We have ways of making you Eco-safe

The Longxiang bus company, in China, has come up with a novel way of ensuring their drivers drive safely. Because “Passengers often complain that sudden braking and bad driving makes them really uncomfortable”, the bus company are hanging big bowls of water next to the drivers. This will “… discourage them from making any jolting starts, sudden braking or bad turns”. The bus company expects the water bowls to be full when the driver returns and CCTV cameras ensure the driver doesn’t top up the water en route. Genius. Many a wag has suggested that a sharp spike in the steering wheel will improve road safety more effectively than an airbag, but this is a much more fun idea.

In one of my first posts I mentioned a Polish pupil I had who was either too fast or too slow on his approach to junctions/hazards. It was only when I suggested that he was to imagine a cup of coffee on the dashboard - he had to get round the route before the coffee got cold, but without spilling a drop - that he got the idea.

Braking too sharply is a common fault among leaner (and experienced) drivers. This is may be caused by not correctly reading the road ahead, or by being under the impression that something catastrophic will happen if your right foot is not applying pressure to a pedal. The later you come off the accelerator, the more you have to brake. Result: More fuel wasted and more brake pads used. In the interests of being environmentally-friendly (and wallet-friendly), I try to encourage my pupils to read the road ahead and ease off the accelerator early if there is a potential for them to have to slow down (having checked their mirrors, of course). Not only will this save them a lot of fuel (and, therefore, money), but their passengers will feel much more comfortable. Even if you aspire to being a boy-racer, bringing your speed down early gives you more time to assess junctions/hazards, which often means you can be back on the accelerator when others (who have left their braking late) are still braking. By conserving momentum this way, you will need less accelerator (and possibly less gear-changing) to get back up to an appropriate speed.

I am now trying to think of the best way to adopt Longxiang’s idea. Perhaps a plastic beaker of freezing water secured to the top of the driver’s head restraint would do the trick. Sudden braking would send an immediate icy chill down the driver’s neck. Even with the balmy weather we have been enjoying of late, I think this would be an effective deterrent.

Now I need to come up with an equally genius idea to stop pupils caring what their friends think about their driving.