turns green, this means you may start driving. There's a good chance you'll do this too, often without paying further attention. Only "green is right of way" is a big misconception in traffic.
The most common danger signs Danger signs have a very recognizable shape. The signs look like a white triangle with a thick red border. These signs
Traffic awareness is extremely important and it goes further than just following the rules. Traffic awareness mainly includes anticipating the environment and recognizing traffic situations so you can act well and safely.
Here you take into account different aspects of traffic at the same time. Think here of traffic rules, the weather, road conditions and other road users. It's an essential part during your theory and practical exam and good traffic awareness makes you a better and safer driver.
There are many circumstances that require extra alertness and perhaps an adjustment of your driving style without a traffic sign indicating this. Here it's important that you have sufficient traffic awareness to react adequately to the situation yourself. Some examples are:
Another road user showing risky driving behavior. It's important to be prepared for unexpected behaviors from other road users. You can follow the rules perfectly yourself, but if other road users drive riskily, it's important for your safety to anticipate this well.
Heavy rain or wind. Heavy rain reduces visibility and makes the road much more slippery. Your braking distance is longer and there's an increased risk of flying out of the bend. Strong wind also makes it harder to keep your car under control. Reduce your speed and keep extra distance.
Beginning twilight. Many cyclists don't have their lights on yet while they're already poorly visible. During twilight it's also easy to overestimate how visible other road users are.
Objects lying on the road. Sometimes something ends up on the road, this can be, for example, a branch or an object that another road user has lost.
Emergency vehicles and sirens. You must then give right of way to the emergency vehicle and quickly take an action that makes room for the emergency vehicle.
Unclear intersections without right of way signs. Here you sometimes have to pay extra attention and making eye contact helps to create a safe situation.
You're driving on a narrower road and a truck is coming, it has rained a lot and the verge is wet. That's why you can choose to wait a bit at a driveway and let the heavy truck go first.
You're on a priority road but another user comes aggressively from a side road. Being right is less important than being safe and here you can best give right of way to this road user to prevent an unsafe situation.
Traffic awareness asks that you assess the traffic situation in time and always anticipate. You recognize dangers here and you take other road users into account. So you're busy predicting the behavior of other road users, but besides this you're also decisive and clear yourself, which gives other road users better insight about you. This way you create a better driving experience for each other.
If you want to prevent mistakes, then practice enough with practice exams so you train your traffic awareness. If you've practiced a lot, you're also more confident and decisive. This ensures that you have more concentration left to act well. Improve your traffic awareness by:
Practicing practice exams. This way you can test yourself on your traffic awareness and prepare yourself well for the theory exam. At the exam you get all kinds of situations in which you have to indicate what the best choice is.
Following video courses. By following video courses you get a clearer explanation per situation so you get a deep understanding.
Observing traffic when you're a passenger. When you're a passenger, you can pay attention to how other cars react while driving. This way you can practice to get more insight.
