Defensive driving is as much a state of mind as it is a set of skills and techniques utilized to insure safety behind the wheel of any vehicle.
Every driver is required to take a basic driver’s education course, which many people do in high school. This is where you learn the rules of the road, the traffic laws of the state you are in as well as federal traffic laws, and the driver’s license point system. Following the classroom technical instruction is a practical driving course where an instructor demonstrates and supervises actual driving. This is the beginning of defensive driving.
Defensive driving is a combination of being alert and aware behind the wheel of any vehicle while adhering to all traffic laws and safety precautions. If that sounds complicated that’s because it is. Repetition makes driving seem automatic, but you should never let overconfidence lead to complacency behind the wheel of a potentially dangerous hunk of metal.
Many traffic collisions can be attributed to preventable causes that derive from overconfidence and inattention. While experience is the best teacher, there are some experiences that you don’t survive. With that in mind it is important that young drivers are taught as much as possible in the hopes that they will avoid terminal mistakes. Teen mortality rates due to vehicle accidents out number any other cause of death for youths in the U.S.
Some basic defensive driving concepts that are covered in most driver’s education classes are:
· Seatbelts: Your seatbelt should be the first thing you fasten once you get into any vehicle, especially if you are the driver. In many states this is the law.
· Avoid Distractions: Anything that takes your attention off the road, even for a moment, is a distraction. This includes such activities as eating, drinking, changing CDs, talking on the phone, and texting.
· Safe Distances: Maintain breaking distance between you and the car in front. The space you need to have for safe breaking increases with speed.
· Speed Limits: Drive within the speed limit as it is posted. Increased speed equals increased risk.
· Stop On Red: Red means come to a complete stop. That includes both lights and signs.
· Be Alert: Make sure you are awake and aware. Do not drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (this includes many prescription medications).
Unfortunately, those driver’s education classes don’t fully prepare a young driver for all the real world situations that may arise. Defensive driving courses add a layerof practical driving knowledge to better arm young drivers in real scenarios. Some law firms in an effort to promote driver safety are partnering with non-profit organizations that offer free defensive driving courses to young drivers. Like any driving course, these defensive driving courses offer technical classroom instruction followed by practical driving instruction. However, the difference is that they add to the basics by demonstrating actual emergency avoidance and response techniques to drivers behind the wheel in addition to overall driver safety practices.
Participants actually learn how to:
· Steer out of a skid.
· Properly use ABS brakes.
· Make evasive lane change maneuvers, and more.
Defensive driving courses are meant to build upon the foundation laid by the general driver’s education classes to better prepare young drivers for the road ahead because better drivers mean safer roads for everyone and fewer lost lives.
