Defensive Driving

What is Defensive Driving?

Defensive driving is a style of driving which encourages safety over recklessness and hopefully saves time and money for those who employ it. Defensive driving is a style of driving which requires a high level of observation from the driver as well strict adherence to the rules of the road. For example, many of us consider a “flash” from another driver to be a signal to go permission; a defensive driver does not follow this blindly. Instead they consider the situation had the driver not “flashed” at them.

Defensive Motorway Driving

Defensive driving on the motorway requires patience and an awareness of the road around you. Indicating with plenty of time for example should wake up those who are daydreaming and those pedantic enough to cause trouble if things are not done by the book. Lane discipline should be followed correctly allowing the “two second rule” to come into play. The two second rule suggests you should be at least two seconds away from the car in front, leaving you plenty of stopping time or time to make evasive action.

By sticking to the left lane except for overtaking you are helping the traffic flow and reducing your chances of being in an accident. By appealing to common sense defensive driving makes sure you don’t get involved in the accidents of those who want to drive fast and recklessly.

Dealing with Tailgaters

Tailgating is one thing despised by defensive drivers as it can cause concern and distract a driver from what is going on in front of them. Some solutions which may cross your mind while driving such as doing nothing and tapping the brakes to make the brake-lights come on may be satisfying in that you feel you’ve “taught them a lesson,” you may be causing a more dangerous situation to occur. Defensive driving experts would tell you this is not the way to deal with tailgaters. Instead increase your safety-gap by one second in front and increase this for a safe overtaking opportunity. Naturally, if you are on the motorway, safely moving over to another lane and allowing any particularly aggressive driver past and away to their doom is probably the best option!

It’s the Only Sensible Way to Drive

It becomes clear to most reasonably people that defensive driving is the most civilized way to conduct yourself on the road. It is a way of applying intelligence to driving which does not allow a driver to be lazy and fall into bad habits. It questions the infallibility of “knowing the road,” or being a “good driver,” – because neither of these count when you are upside down in a ditch!