Driver Assess with Keith Cunningham

Driving EQ – Emotions drive people, people drive cars

South African roads are conflict zones populated by drivers who are frustrated, angry, discourteous and under time pressures, all of which are feelings and emotions that are exacerbated by increasing traffic volumes and falling standards of functional driving and driver compliance with the law.

Depending on one’s point of view about these things, we can easily be triggered into inappropriate behaviours when we are in the driving seat. Our reactive, judgemental and subconscious self springs into action at the slightest imagined provocation and our conscious, rational self hops into the back seat, rarely to be heard.

Changing the way we drive requires us to become aware of our current driving story. Most of us drive on auto-pilot and are not aware of our sub-conscious driving behaviours that may put us, our passengers and other road users at risk.

The Driver Assess online driver behaviour profiler assesses one’s current driving behaviour and makes us aware of our low, medium and high risk behaviours. Via a personalised report, the profiler and videos provides one with an understanding of the change process we need to follow for those of us who have high medium or high risk driving behaviours. The real, applied understanding of our driving emotions, feelings, self-talk and behaviours begins when one gets into the driver’s seat with a mindset of awareness and paying attention.

Many drivers are low risk drivers and these drivers benefit from the Driver Assess profiler by becoming conscious of their driving patterns and making active choices as they drive. The medium risk drivers are we believe the majority of drivers. These driver’s mindsets and behaviours generally serve them until they are under pressure; then they can behave in a manner which puts them, their passengers and other road users at risk. These drivers will react in the same higher risk way in up to 60% of instances when they are triggered; the trigger combinations are as varied as the number of drivers on the road.

High risk drivers have a disproportionately large impact on the carnage and aggression on our roads. These drivers are a hazard to themselves as well as other road users and often they will refuse to accept they have high risk behaviours until crisis occurs. The Driver Assess process enables them to choose to become better, safer and more courteous drivers.

If we are aggressive, angry, stressed, anxious or fearful in our vehicles, we will be aggressive, angry, stressed, anxious, or fearful in other areas of our lives too. Driving exacerbates those emotions and behaviours, but at 120kph. If we display these emotions in our vehicles it is highly likely that our children will drive way we do when they become old enough to drive.

The Driver Assess driver behaviour profiler provides personalised feedback about your own patterns of thinking, feeling and doing when you are behind the wheel so that you are able to make conscious choices for positive change in the areas where those patterns create risk for you and others.

Take the Driver Assess driver behaviour profiler and own your driving story, make your sub-conscious conscious and choose the way you drive.

Gavin – Dad to new drivers and HR Consultant, businessman

I completed the Driver Behaviour Profiler assessment from Driver Assess over a year ago. Prior to completing the assessment, I felt that I was a good driver. After all, driving on the freeways in excess of 140 km/h and pushing slow drivers out of my way requires one to be a skilled driver, doesn’t it? If another driver dared do the same to me, I felt that he/she had no right to do that because after all, I was the best driver on the road, wasn’t I? I would take offence and would resort to road rage of sorts.

The scary part of this all was that I was genuinely unaware of just how bad a driver I actually was, until I completed the Driver Behaviour Profiler assessment from Driver Assess. The results were very real and revealed my true driving behaviour for exactly what it was – an aggressive driver who was prone to road rage and who disregarded road rules. At first, I went into denial, but as I reflected on the results of my assessment more and more, the more I connected the dots to the many speeding fines I’ve accumulated over the years, not to mention the number of car accidents I’ve had since I started driving, and the reality sunk in that my driving behaviour was indeed reckless placing myself and others at risk.

This assessment was one of the best thing I’ve ever done as it raised my awareness about my driving behaviour, which placed me in the powerful position to change my risky behaviour to the benefit of not only myself, but of other road users too.

There are times when I do ‘slip the clutch’ and old risky driving behavioural patterns arise, but because I am now fully aware of this old behaviour as being risky, I soon correct myself by observing road rules; complying with speed limits; and respecting other road users.

Every person who operates a motor vehicle (whether a light or heavy duty vehicle) or a motorcycle should invest a small amount of money and time in completing this assessment as it is life-changing and will certainly add years onto your life.