Defensive driving might sound like something that only personal bodyguards need to know. It’s not. While they use it, so should you and everyone else on the roads.
If you wanted to sum defensive driving up, you could say that it is driving in a way that gives you the best chance of getting home safely. Or driving in a way that makes allowances for all the stupid things other people might do.
Assume people will make mistakes or do dumb things
It would be great to live in a world where all drivers stuck to the rulebook and acted courteously and cautiously. Yet that’s not reality. Some drivers are aggressive, some ignore the rules, and others are so caught up in their own worlds that they fail to notice what is happening around them. Any of those things could lead them to crash into you.
Try these things to account for other people’s poor driving
- Slow down: The faster you travel, the greater the impact if you crash. It is why areas outside school have much lower speed limits, to give anyone a car hits a better chance of surviving.
- Give other drivers space: There is no need to sit on someone’s bumper, and doing so increases the chance you are caught out if they suddenly brake. You should always be at least three seconds from the car in front.
- Think, “What if?”: What if that car pulls out in front of me? What if that lorry swings right to turn left? What will you do if they do that?
Defensive driving can only get you so far. You could still be caught out by someone else’s negligence or stupidity. If so, seek legal help to hold them responsible.