Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 12:Choose Your Route for Safety


“What seems to be an easy path may not take us to our destinations.” “Losers chose the path mostly free of hassles.” Are these valuable lessons applicable while we are driving on the road? “Certainly not”

People die because they choose not to drive in a way which is considered decent. We consider it beneath and go beyond the limit of what our bodies can take. And the result is obvious: thousands die in every year and thousands are left incapacitated. The point is: can’t we practice defensive driving and learn to find out where the dangers are and plan ahead to avoid them?

Let me give you an example: I ride my motorcycle everyday to work on the highly congested and busy freeways of Washington DC. Needless to say this is a dangerous ride: too many people jostling each other, harried, angry and mostly distracted. What do I do to keep myself from trouble? In all these years I’m pretty used to mixing up with them but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep track of them. It’s certainly very difficult and I mean it.

Different routes pose different challenges: No matter where you drive be it city streets or boulevards, you are always subject to an intersection collision (mostly while you are driving a bit faster) On the freeways, you might get run over, or hit from behind if you happen to brake suddenly. Changing lanes, all of a sudden, not keeping ears and eyes open, getting impatient in traffic congestions, not bothering about weather conditions are some of the key reasons why we land up in trouble.

Sometimes, mostly while we are riding a motorcycle, we tend to follow short cut or dare to cross three lanes of heavy traffic. Picture yourself hundreds of vehicles of all kinds changing lanes to the left while others changing lanes to the right to exit at the next off ramp. Oh, too horrific! What’s the point taking smaller route if it is highly congested? Riding or driving a couple of miles more will not make a hole in our wallet; nor does it sound our beneath. Why not manage the risk by taking a safer route? Can’t we take another safer route to avoid a particular intersection? The answer is yes we can. All it takes a cool mind and some time to think. The key to defensive driving is to save your life and drive off the edge.

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How to use speed limits safely

Speed kills
The single biggest road safety issue in the US and other parts of the world today is speed – drivers speeding too fast for the conditions.
In 2007, speed was a factor in:
• 32 percent of all road deaths ( about 40,000 deaths)
• 18 percent of all reported injuries from road crashes (about 300,000).

Driving safely with speed limits

Many drivers might not be aware of the fact that they can be driving at the speed limit and still be driving unsafely.
The speed limit is the maximum legal speed at which one can travel on in perfect conditions. But that doesn’t mean you are supposed to driver at that speed even if you are in bumper to bumper traffic. You’ll agree that road conditions are seldom ideal particularly in cities. As a safe driver, you'll have to look out for changes in traffic, road and weather conditions, and vary your speed accordingly.

Traffic conditions to watch out for include:
• high volumes of traffic on the road
• pedestrians, joggers and cyclists
• parked cars.

Road conditions to watch out for include:
• bumpy or narrow areas on the road
• wet, icy or unsealed road surfaces
• signs warning of hazards such as sharp curves or a slippery surface.

Weather conditions to watch out for include:
•rain, wind or fog.

Ideal speed depends on conditions

While driving, you need to be careful judging the safe speed for the stretch of road at any point of time. This is called driving to the conditions. If you don't adjust your speed to suit the conditions, you may be driving too fast, even if you're within the speed limit.

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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 11: Stop tailgating






‘Don’t tailgate other vehicles’- the significant piece of advice you receive from most of driving instructors. It is another important reason why the proportionate percentage of accidents is increasingly taking place. Fatal accidents are quite likely to happen. According to survey, 40% of death in road accident is the cause of tailgate. So, it is better to maintain fair distance while driving. You should also be careful about yourself of being tailgated.

First, don’t be too close to the vehicle ahead of you. Maintain at least 4 seconds distance in hand so that you can slow down or stop your car when necessary without hitting anything or the vehicle.

Second, be careful about the tailgaters around you. Slow the speed down the normal flow of traffic speed which would help the vehicle behind you to pass easily without any hazards. But your poor judgment or carelessness might irritate or frustrate them about you; so play it safe.

Finally, don’t be in a haste to hit the brake instantly, keep the speed in a position to slow it down comfortably. Slamming on the brake light frequently is not only against the law but you are taking risk of irritating the other drivers behind you.
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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 10: Look After Your Vehicle

If you aren’t mechanically apt enough to check the brakes, request someone to check it or help you show the fluid reservoir. Though, brake fluid levels don’t change naturally, otherwise is undoubtedly dangerous. Regular check ups of the brakes will be much help decreasing the thickened threat of road accidents.
If, in case, you find brakes or tires are not functioning properly, it is better to replace them with quality parts; cheaper priced tires or brakes might cause you great mishaps or lead you to regret because both are significant parts of driving; once you have lost either of them you have lost total control on driving.

Check your coolant system if it is working perfectly. Be also careful about all services of cooling systems whether they have been taken on manufacturing schedule. If you are thinking of saving money and letting your cooling system continue till the red flag, a tight lesson you are quite likely to receive shortly. Simply your coolant system will lose its alkaline nature and you might not be left with any option without changing your water pump, thermostat, radiator, heater core and hoses. So your damage is double than you have ever thought of.

Keep your observant mind and eyes open to the sounds your car makes and repair them as soon as possible. Various sounds are responsible for different parts’ damage. If it is weird or like metallic scuffing, beneath your foot then remember your brake needs instant attention. Rattling or clanging sound indicates steering problem; shrieking or whirring underneath the hood specifies the problem like losing your water pump or power steering pump; ratcheting sound can cause the damage of CV struts.

You should also check the oil on a regular basis and other requirements of your car. Don’t compromise with the quality oil.

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Rule 9: Be cautious while you are on the road





Communicate with other drivers to alert them about your presence. It considerably decreases the chances for mishaps or accidents. Use your light and horn to inform the other drivers especially while driving in congested traffic. Making direct eye contact, if possible, would be the best way to let them aware of your presence.

If you are in a hurry but unable to go ahead because of the car in front of you, then the easy process is to give signal or press the horn to express your intention to pass so that the other drivers can leave enough space for you. Though, this act is no more taken as a matter of courtesy in recent time, your intention can be taken otherwise which can fuel their arrogance to speed up instead of letting you pass by. So be aware of this kind of hazards and steps to be taken intelligently not haughtily.

Make sure that the horn and lights are functioning properly; if not, take it to a mechanic. Remember, they are the main instruments to grab the attention of others and save yourself from collision.

Most of the accidents occur at the turning points where you are unable to foresee if anyone is approaching towards you and need to slow down. Press the horn to let the drivers, coming to you, know of you so that they can equally be alerted of your presence. It might sound impossible to you to keep all the traffic rules in mind while driving; in fact, it is a matter of regular practice.

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Defensive driving rules

Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 8: Driving with attitude


Driving safely is all about attitude—how serious we are about it. Recently, the tendency of driving fast is escalating horribly among the youngsters and that is confirmly treacherous for their lives as well as others. None but you are responsible for your own protection which can easily be learned through adherence to the specific rules and techniques for safety and survival. Defensive driving assists you take cautious steps by anticipating dangerous situations that reduce the risk of road accidents.

Fluctuation of moods especially anger or extreme emotions are quite likely to overshadow the right judgments such as taking turns or noticing traffic signals and welcome the obvious dangers for your life. Here, one should be very careful about it to control and calm down; otherwise result can be risky and regretful.

When you are distressed or distracted, it is better to either stop or think about positive things. A stressful mind makes conflicted judgments that can result into dangerous collisions.
“To err is human” we all are bound to make mistakes in our daily lives. If cautious, it would be very easy to save yourself from becoming a victim of unintentional mistakes of other drivers.

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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 7: Avoid Distractions!

When we presume our driving duties, the most significant one is that we are accountable for all the involved actions and the results that follow. In every collision or accident, person in driving seat is most responsible; it is their indifferent nature towards surrounding situations that cause irreparable damage. Lame excuses such as, “I haven’t seen him”, and “It is not my fault” are common and numerous. But the question is why don’t they see others? It is only because of their diverted attention collision or opportunity of accident can easily be avoided by concentrating on their duties. So, it is better to stay focused before risking anyone’s life.

It has been seen that eating, drinking or conversing on mobile, changing CD disk, dealing with the disobedient child are most common reasons for road accidents. Drivers should be careful about driving speed (means where it has to be slowed down), signals and road intersections at the time of diversions which will undoubtedly reduce the chances of collisions or accidents.

It is the driver who can make the road safer for himself or herself by maintaining the driving rules and focusing on one particular duty. Don’t let other insignificant matters distract your attention which will help you minimize or avoid accidents.

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Rule 6: Don’t run red lights



“Red Light Spells Danger” I really wonder how many of us remember this song of Billy Ocean while driving. Most of us run red lights by mistake; or because we are in a hurry to reach office or home and can’t afford to wait for long 45 to 80 seconds. Whatever may be the case, running red lights kills hundreds of us every year and leaves thousands other incapacitated. The choice is ours. We can pay attention to driving and make sure we are not one of the oblivious red-light runners and live to drive another day; or put ours and others life at stake.
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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 5: Motorcyclist—you need to be very careful

Motorcycles, to most of riders, are a unique form of transportation that privileges them an exclusive position on the road. Speed and fun that come along with it expose them to dangers mostly not met by motorists. The lack of substantial protective shields between a motorcycle and the road result into serious injury or death at the event of collision. Unlike a car or other four wheelers, a motorcycle is lighter in weight; it has no door, no roof, no airbags, and no safety belts; therefore, motorcyclists are about 26 times more likely to die in a crash than a person riding in a passenger car, and are 5 times as likely to be injured.

A helmet alone doesn’t guarantee your safety: In case of collision with a four wheeler, or any other form of accidents, the motorcyclist involved can’t escape injury. What would be a "fender bender" for a four wheeler is often death for a motorcyclist. Wearing helmet, therefore, in most of the accidents, doesn’t make much difference.

I remember, once I was thrown off my motorcycle at a minor speed of 40 mph. It wasn’t a collision; I was just trying to save a puppy that emerged, all of a sudden, in front of me. I landed on my head. I was wearing a good helmet so it saved my head, but it took four months to completely recover from pain and injury. I still ride the same bike, wear the same helmet but I ride it very carefully. A recent study shows that a motorcyclist can suffer fatal head injuries in an impact as low as 4 mph.

Visual Recognition: Motorcycles, due to small in size, are smaller visual targets, which are more likely to be covered by other vehicles, or weather conditions. This is an issue of greater concerns at intersections, where near about 70 percent of motorcycle-versus-vehicle collisions occur.

Road Hazards: Hazards such as potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, ruts, uneven pavement, and railroad tracks become a major hazard for a motorcyclist.

Poor Riding Skills: Against the popular belief that a motorcycle is very easy to ride, it requires much more skill and physical coordination to operate than a car. Majority of motorcycle accidents are caused due to the rider’s lack of basic skills, or inability to understand the operating characteristics and limitations of the motorcycle.

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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 4: Wear your seat belt


We seldom realize the importance of seat belts until we come across an accident. The sole purpose of seat belts is to protect us at the time of collision. It not only sustains crash forces but also keeps us from being thrown out of the vehicle. All major researches show that the majority of death, at the time of crash, occurred because the persons involved were driving without wearing seat belts. Yet we come up with a variety of excuses for not wearing them. Some of them are:

1.“I don’t feel comfortable.” “It’s suffocating.” “I can’t breathe properly.”
Are they really so uncomfortable? Nothing is as comfortable as dying or spending months in hospital or losing one of the limbs.

2.It wrinkles my neatly ironed clothes. Undoubtedly, they do.

3.“I don’t want to stick to the seat at the time of crash. What if I’m trapped or my vehicle catches fire?” But the fact is, people get killed by smashing themselves inside the vehicle. Being thrown outside is even dangerous. Besides, it helps you stay conscious; therefore, more likely to escape in case the engine catches fire.

4.“Those who ride with me make fun of me if I’m wearing the seat belt.” You must not listen to them or the best would be to ask them to wear it. The point is why to keep such company who are so irresponsible. Let them realize the fact that wearing seat belts prevent over 50% of deaths and injuries.

5.“I don’t care!” Some of us are living daredevils and would never fear death. There are certainly other ways to express our audacity. Wearing seat belt is for our good; we better accept it at the earliest.

Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 3: Say no to speed!

Why to drive fast? How many times are we really desperately in need of driving fast?
We really don’t have any obvious reason; we just do it deliberately for overtaking other vehicles, or without realizing the growing speed. Whatever may be the case, the risk of collision always persists. Speed driving increases the risk of collision in two ways: one, it cuts your reaction time. Two, it results in more stored energy that must be dispelled in any collision.
Let’s listen to what science says: “Each incremental increase in speed reduces our ability to react in time to hazards, because we are covering distances in lesser time than what it takes to react.” It worsens while driving at night; since darkness substantially reduces our visibility.

Experienced and sensible drivers keep themselves at a speed that matches with the traffic and never exceed or slow under.
Does speeding really save much time?
In most of the cases, we find the car who took us over about half a mile back to be waiting at the next red light.
It doesn’t save much time, does it?
Say no to speed!
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Defensive Driving Rules

Rule 2: Trust nobody but yourself

Ready-to-learn attitude, which assists taking precious lessons from previous mistakes, will further extricate your dexterous hands from similar troubles on noisy roadway. It is better anticipating that other drivers might make mistakes; it’s you who should be circumspect to disentangle yourself from unpredictable menace- ‘drivers’ and opposite will make your life reliant on clemency of bear party returner or violent youngsters. It has been corroborated that most of the collisions occur because of others’ carelessness. Remember, your one inane mistake can welcome accidents that will cruelly snatch your valuable life from the beautiful world.


Don’t be too trusting
Believing that other drivers, who might be adolescents, are quite threatening for you, you are opening up a space to adopt a wary approach to be a guarantor of own life because if traffic rules fail to save you, it’s your adroit mind responsible for dealing with them strategically and providing instant safety.

Defensive driving rules

Rule 1: Careful driving

What happens after collision? You might be the victim or the one who made someone victim. In either case what excuse comes out? “Sorry, I didn’t notice you!” “I never saw you!” “It is your fault!”
Apparently, almost every collision involves inattention of one or both drivers. It could be anything, talking, drowsiness, fatigue, highway hypnosis, any sort of distractions or even daydreaming.

Seeing, recognizing and avoiding are the three basic elements of defensive driving. Driving a vehicle is not like walking or riding a bicycle. A slight negligence can claim life or disable a person for life. Paying attention helps you create the time that you need to recognize hazards and escape collision.

Have your ever wondered why most of collisions take place in your locality?
It’s not just a coincidence. The fact that we are too relaxed causes the problem. Familiarity creates contempt and inattention. Most of don’t realize that a fatal injury can occur even in low speed collision.

Being alert and poised while driving is not as easy task as it seems. The problem worsens by each passing month and year. Our mind tends to wander and we drive automatically. Most of the collisions are caused by experienced drivers. We really seriously need to think over it.
Attentive driving can be practiced and mastered. We can make a list of Do’s and Don’ts and go through it immediately before you start driving. Driving is not a casual task; therefore it does require your full attention.

Drive Safely in Rain and fog

Driving in rain and fog is always a jittery no matter how experienced driver you are. Heavy rain and fog limits the visibility to just a few yards decreasing your ability to see and be seen. On the other hand, rain builds up water on roadways and creates slippery and hazardous conditions that cause tires to lose traction. Driving safely in such weather conditions doesn’t just mean to slow down; there are other safety tips you must follow:

1.You’ll never know how the weather is going to be in an hour or so; therefore, make sure all your vehicle lights are in working order. Make sure that your headlights are on while driving in rain or fog, even if it is a day time.

2.Make sure that your windshields and windows are clean from inside as well outside. Check your windshield wiper blades for wear and replace them if required. Worn blades smear water on the windshield rather than clearing it making it almost impossible to see outside. Be extra cautious in freezing rain.

3.Drive slowly and cautiously in rain after a long spell on dry roadway. Even highly maintained roadways become slippery due to the mixing of water with oil and grease that build up on it.

4.Make sure that your tires are inflated to the recommended pressure and contain sufficient thread depth to make good traction. Situations like hydroplane is possible even at the speed of 35 or below. Slow driving is always recommended.

5.To maintain “space cushion” keep a bit bigger distance from the vehicles ahead. It’s always safe.

6.Is has been seen that most of the drivers, while driving in rain or fog, tend to follow the taillight of vehicles in front of them. In such situations, avoid stopping your car on the shoulder of a roadway. In case you really need to, you must take your car as far off the roadway. Turn off the headlight, and turn on the emergency hazard lights.

7.In order to beat the visibility in fog, always use low beam headlights. A strict no to high beam headlight as it reflects back off the fog and worsens the visibility.

8.While driving in foggy condition, try listening to approaching traffic you are unable to see, for you need to open your car windows a little. It helps you to form a fair idea of vehicles coming from both the sides.

Beware of Digital Billboards while driving

It is a long way since drivers are facing greater challenges against digital billboards as well as roadside advertisements which are causing greater consternation of road accidents.

Jerry Wachtel, a California-based engineering psychologist and traffic safety expert, has ignominiously teased the platitudinous remarks of billboard industry in American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials,

“Research sponsored by the outdoor advertising industry generally concludes that there are no adverse impacts from roadside digital billboards, even when, in one case, the actual findings of such research indicate otherwise,"

On the contrary, he clearly discloses the conclusions dug out by the government agencies, insurance companies, and auto safety organizations that the dazzlingly decorative digital billboards at night and presence of roadside advertising wooed their attention which perilously increases the feasibility of vicious accidents. In addition, oftenest changing massages in digital billboard essentially distract their attention and arouse their curiosity towards them for longer time.

Mr. Wachtel has defended against the accusation of an anti-billboard rather he emphasized on controlling the brightness and frequency of changing landscapes of billboard to reduce the accident rate.
Scenic America, anti-billboard group, has significantly mentioned the Wachtel study in approaching municipalities to cease approving new digital signs until they are circumspect about safety issues.
Mr. Wachtel, in an interview, evidently mentioned, “Advancing technology is likely to make the problem of distracted motorists worse.

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