You may notice that when driving on dual carriageways or motorways, many cars are in the right-hand lane accelerating then braking when they reach the car in front of them, then accelerate again when there’s more room, before having to brake again. They are not using their ‘acceleration sense’.
Continuously being on and off the brakes like this can wear them down faster or even cause brake fade if the driving is consistently driving aggressively for a prolonged period of time.
What is acceleration sense?
Often, you don’t necessarily need to use the brakes of the car to slow it down; you can take your foot off the accelerator pedal and allow the car to slow down on its own. Acceleration sense is negotiating the correct speed for a hazard, junction or bend without needing to use the brake pedal. It is often also referred to as accelerator sense.
Having good acceleration sense will help prolong the lifespan of the brakes on your car (as previously mentioned) as well as reduce your fuel costs, emissions, and even the wear on your tyres – all of which will help you save money on your car’s maintenance.
In order to have a good acceleration sense, you’ll need to possess the following skills:
- Good anticipation – you need to be able to anticipate hazards and the actions of other road users and be able adjust your speed accordingly
- Progressive and good observations – you need to be able to see upcoming hazards in good time to prepare to reduce the acceleration of the car
- A good spatial awareness – in particular a good judgement of speed, distance and the time it will take the reach the upcoming hazard.
If you are able to master your acceleration sense, you may be able to avoid stopping at junctions such as roundabouts and hazards (depending on traffic, road conditions and signage). Plus, your overall driving will be much smoother and safer in general, as you will be more practised in anticipating and judging what’s around you.
So, when you start noticing the traffic ahead of you building up and slowing down, rather than continuing to accelerate or immediately going for the brakes, see if you can ease off of the accelerator and use engine braking to slow the car down, and approach it more cautiously.
Acceleration sense is an important skill in driving and needs to be practised in order to be mastered.
