What is Defensive Driving?

Defensive driving means always being on the alert. It means putting down your coffee cup and your cell phone, and ignoring any screaming children in the back to focus solely on the road. Hazards abound, situations change in split-seconds, so you must always be prepared for falling rocks, careless pedestrians, and enraged drivers cutting you off.

Defensive Driving Techniques

• Keep a respectable distance from the vehicles around you. Always try to have an escape route. So don't match the speed of the car next to you, don't crowd cars in front of you, and stay out of blindspots.

• Before proceeding across an intersection, look both ways, even if you have the right of way. The one time you don't look will be the time someone runs a red into your side.

• Be extra careful in parking lots, around schools and parks, and in other places where people or children might run out unexpectedly. Keep an eye out for car doors flung open without discretion.

• If someone's tailgating you, pull over and let them pass. You can't teach someone a lesson on your own. Likewise, don't tailgate others.

• Be extra careful when it first starts raining. This is when oil mixes with water to make an ultra-slick surface. Slow down.

• Try to not drive behind trucks carrying loads of debris or equipment. Though debris is supposed to be tarped and tied down, it often isn't, resulting in a broken windshield at best.

• Maintain a speed that's safe for your situation. So even if the speed limit's higher, you may have to slow down to allow for inclement weather, bright sun, or erratic traffic.

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