Defensive Driving

I named this essay Defensive Driving because I believe it is the foundation for driving safer and being more responsible on the road. I am fortunate enough to have a parent who was a driving school instructor. My Mother taught driver’s education at a private driving school for 6 years. She specifically taught defensive driving and the 5 steps to being a safe driver. I remember her having me read a book on the 5 key elements of defensive driving that was designed for driver education for young adults. I also remember her verbally teaching me the rules of the road and how to look out for obstacles and danger while driving, as young as I can remember.

I know from my experience and training from my mother, that I have developed strong defensive driving skills which have resulted in safer driving and to this day, no accidents, or speeding tickets in the 2 years I have been driving since receiving my license at 16 years old. I strongly believe what reduces the number of deaths and accidents on the road is due to drivers learning how to be defensive on the road. I personally contribute to safer driving when I have passengers in my vehicle by not moving until they have buckled their seatbelts and keeping interaction with them to a minimum to concentrate on the road. I also keep my radio at a reasonable volume to be able to hear emergency vehicles and I practice hands-free with my phone and generally do not even answer calls unless it is an emergency. I often remind myself, “It can wait.”

The 5 key elements that I was taught were:

• Aim High – My mother taught me that aiming high is to look far enough ahead, at least 2 to 3 car lengths. The purpose of this was to steer properly in my lane and stay between the lines. I experienced what it feels like to not aim high when I first started driving. I was fearful and often looked directly down the hood right in front of me and then my hands just automatically steered off track and out of the lines. It wasn’t until my mother reminded me to look up and aim ahead that I saw how my body reacted and my hands were able to steer the car correctly between the lines.

• Get the Big Picture – Getting the Big Picture taught me to be aware of what was coming up. Things to be aware of ahead of you include, children playing that could run into the street, lights changing, people crossing, animals and cars coming from cross streets or alleyways.

• Keep Your Eyes Moving – Keeping my eyes moving meant not only looking ahead but behind and, sides, using my mirrors to be aware of what was happening around my vehicle. I was taught how to know when it was safe to lane change by seeing the headlights of the car in the next lane in my mirror and not slowing down to impede traffic when I did it. I was taught how an entire vehicle can be right next to me, and I can’t see it in the mirrors, called the blind spot. Also, how to look to the side without turning the wheel to check my blind spot and safely lane change. Keeping my eyes moving is helpful to avoid fixating on one thing too long which can lead to missing other important information on the road.

• Leave Yourself an Out – I was taught to leave enough room between me and the car ahead of me to allow for a safe stop and/or emergency escape from a dangerous situation. I learned how to calculate the distance by picking a stationary object on the side of the road such as a street sign and counting one thousand one, one thousand two, and so on from when the back bumper of the car ahead of me passes the stationary object and when my front bumper passes it. The safest distance to keep depends on the road conditions, weather, and speed of traffic. The distance starts at 2 seconds and goes up from there. I was also taught to leave space between cars when stopped in case something happens to the car in front of me and I need to safely go around. Or I get rear-ended and have time to stop before hitting the car in front of me. The distance I keep when stopped behind a car is being able to see their back tires just past my hood. I make sure to stop at the stop line at traffic lights or street corners to leave room for pedestrians and bicycles crossing.

• Make Sure They See You – This key element is important to avoid collisions and reduce danger with other drivers. Making eye contact with another driver is important when leaving a cross street, pulling out of a driveway, or even communicating with pedestrians or cyclists on the road. Using headlights, horns or flashers is another way of communicating and making sure other drivers see you. I personally pay close attention when cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcycles are near to make sure I see them, and they see me.

I am grateful I learned these key elements and believe they are what have kept me driving safely on the road. I have a nephew who did not learn from a driving school or a mother who taught driver’s education and had his first serious accident within 6 months of driving. He is now fearful of driving, and his parents are taking time to allow him to drive long distances. This can be limited to his freedom to get to and from activities and inconvenient for others who must drive him around. I also have friends who choose to drive without having a license and take the risk of harming themselves and others because they do not have training. I believe having professional driver training is the best way to contribute to safe driving and fewer accidents and/or deaths on the roadways. If it was required in my state, or at least more people opted to learn from a professional, the number of deaths would decrease.