Cueing yourself - a very simple practical training exercise

[The Spin Doctor]

Following on from Scoot's crash, where I talked about the need to re-focus our brain back 'on-task and how the triggers to achieve this can be by unconsciously detecting 'learned cues'.

But the trick is that we have to LEARN to look for these cues before they become unconscious triggers to bring our alert level back up.

I mentioned that I'm very alert to triangular warning signs and that getting riders searching them out is a key point of the proactive part of my courses, and that there are plenty of others.

So here's a very simple way of learning to use cues to bring your brain 'on-task' when it needs to be. This is a straightforward exercise with proven results, it won't take long to see benefits from it and it's based around one very simple statement of fact: a hazard is anything that could potentially cause you personal harm if you don't avoid it.

So here's how to improve your hazard perception!

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LEARN WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Go out for a ride on the bike and find SOMEWHERE SAFE TO PULL UP.

Turn your back and make a mental note of the hazards you saw.

Next, simply look up the road and say a few simple words* to describe what you see.

You might say, for example, "pothole", "truck turning left" or "car pulling out". Don't try to describe the hazard in detail, don't bother to try to explain what you're going to do about it, just focus on spotting the hazards and vocalising what you see. The reason for speaking out loud is that it helps imprint the importance of what you've seen into your memory - you'll be more aware of it in future.

The chances are that with the extra time you are sat at the side of the road, you'll also see far more than you actually spotted whilst you were riding up to the point where you stopped. That should give you pause for thought.

Here are some words you might find useful:

• - Car, Pedestrian, Bicycle, Animal, Truck, Motorcyclist, Bus, Children, Emergency vehicle.
  
  - Can't see, Blind spot, Vision blocker
  
  - Hazard line, Hazard warning sign, Junction markings, Toeing-in arrows, Solid line
  
  - Bend, Crest, Dip, Junction, Road narrows, Traffic lights, Pedestrian lights, Zebra crossing, Traffic island
  
  - Vehicle Turning right, Turning left, Pulling out, Slowing down
  
  - Road works, Slippery road, Repaired road, Pothole, High grip surface
  
  - Indicator, Traffic signal, Speed camera van

From this 'starter list', add your own hazards - remember, they are anything that poses a risk of personal harm!

And then move to another location and try it all again. You'll likely be surprised at what you see when you have time to look. The good news is that once you start scanning the environment and detecting these problems, you'll find that you'll also be more aware of them as you ride.

And change riding environments. Try it in town and on rural roads. Here are a few hints as to what I'm aiming to be aware of on a country road:

• - Bend warning sign, SLOW marking, Chevrons
  
  - Junction warning sign, Finger post
  
  - Country cottage, Phone wires, Mirror, Blind driveway
  
  - Farm, Track, Gate, Mud, Straw

Once again, make your own additions.

FINALLY
When you get home, write down as many as you can remember. That activity also helps imprint the importance of what you've seen into the brain.

Then repeat the exercise at intervals. You should find that the number of hazards you detect whilst riding starts to rise to match the number you can actually see when stopped.

It's also a very good way to get back into the swing of hazard spotting if you've had a break from the bike or a winter lay-off.

AND A WARNING
* Don't try a full-on police style commentary. Unless you are TRAINED to do this, it takes far too much mental processing to frame and speak the words, and actually leaves you with LESS attention for SEARCHING the road ahead. Just use simple words or short phrases. You'll get far more out of it, at least initially.