Driver reliability - this is his ability to accurately drive a car in any road conditions during the entire working time. The main factors determining driver reliability include his professional suitability, preparedness And high performance.

Driver suitability determined by health status, psychological and personal qualities. Health suitability is determined through a medical examination. Psychological fitness - this is a correspondence between psychological and personal qualities driving requirements. Often, driver qualities such as will, self-control, courage, determination, quick intelligence, speed of perception and reaction predetermine the outcome of a critical situation. These and other qualities that are important for the reliable performance of a driver are based on the peculiarities of the course of his mental processes, the material basis of which is the activity of the cerebral cortex.

Driver preparedness determined by their level professional knowledge and skills that are acquired in the learning process and subsequent professional activities. A well-trained driver has a wide range of automated skills that ensure correct and timely actions in critical traffic situations, which allows him to make maximum use of the technical capabilities of the car and control it accurately, with minimal effort; correctly assess and timely anticipate possible changes in the road situation and prevent the occurrence of emergency situations; accurately drive a car at high speeds, at night, in fog, with high traffic intensity, in mountains and other difficult conditions. Preparedness is also determined by the level of psychological preparedness of drivers, i.e., the formation of their mental properties that ensure the reliability of their work in any conditions. The success of psychological training depends on the methodological level of its implementation, the activity of the trainees in improvement and training, as well as the presence of the personal and psychophysiological qualities necessary for reliable driving. Lack of preparedness is the most common cause mistakes made by young, inexperienced drivers in critical situations, which often lead to traffic accidents. Therefore, improving driver training and increasing their professional excellence are the most important safety factors traffic.

High performance - This is a state of a person that allows him to perform work with high productivity and high quality indicators for a certain time. Has high performance great value to ensure driver reliability. With reduced performance, the driver may make gross mistakes when driving, which often lead to an accident. Performance decreases after taking alcohol, drugs, illness, fatigue, in a state of strong nervous excitement or in a depressed state. Maintaining high performance of drivers is ensured by the rational organization of their work and rest, as well as monitoring their condition before the trip and on the way. This allows you to promptly remove from driving a person whose condition poses a risk of an accident.

The main psychophysiological qualities by which suitability for driving cars is determined are sensation, perception, psychomotor reaction, attention, emotional-volitional reaction, operational thinking and special personal factors:

sensation - a reflection in a person’s consciousness of individual properties of objects and phenomena of the material world that directly affect the senses (sensations are visual, auditory, olfactory, skin, motor, vibration, etc.);

perception - the level of development of the senses, the accuracy of determining spatial relationships and time intervals, the speed of information processing;

psychomotor reaction - speed and accuracy of the driver’s reaction in critical situations, clear psychomotor coordination;

attention - wide scope and distribution of attention, his quick switchability and stability, correct organization of attention when performing a maneuver;

emotional-volitional reaction - emotional stability, high level of development of volitional qualities (self-control, determination, perseverance);

operational thinking - speed of assessing the road situation and making decisions, the ability to quickly make professional forecasts, good RAM and its readiness;

personal factors - activity and orientation of the individual, aptitude for technology, initiative, ingenuity, discipline, interest in professional work driver. Insufficient development of some psychophysiological characteristics of the driver can be compensated by the development of others and manifest themselves only in difficult road conditions, when preventing an accident and defusing an acute traffic situation depend on the speed of assessing the situation, the ability to apply driving skills, on the speed and accuracy of the reaction, self-control, determination and perseverance . Only the driver who can correctly and quickly assess the road situation, foresee its possible changes and never get into difficult situations, and if it is impossible to avoid them, defuse the dangerous situation as much as possible can be considered a master of his craft.

The driver gains experience and skill gradually, but other qualities of character - a sense of responsibility for the safety of other people, the ability to concentrate only on driving, endurance and receptivity to information - he must cultivate in himself from the very beginning of driving.

Among the main psychophysiological qualities of a driver, attention and speed of reaction to appropriate actions on perceived information should be especially emphasized.

Attention is the ability to focus attention on an identified danger object, make a complete overview of it and assess the situation. At average high speeds, the driver can view dozens of objects, but he can only examine one object in detail. It is important for the driver to be able to focus his attention in time on the main danger object, which may require urgent measures to be taken to prevent an accident. When driving, you must constantly evaluate changing road conditions and traffic conditions in order to determine a new driving mode in time.

One of the most important driver skills that ensure traffic safety is reaction speed - the body’s natural response to external influences.

The reaction process can be divided into three phases: assessing the situation, making a decision, and taking appropriate action. The driver's reaction time when driving a car is measured by the short interval from the moment of perception of danger to the beginning of actions aimed at eliminating it. Reaction time depends on the type of reaction - complex, simple and in a dangerous area.

When the vehicle moves in front of the driver, all sorts of obstacles and dangers may arise. To prevent the danger that has arisen, the driver must correctly assess it and choose the most effective action: stop the car, go around the danger object, drive past it at increased speed. This assessment together and the choice of course of action constitute a complex reaction.

The time for a complex reaction of the driver - from the moment a danger (or obstacles) appears in front of the driver to responding to it with an action that he did not determine in advance and for which he was not prepared - is 0.8 s, and in case of fear, ill health, fatigue after many hours of work - 1s of or more.

Simple, predetermined actions of the driver in response to any danger or obstacle are called simple reactions.

The driver can and should always strive to transform a complex reaction into a simple one. However, despite the fact that a simple reaction is faster than a complex one, its time (0.4...0.6 s), because it also contains time for the driver’s muscular movement - moving the right foot from the throttle pedal to the brake pedal .

The reaction in the danger zone has a special place. It occurs from the moment any danger (or obstacle) appears in front of the driver, for the perception of which the driver has prepared in advance, to respond to them with a simple, predetermined action, for which the driver is already prepared. What is the preparation? The fact is that the driver, having determined the location of a possible danger (or obstacle), prepares in advance to prevent it. Since the driver performs such actions at the entrance to a possible place of danger, this time (0.2...0.3 s) is called the reaction time in the danger zone. Reaction in a danger zone involves advance preparation for perception and action. The distance covered by the car during different types of driver reactions at a speed of 36 km/h is shown in Fig. 5.6.

Rice. 5.6.The distance of the car traveled during different types of driver reactions

The most important condition for many years of successful work as a driver is his physical fitness. It is known that playing any sport has a positive effect on the human body. The most favorable activities for drivers are gymnastics, sports games, skiing, swimming, rowing, and athletics. Playing sports contributes to the development of basic qualities useful in the professional activity of a driver. Playing sports such as table tennis, tennis, and shooting will help the driver improve peripheral and central vision and increase its sharpness.

The specific working conditions of the driver require him to have the same performance and good health throughout the entire change. Therefore, he should get a good night's sleep before work. He needs at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep in order to feel cheerful and physically productive.

When starting work, it is useful to perform complex exercises to coordinate the nerve centers that excite and directly control important functions. Systematic gymnastics helps improve health and improve coordination of movements.

A necessary physical training break, performed after 3, 5, 7 hours of driving. The purpose of a pause is to prevent the development of fatigue, speed up the course of redox processes, the ability to maintain a working rhythm, pace, and concentration. A physical break should be taken as soon as the first signs of decreased performance appear.

When driving for a long time on a highway, where there are no intersections at the same level with other roads, where there are no signaling (traffic lights) and you can drive at high speeds, a specific type of fatigue occurs - road hypnosis. It is characterized by drowsiness, inattention, malaise, aloofness, weakened reflexes, and slow reaction time. In this case, you need to stop the car, go out into the fresh air, walk and perform several physical exercises: turns, bends, rotation of the torso and head, bending at the waist, bending and straightening the arms and legs.

When executing physical exercise You need to remember that a small load has no effect on the body. The beneficial effect is achieved only with an average load. A fairly objective indicator for determining the degree of load is the pulse. With an average load, the heart rate increases by 30% (with a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute, the number of beats after moderate exercise will be 70 + 21 = 91 beats)

In order for the driver to ensure traffic safety in any conditions, he must strictly adhere to the regime of work, rest and nutrition. Traffic rules prohibit driving vehicle in a state of fatigue, if this state may affect traffic safety. Therefore, you can drive a car until fatigue sets in.

Extending travel time beyond 8 hours causes changes in the body even in experienced drivers. This is evidenced by the statistics of accidents, the number of which increases especially sharply after 10 hours of continuous work behind the wheel.

Between two long trips (up to 8 hours) there should be at least a 10-hour rest, which includes 7...8 hours of normal sleep. If the trip was long (more than 8 hours), then after it the rest should be at least 12 hours. Fatigue increases sharply in conditions of lack of sleep: drivers begin to fall asleep after 3...5 hours of driving.

An important factor in reducing fatigue is the use of short breaks during the trip. It has been found that short breaks after a relatively short ride are more appropriate than long breaks after a long ride. Therefore, it is recommended to take a 10-minute break after the first 3 hours of movement, and then every 2 hours. These breaks are best used for active recreation. When driving continuously for more than 5 hours, the required rest is 30 minutes.

A characteristic symptom of fatigue is drowsiness. Sleeping while driving leads to traffic accidents with extremely serious consequences. Falling asleep when driving a car occurs faster at night, most often between 24 and 5 am. Falling asleep is facilitated by the lack of normal sleep before a night trip, for example, when the departure time for tourist trips is set at 4-5 o'clock in the morning. Under these conditions, the driver goes on a long trip, interrupting normal sleep, and after 3-4 years of driving he becomes dangerously drowsy. You can go on a long trip of many hours only after a normal rest and good sleep.

In the hard work of a driver, his mental state is influenced by the ethics of his own behavior and the behavior of other road users, as well as the interaction of the driver with pedestrians. When entering the line, the driver from the very beginning must set himself up for a friendly attitude towards everything around him: let a driver who is in a hurry or a pedestrian pass, drive without haste or nervousness.

Modern driving schools instill in novice motorists throughout the entire course of training one irrefutable truth: the main thing when driving a car is to follow the rules of the road. Only then can you consider yourself a good car driver.

Of course, no one will dispute this statement that any . But in our dynamic times, with high traffic congestion, the driver today must have certain not only psychological, but also highly moral qualities. Since, only compliance with traffic rules does not guarantee the absence of an emergency situation and the accident itself.

The driver today, due to the weak preparatory level of driving schools, is forced to learn from his own mistakes, although popular wisdom claims that “ smart people learn from other people's mistakes." But you need to know what exactly to study.

There is a simple but very good test, allowing you to test yourself on the quality of driving a car. Namely, if you are disturbed and irritated by other road users on a busy road, then this means that you are doing something wrong and it is you who are to blame.

So what qualities and skills should a driver have today?

Personal qualities that a driver today should have

The driver today must recognize in advance the possibility of an emergency. Those. have the skill of anticipating a dangerous situation and seeing developing events several steps ahead and avoiding an accident.

Driving safely depends not only on you, but also on other road users. Most likely, it is this position that forces many drivers to resort to an aggressive driving style. But this driving style is fundamentally wrong; it inevitably leads to the majority of emergency situations. Any relationship on the road should not be built on confrontation.

Therefore, he must have such human qualities as mutual understanding, tolerance and leniency towards the mistakes of other drivers.

In addition, it is not advisable to go to the other extreme, which is more often characteristic of insecure and inexperienced drivers - this is passivity, i.e. passive driving style. As they say, the truth is always in the middle.

A driver today must be able to constantly keep the road situation under control, know the capabilities and characteristics of his car’s behavior in various situations, i.e. in other words, “feel” it.

Also, the driver today must own high level driving. It is at a high level, but it is not easy to drive a car from point “A” to point “B”.

A high level of driving is characterized by clear and fast, error-free actions when driving a car. Mastery of driving a car is a complex science and always comes with experience. Therefore, the road is always a school.

Personal psychological qualities of drivers

In addition to mastery of management and possession of positive moral qualities, a driver today must have certain personal psychological qualities. Psychological qualities are very clearly manifested when unexpected dangerous emergency situations occur.

Probably every driver has observed cases when drivers of oncoming cars untimely switch the high beams to low beams at night, unnecessarily drive the car in the middle of the road or the oncoming lane, can suddenly brake for no obvious reason, etc. Such inexplicable actions are explained by psychophysiological ones and are the cause of many road accidents.

Psychophysiological qualities are inherent in a person from birth and it is very difficult to change them, and some qualities are not even possible. But it is necessary to know them, especially for car drivers.

Knowing their psychophysical qualities will help drivers predict their behavioral reaction in a given situation. Knowing this, the driver will strive to avoid situations in which a negative behavioral reaction may occur.

To better understand the above, let's give an example. Typically, young novice drivers see driving a car mainly as a means of obtaining satisfaction in the form of positive emotions and adrenaline.

It is not noticeable to the driver himself, unless of course he does not control his behavior, begins to take on a competitive nature, and loses control over the road situation. And as a result, an aggressive driving style begins to appear. As mentioned above, this driving style inevitably leads to an emergency situation and, even worse, to a traffic accident.

Knowing your psychophysiological shortcomings and controlling your behavioral reactions, you can compensate for them.
Let's give an example again. Such psychophysiological deficiencies that make it difficult for the driver to drive a car, such as easy distractibility of attention, slow reaction, emotional instability, can be compensated by increased attention, willpower and forecasting the development of the road situation.

By constantly using volitional training in his driving activities, the driver can easily develop psycho-emotional stability to external road stimuli, significantly improve the quality of memory and attention, and reduce reaction time.

From all that has been said, one conclusion can be drawn that the driver today, in order to become a professional in the highest sense of the word in his field, i.e. namely, one must constantly be able to:

• - control your emotional state;
• - be highly moral;
• - constantly engage in self-education and self-improvement.

Only such a driver, given the current traffic congestion on the roads, is able to avoid traffic accidents in any emergency situations.

Video - driver actions in an extreme situation:

Anyone who has thought about a career as a driver has wondered what character qualities a driver should have? Of course, driving experience and corresponding skills come with time, but to become a good driver, it is not enough to have one desire, you must have certain qualities.

First of all, a novice driver must be prepared for enormous responsibility when driving a car and clearly understand that he is responsible not only for his own actions, but also for the safety of the passengers he transports, as well as for the safety of other road users. Such qualities as endurance, discipline, determination, composure and readiness for unforeseen circumstances play a very important role. Not every person has such character traits, but over time it is possible to develop them.

Let's take a closer look at these qualities. The most important trait of a driver when driving a vehicle is concentration. It is necessary to be as focused and collected as possible in today's busy traffic environment. By concentrating, the driver will always be ready to change speed or trajectory if a certain situation requires it. If you are inattentive and distracted, the reaction will slow down, and this is one of the reasons why a traffic accident may occur.

On the road it is also very important to maintain driving culture. A driver is expected to be polite and disciplined, which includes respect for pedestrians and other drivers and strict adherence to traffic rules. Otherwise, you can lose your driver's license for violating the established rules. Under no circumstances should you drive while intoxicated, drive through a red traffic light, or commit a number of similar offenses.

Very often, drivers make mistakes due to fatigue, which results in inhibition of psychomotor reactions, expressed in the form of decreased hearing or vision. An inexperienced and also tired driver should not try to perform difficult maneuvers in difficult road conditions, as this can lead to an accident. Based on this, we can highlight another quality that is important for the driver - caution.
Anyone who wants to become a driver must be able to control themselves and their emotions. There are often situations on the road when it is difficult to control yourself. For example, traffic jams or the wrong actions of other drivers. In such cases, the main thing is not to succumb to the spirit of excitement, to remain calm and prudent, so as not to aggravate the situation.
In such a profession, it is very important to learn not to be nervous and in difficult situations to be able to make the right decision in a timely manner. Determination will greatly help the driver in emergency situations when there is not enough time to make a decision. Possessing this quality, the driver, even in sudden traffic conditions, will be able not only to concentrate on the correct action and quickly assess the situation, but also to prevent spontaneous and rash actions.

Perseverance is another important quality with which the driver can easily reach his destination, despite all the difficulties and obstacles. However, it is impossible to be stubborn and impatient. Only patience helps the driver to purposefully solve emerging problems. These qualities are well illustrated by such examples as the fight for first place in a race or the work of a truck driver who drives for many hours at a time.

Of course, the driver must be confident in his every action. Self-doubt is typical for a beginner, but gradually, with experience, this goes away, as in any other profession. But such a trait as self-confidence must be eradicated, as this can lead to negligence and unjustified risk.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that all the qualities described above can be cultivated through intensive work on oneself. Driving schools provide training different people. Everyone has their own core, their own “I” and naturally their own character. And therefore, the Navigator driving school in Odintsovo recommends to its students, and to everyone who already drives a vehicle, that while driving, try to abstract yourself from all extraneous thoughts that do not relate to the specific road situation in which you are. Focus your attention exclusively on those objects that surround you at the moment, and also clearly think through your every action to ensure absolute safety on the road. Constant practice behind the wheel, high demands on yourself and your actions, as well as correcting mistakes made will help you improve in this difficult profession.

What shapes a driver? The driver gains experience and skill over time, but he must have other qualities from the very beginning. This is a sense of responsibility for the safety of other people, the ability to concentrate on driving, endurance and receptivity to information. Not everyone is born with patience, endurance, or the ability to concentrate. But every driver must force himself to develop these qualities as soon as possible. Not everyone succeeds equally. But everyone - both beginners and aces - must develop a driver's character. So, about the character traits of a real driver.

Concentration (composure) is one of the most important qualities when driving a car. You must be constantly focused in today's fast paced and dangerous environment. If you are distracted for a moment, the risk of an error increases many times over, and an error leads to a traffic accident. If you are tired, unwell, or thinking about something else, your reaction time will slow down. Then it’s better not to get behind the wheel, and if you still have to drive, then especially take into account that your reaction time is increased.

Foresight (readiness). Concentration helps you to be ready, i.e. be prepared to change course or speed. This can be associated with the automaticity of movement in any person. Experience and automaticity of actions allow us to avoid getting into a critical situation.

Excerpt. It is very easy to lose control of yourself, for example, when you get into a traffic jam or see another driver doing the wrong thing. But then you can easily get into a traffic accident. Never give in to the excitement and spirit of racing. Seeing the unreasonable behavior of other road users, never lose prudence yourself. Don't try to "teach a lesson" to these people. The best lesson is your good example.

Confidence is, of course, important feature driver's character. A beginner, of course, is not confident in himself at first, which gradually goes away. But a good driver should not be overconfident. This leads to carelessness, risk and, as a result, a traffic accident.

Speed ​​inertia. If you think about the causes of road accidents, the most common thing about them is the difficulty of quickly stopping a car, transitioning from a state of movement to immobility. There is an antagonism between the inertia of movement and the state of rest (inaction). It has already been proven that there is hypnosis of the motorway, where it is the fast, free movement that gives rise to the desire to drive faster and faster. In such cases, a sudden stop turns into a super task and is beyond the capabilities of either the car or the person. This is evidenced by the experience of many group collisions on highways. Meanwhile, in cities, when approaching intersections at the moment the traffic light turns yellow, just such a super task arises.

Developing the idea that the most dangerous is a sharp difference in speeds in neighboring areas, it will be possible to come to the general idea of ​​optimal smooth movement of the entire flow (especially in cities and suburbs), in which braking processes will be either minimal or completely eliminated. The essence of this idea is that the driver’s main task is to constantly uniform motion, not acceleration and deceleration. Driving inertia is the most powerful feeling in drivers. And it is simply unlawful to demand a quick stop from a living person when he is completely carried away by this rush forward. It is smooth, uniform movement that is the main condition for overall optimization of movement and increasing its safety.

Optimizing movement according to the speed and direction of the planned trajectory allows drivers to better assimilate all signals, signs and other information, increase their experience, and learn the complex, higher “strategy” of urban traffic. Smooth driving is a concept already accepted in a number of countries. Even standards for smooth driving are being introduced (for acceleration and braking, steering wheel turns, etc.), i.e. It is important not just to be able to drive a car, but to be able to drive it economically and safely. This is also of great importance for us. Observations show that even bus and trolleybus drivers often brake too sharply, disturbing passengers. And for taxi drivers, sharp squeaking of brakes is common, which, by the way, leads to skids and accidents in winter. Obviously, the new concept of smoothness is very useful and should soon be included in the textbook for drivers and in the rules of the road. In general, smooth driving is what separates good drivers from inept ones.

Driver qualifications. Qualification is a multifaceted and very voluminous concept. The most accurate assessment of driving proficiency would be the number of traffic accidents each driver will cause over a given period of driving. But for now, it is almost impossible to establish such an indicator, since there is no simple methodology and equipment for determining a driver’s potential accident rate. Therefore, the question may arise: should drivers’ qualifications be assessed at all? After all, everyone has their own individuality. However, you can identify some groups of drivers, mainly based on the methods and manner of driving, and together with you try to figure out which group you belong to. The recommended classification is not given at all in order to label all drivers. The main thing is to find yourself in it, then analyze your management methods, try to correct your mistakes.

Groups of drivers. In relation to road users, drivers can be divided into two groups (figure out which group you belong to). The first group, pursuing its strategic goal of travel, adopts traffic tactics based on the general patterns of transport situations, adapting to them and without violating the integrity of the traffic flow. The second group uses the car, road conditions and traffic situations for their own personal purposes (both for my convenience and for my driving). It is safe to say that drivers of the first group are higher in understanding the meaning of the Road Traffic Rules than the second, who, by the way, almost always drive a car to the limit of physical and sometimes mental capabilities.

In addition, drivers can be classified according to their methods of driving and methods (convenience) of transporting passengers.

As you can see, the driver has quite a lot of characteristics. But ultimately, he can and should evaluate himself based on the results of the movement. To make it easier for each of you to find yourself in a multifaceted driver, we have come up with several names that are associated with driving techniques and methods. We just kindly ask you not to label drivers under any circumstances. Such names are intended only to make it easier for you to find this or that in your actions. bad quality and fix it.