Adopting defensive driving techniques can protect your safety on the road and even save you money. Many insurance companies reduce their policy premiums for drivers who have no accident history or who take official defensive driving courses. If you want to learn these driving techniques, just follow these steps.
Steps
Step 1. Stay focused, keeping your hands on the wheel
Those who follow defensive driving concentrate on the road, keeping their hands in the 9-3 position (considering the steering wheel a clock). He does not perform other actions while driving, some of which are illegal. These include:
- To eat
- Put on your makeup
- Keep a dog
- Caring for a baby
- Operate a cellphone with your hands
- Send text messages
Step 2. Keep moving your gaze
Always look in the mirrors and observe the road ahead, looking for dangers and traffic delays, to anticipate problems before they arise.
Step 3. Stay alert
Don't drive if you are tired or upset.
Step 4. Go with the flow
Most drivers know that excessive speed is a major cause of accidents, but driving too slowly can also be dangerous. Drive at the speed adopted by most other vehicles.
Step 5. Use the 2 second rule on busy roads to keep a safe distance from the car in front of you
- Pick a fixed object on the road ahead of you.
- Count two seconds from when the car in front of you passes the object. If you pass the same object before you finish counting, slow down. The two-second rule helps reduce the chance of a rear-end collision if the car in front of you suddenly brakes.
Step 6. Make yourself visible
Many accidents happen because the drivers have not seen another car. There are a few simple ways to make your presence known, and reduce security risks. These include:
- Direction Indicators: Use the Direction Indicator to let other drivers know where you are going. Using the arrows, other drivers can anticipate your actions and slow down safely.
- Headlights: Turn on your headlights at dusk or when it rains. This measure is more for other drivers to see you than for seeing the road yourself. In some states it is illegal to drive with the headlights off if you are using the wipers.
- Brake lights: Working brake lights are essential for safety. They warn the cars behind you that you are slowing down, inviting them to do the same.
- Avoid blind spots: Don't stay in areas where the driver in front of you can't see you. Many people only check their mirrors before changing lanes. If you are within walking distance and in the lane next to another car, you assume that the driver cannot see you. Accelerate or slow down safely to avoid this scenario, which often leads to accidents. This is an important defensive driving technique.
Step 7. Resist street rage
Aggressive drivers can infuriate you, but countering them with tactics similar to theirs is dangerous. Use a passive approach when dealing with street rage. Use these strategies in specific street rage scenarios:
- Cars following you too close: If the driver behind you is very close to your bumper, press the brake a couple of times to signal to the follower that they are not keeping a safe distance. If it keeps following you, slow down gradually. Eventually it will overtake you.
- Drivers Going Too Fast: If you see a car exceeding the speed limit or aggressively changing lanes behind you, stay in your lane and keep your speed.
Step 8. Adapt to the road conditions
Even light rain can produce dangerous conditions, particularly in mid-seasons, where water collects oil from the road surface, making it slippery. Tires lose grip at high speeds, so slowing down when the weather isn't ideal is a key defensive driving technique.
Step 9. Familiarize yourself with the traffic rules
Refresh your memory by leafing through the Highway Code. It offers guidelines on right of way, signage and traffic laws, as well as containing advice for safe driving.
