Traffic insight and riding behaviour
To be able to participate in busy traffic, traffic insight and proper handling of your vehicle (vehicle control) is crucial. The way you interact with other traffic is also an important element for traffic safety.
Traffic insight goes further than knowing and applying the traffic rules. Some situations cannot be solved with rules and in these situations you will have to determine what is best. If you only think of yourself, you may endanger other road users. A good driver also thinks of the best interests of others and pushes their own interests aside if needed.
Antisocial and aggressive riding behaviour
Antisocial road users think they are the most important, even if this endangers the traffic safety. For example, they force priority even if they do not have priority, they drive too fast, ignore red traffic lights or cut off other road users. Some also react aggressively when they are made aware of their antisocial behaviour.
In these cases, the police have the possibility to punish these antisocial drivers under the ‘kapstokartikel’, article 5 of the Road Traffic act. This article prohibits causing danger or hindrance on the public road. This way, an antisocial driver can lose their driving licence, face high fines or be registered for an Educational Measure Behaviour and Traffic (EMG). In some cases, the driver even has to answer in court.
- Article 5 of the Road Traffic Act, ‘Kapstokartikel’
It is prohibited for everyone to behave in such a way that it causes, or may cause, danger or hindrance on the public road.
Social and defensive driving behaviour
Social road users put aside their own interests at the right moments. This goes further than applying the rules and making as little mistakes as possible. They try to predict and recognise any mistakes made by others and help catch them.
To show social driving behaviour, you will have to drive defensively. This means looking far ahead, adjusting your speed in time and account for unexpected situations. For moped riders, snorfietsers and drivers of speed pedelecs, it is even more important as you are extra vulnerable with these vehicles.
Riding calmly and widely around a horse rider falls under social and safe riding behaviour.
If you notice that a pedestrian has not seen you, and suddenly crosses, react socially and give them space.
- Anticipating
Looking and thinking far ahead. Recognising possible dangerous situations in time and setting yourself up for the actions you need to perform. Actually performing these actions falls under defensive driving.
Considering playing children and reacting immediately as soon as a ball rolls onto the road, falls under anticipating.
Both anticipating and driving defensively do not mean that you drive extra slowly. It also does not mean that you give way everywhere while you yourself have the right of way. It means that you try to empathise with what other road users plan to do and what they expect of you. You then adapt your behaviour to this.
Decisive driving behaviour
Decisive driving means daring to make the right decisions in time and implementing them promptly. In doing so, also clearly show what you intend to do. This requires good knowledge of traffic rules and traffic insight.
The more experience you have, the easier it becomes to drive decisively. The terms defensive driving behaviour, decisive driving behaviour and anticipating are inseparately linked. The most important part in this remains: look far ahead and start thinking and acting in time if necessary.