S and I have been watching this show called Canada’s Worst Driver. It is both entertaining and informative. It’s easy watching in the evenings after long days, and interesting to learn about common mistakes when driving, how to prevent accidents and learnings about the physics of automotive manoeuvres and mechanics. Yes – it is also scary to think of how many horrible drivers are out there on the roads driving like many of the maniacs in this show – whether it’s people who are too nervous and not confident in their skills or speed demons and drunk drivers who don’t seem to care about the dangerous impacts of their crappy habits.
I was chatting with my dear friend MCC, and like many of our conversations, we were talking about the current state of the world and the journey of humankind. Leave it to me to take some of these deeper conversations and find a way to connect it to the reality TV that I binge watch on the couch with my husband on evenings. Alas, as we were conversing about not getting overwhelmed by existential threats of our times, a piece of wisdom from Canada’s Worst Driver popped into my head. A recurring piece of advice that is given on almost every episode is to “look where you’re going”.
Our most recently watched episode recounted the lesson yet again.
Don’t look at what you might hit, what’s worrying you, what’s your big concern!
Andrew Younghusband, Canada’s Worst Driver, Season 10, Episode 4
No! Look for a solution.
That’s what Philippe [Letourneau] says. He says, “when you get in the situation, look where you want to go.”
And again on the next season, the experts reiterate how important it is to look where you’re going and not at the obstacle.
Target fixation. If something appears suddenly in front of you, look for a solution, don’t fixate on the problem!
Andrew Younghusband, Canada’s Worst Driver, Season 11, Episode 3
What is target fixation?
Target fixation is an attentional phenomenon observed in humans in which an individual becomes so focused on an observed object that they inadvertently increase their risk of colliding with the object.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_fixation
Target fixation is a panic reflex. When confronted with a dangerous situation or something unusual suddenly appearing in our field of vision, our natural instinct is to look directly at the object posing the threat and exclude everything else. Unable to look away and even consider an escape route, we tend to go where our eyes take us, often directly into the object.
https://www.cycleworld.com/sport-rider/motorcycle-riding-skills-how-to-improve-vision-avoid-target-fixation/
This advice feels so timely and more broadly applied outside of just vehicular driving. When it feels like there are so many obstacles and it is so easy to have target fixation on the negative aspects, that focus will inevitably lead us to drive towards and quite often crash. Both physically in driving, but also metaphorically in life. It is important to be aware and identify the obstacles or hazards on our path; however, over-fixation will usually lead to disastrous outcomes. Moreover, distractions, speeding and panicking are all actions that are counterproductive to finding a path forward on both the road and in life. Just as important as looking at our blind spots and being aware of dangers and obstacles, we must stay calm, find a clear path forward and stay focused.