Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable
of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle
in
front
of
you is going
to
brake
or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate
on
the
driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
--
such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something
on
the
floor
--
makes proper defensive driving more difficult
and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask
a passenger to help do things like this, or pull
off
the road
in a safe place to do them yourself. These simple
defensive driving techniques could save your life.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in
the
Index.)
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