Smith system of driving?

[masraum]

I didn't want to derail Don's thread. This doesn't sound "special." What's "Aim high" mean? Look ahead? Why is this system so special?

Originally Posted by bkreigsr

..for those not familiar with the Smith System...
(....I took driver's ed in 1963 )

Five Rules of the Smith System:
1. Aim High. The first rule for this method is “Aim high in steering”. ...
2. The Big Picture. “Be aware of your surroundings at all times” may seem obvious to say, but distracted drivers are. ...
3. Keep Your Eyes Moving. ...
4. Leave Yourself an Out. ...
5. Make Sure They See You.

Don - consider yourself very lucky the Dodge was able to lock up the brakes on that monster.

Bill K

Originally Posted by DonDavis

I was actually a Certified Smith Instructor for over 10 years.
The training included ~38 items to mention during a 12 minute Demonstration Drive.

The "keys" are...
Aim high in steering
Get the big picture ( this is where I failed in this case. Had I checked about 3 seconds sooner, it prob would've had a different outcome. )
Keep your eyes moving
Leave yourself an out
Make sure they see you

Mnemonic...
All
Good
Kids
Love
Mom

Or my fav...
All
Gorillas
Kill
Little
Monkeys

I think follow on Driver Training is one our country's biggest shortcomings. Just look at lane merging. How is the zipper approach so lost on so many drivers?
New drivers get "trained" and let loose at 16 yrs old. They have 1000 other more important things than listening to "how to drive". "Whats so hard? Turn key, push gas!"
Then never, ever get any additional training.
Yet, everyone says the same thing. "People can't drive at all! They all suck!" and things like "I'm an excellent driver."
Well, where do the folks that say that fit into that statement? I'll say it, they suck too. And just because a guy is car enthusiast does not automatically, in any way, make them a "good" driver.

And don't confuse being a master at "operating" a vehicle with being a "good" driver.

Lastly, Smith is for seasoned drivers. Not newbees. Takes real dedicated practice to master.

[Eric Hahl]

Five Rules of the Smith System:
1. Aim High
The first rule for this method is “Aim high in steering”. Staying alert of the dangers and traffic

ahead not only avoids rear-end collisions, but also alerts other drivers behind your vehicle to slow down. The driver should steer and focus their attention high, so as to view the road as whole and not just a few feet ahead.

[Evans, Marv]

Back in the '80s, I got a ticket for something - can't remember what for now. I elected to go to the one day driving class to get the fine waived and point on my insurance forgiven, again I think that was the situation. The one thing I did appreciate was the instructor going over the Smith System of Driving, which I'd never heard of before. It was all common sense, but bringing it out point by point brought clarity to it. One thing I've done since then was always be aware of putting the vehicle in the location giving the most space from the other vehicles.

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by masraum

I didn't want to derail Don's thread. This doesn't sound "special." What's "Aim high" mean? Look ahead? Why is this system so special?

LMGTFY...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=smith+system+driver+improvement&t=ffab&atb=v250-1&ia=web

First result...

https://www.drivedifferent.com/

Way too complex to try and cover on a thread here. But I'll try a bit.

My Certification class was 40 hours with 7 total students. We drove a 15 passenger van every day, all day, except for lunch and talking topics in various parking lots.

Each passenger position was assigned specific things to look for. And we rotated after each driver change. No freeway, all surface streets in metro Phoenix. All types of traffic.

Three goals for the system.
Space, Visibility and Time.

Space around the vehicle, Visibility for the Driver, and Time to react.

Using the 5 keys, AGKLM, we achieve those goals.

A- look ahead 15 seconds minimum.
G- scan a mirror every 8-10 seconds
K- avoid "blank" and "fixed" stares. Keeps your eyes fresh to receive data.
L- always have an exit
M- use lights, flashers, signals and horn


I show this in my classes. It was made in 1950 but is every bit applicable today.




Now, go get 'em.

[masraum]

OK, so nothing really new or amazing. Just how it should be.

My dad taught me, if you're on a road with 2 lanes and a nice shoulder, stay in the right lane, because then you can move to the left lane or shoulder instead of hitting something or going into oncoming traffic (depends upon conditions, obviously). If it's 3 lanes, like a highway, then stick to the middle lane because that will give you a lane in either direction in case you need to avoid something. So he taught me to always think about having someplace to go. And the rest was also taught from my dad (had been a cop, so probably had some training) and driver's ed, don't watch right in front of you, watch down the road, be aware of everything around you, front sides and rear, don't zone out, etc...

I just didn't get it with the fun mnemonic or fancy name.

Thanks

[Jeff Hail]

Who can forget "Space Cushion Driving"? Smith got it right, it works. If everyone did it we would not have traffic.

[SCadaddle]

Learned the "Smith System" one day on "Safety Day" working for the subsidiary company of a large petroleum outfit. Also had to learn and demonstrate CPR. When one of the old guys was blowing up the doll he had to quit with a puzzled face and when we asked him if he was ok all he could say was "My DAMN teeth are coming out!"---his dentures! I laughed so hard I nearly pissed myself and nearly a candidate for CPR myself!

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I elected to go to the one day driving class to get the fine waived and point on my insurance forgiven,

Sounds a bit like me back in the day. I got ordered by the courts to attend a defensive driving course. As a teen I thought "Attend , the way I came around that corner sideways, perfect balance in my Ford Escort, I should be running the course. NOT attending." So I didn't turn up. I went to America instead.

[mattdavis11]

I grew up down the street from a family of Smiths, they were terrible drivers. and boaters, but at least one of them could shoot. When you hear "this is CNN", he's the voice, and the good one.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by masraum

I didn't want to derail Don's thread. This doesn't sound "special." What's "Aim high" mean? Look ahead? Why is this system so special?

Had same thought..
It all sounded to me like a very fancy way of describing "defensive driving".

I mean, you can call anything a system if you take some common sense about some abilities
Brake it up
Slap a bunch of terminology and phraseology to it
And then devise a way to sell and or teach it.

But in the end, it's just common sense to others.

But we know, common sense isn't as common.. so perhaps some folks need a system instead.
Stop thinking for yourself and just program yourself to follow a system

[DonDavis]

Harold Smith created this in the late 1940s, long before seat belts were a thing.

This is not some recent development in driver education. First attempted teaching new drivers, but quickly realized they didn't have the seasoned skills to effectively implement the Keys. Then in 1952 he began training trucking companies and many other types of drivers.

It's not for beginners. And seasoned drivers need to really practice this to do it properly.
I've seen folks have a really hard time with timing and smoothness. A lot of my classes were Refresher events. Some folks simply do not have the talent and others just don't care.

And yes, bad drivers will have the same types of collisions and wonder "why me"?

[masraum]

On a related note, many years ago, I remember reading something, I think here, where someone said as they were teaching new drivers (I think their kids) they would have the driver maintain a running dialog of things that they saw ahead that might be issues, ie "there are multiple cars parked on the street where someone could step out. THere's a car approaching a stop sign that might not stop. there's a car coming up behind us going faster than we are. etc..."

I thought that was an excellent idea. It would train a new driver to be alert and watchful, and would keep their mind on the task at hand.

[GH85Carrera]

On two occasions over the many years I have been driving I saw something way ahead that made me slow way down, and I watched traffic right next to me crash right into the pileup ahead. On a regular basis in regular city traffic I can see the light ahead turn yellow, so I let off the gas and start slowing down. While others either run the light, or make emergency stops.

On many occasions I the light turns green and I start to go, and then see some idiot running the light, and I stop, even though I have the green light. I saw the car next to me miss a very bad crash by inches.

There are almost no "accidents" they are crashes. 99.99% due to bad driving. Driving too fast for conditions, or total inattention.

I was at a full stop wanting to turn left into my office building parking lot. I learned to watch my rear view mirror more than the oncoming traffic. Some lady was reading the paper and was not slowing down in her Suburban. It was the first time I did a drag race start dump the clutch and maximum go in many years just to avoid a major rear end crash. She only missed me by inches. It is one reason I don't carry a gun in my car, because I would have shot the dumb broad as she went back to reading the paper and kept on driving.

[Otter74]

I've heard of the Smith System but have never been particularly familiar with it. When i was a teenager I somehow (I've long forgotten how) learned of the British book 'Road Craft', the British police driver's handbook. (https://www.roadcraft.co.uk/) I bought a copy and read it, and did manage to internalize some important lessons from it. This thread reminds me of the importance of continued training!

[bkreigsr]

I didn't know it at the time, but driving on the track and looking at the next two corners is 'aiming high'.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by bkreigsr

I didn't know it at the time, but driving on the track and looking at the next two corners is 'aiming high'.

yep, scanning..
and looking through things.

I come to an intersection, I've already scanned the crossing road as far as i can see at least 3 times left and right..
if there are houses or trees I'll scan the gaps

I drive on highway, I look through rear windows of cars , and their front windows, there's stuff to see there.
Dark and rain, I look at the side of the cars ahead and the armco, because you can see the brake lights of the cars ahead, they reflect.


This smith system
A- look ahead 15 seconds minimum.
G- scan a mirror every 8-10 seconds


that's not even close to my frequency and looking ahead.


A mirror?? should be EVERY mirror!!
And make that 3-5 seconds at most.


For all intent and purpose, I drive way to fast, hence my SA has to be 10 times better.

I typically know that a car ahead is about to change lane before the driver ahead has made his decision, simply because I can tell he's moving around while he looks, and based on his relative speed and position on the traffic around him.

My SA has to be on par, else I'd get speeding tickets every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Note I do not speed in built up areas or places where it's not sensible, City limits is off limits for speeding, A isn't safe B that's where cops spend most their time policing the speed

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by masraum

On a related note, many years ago, I remember reading something, I think here, where someone said as they were teaching new drivers (I think their kids) they would have the driver maintain a running dialog of things that they saw ahead that might be issues, ie "there are multiple cars parked on the street where someone could step out. THere's a car approaching a stop sign that might not stop. there's a car coming up behind us going faster than we are. etc..."

I thought that was an excellent idea. It would train a new driver to be alert and watchful, and would keep their mind on the task at hand.

That's what I try to do with my two teenaged kids. If I'm driving and they're in the front passenger seat, if we aren't talking about something else, I'll give them a running narrative of what's going through my mind as I'm driving down the road. What I'm looking at. What I'm watching out for. I keep the hot-girl-walking-on-the-sidewalk comments to myself, though.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Noah930

That's what I try to do with my two teenaged kids. If I'm driving and they're in the front passenger seat, if we aren't talking about something else, I'll give them a running narrative of what's going through my mind as I'm driving down the road. What I'm looking at. What I'm watching out for. I keep the hot-girl-walking-on-the-sidewalk comments to myself, though.

Now start asking them to take over for you. Get them used to doing the same.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Noah930

That's what I try to do with my two teenaged kids. If I'm driving and they're in the front passenger seat, if we aren't talking about something else, I'll give them a running narrative of what's going through my mind as I'm driving down the road. What I'm looking at. What I'm watching out for. I keep the hot-girl-walking-on-the-sidewalk comments to myself, though.

I have had exactly one wreck in my lifetime that was my fault. I was 16, and right in front of my school. Now remember back (for the other geezers) to the early 1970s and the length of skirts for the chicks. Our school required skirts or dresses for girls, and the skirt had to be no shorter than the tip of their thumb when standing straight and the arms at their sides. Now stand up, and rest your hands at your sides, fingers straight. The tip of your thumb was the minimum hem length. Lost of girls pushed that limit.

Back to my wreck. I was 16 year old ball of hormones. One of the hottest chicks in school was in a miniskirt that likely did not meet the dress code. For some unknown reason my attention was diverted from the road to her legs and skirt. Minimal damage, but right in front of school so everyone saw it.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have had exactly one wreck in my lifetime that was my fault. I was 16, and right in front of my school. Now remember back (for the other geezers) to the early 1970s and the length of skirts for the chicks. Our school required skirts or dresses for girls, and the skirt had to be no shorter than the tip of their thumb when standing straight and the arms at their sides. Now stand up, and rest your hands at your sides, fingers straight. The tip of your thumb was the minimum hem length. Lost of girls pushed that limit.

Back to my wreck. I was 16 year old ball of hormones. One of the hottest chicks in school was in a miniskirt that likely did not meet the dress code. For some unknown reason my attention was diverted from the road to her legs and skirt. Minimal damage, but right in front of school so everyone saw it.

Ouch!