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Defensive Driving

One of the most effective ways of avoiding accidents is to drive defensively (often known as ‘defensive driving’).

This is a reduced risk driving strategy designed to develop your skills in identifying risks, increasing your awareness of hazards and developing a safer attitude to your driving by linking risk to accident potential.

Here are a few defensive driving tips to help you minimise the risk of becoming involved in an accident.

1. Your Attitude Behind The Wheel

Driver attitude affects safety!

Drivers often express how they feel in the way the drive, and this can be very dangerous. Drivers who have been in an argument tend to drive more aggressively, too fast, and too close to the vehicle in front. This greatly increases their chances of having an accident.

If you recognise this as a problem that also applies to you, find ways of coping with stress as one way of safeguarding your safety and that of others on the roads.

On the plus side, a positive attitude can help to reduce the risk of accidents on the road. You should aim to:
- Be tolerant and considerate towards other road users.
- Have a realistic appraisal of your own driving abilities.
- Have a high degree of care for your own safety and that of others.

2. Pay Attention

Concentrate on your driving and be alert; try to gather as much information as possible about everything around you. This alone will reduce your accident potential by over 50%.

3. Learn To Recognise And Respond To Hazards

Hazard is ‘anything containing an element of risk or potential risk’.

4. Watch Your Speed

The speed at which you drive is one of the most important factors in contributing towards an accident. The faster you go, the less chance you have of avoiding an accident as ultimately you have less time to react. On the other hand driving too slowly could make you an obstacle to safe traffic flow.

Obey speed limits and drive at a speed that is safe and sensible for the conditions.

5. Work On Developing Your ‘Visual Search’ Skills

There is little to be gained from passive observation of the road ahead. You should be mentally responding to what you see, assessing risks and predicting dangers. This is essential to glean advance information of potential problems ahead in order to avoid late, uncoordinated action in an emergency.

Will children emerge from behind that ice cream van?

Are the lights about to change? Is a car about to pull out of that junction?

The driver in front is on his phone – is he driving safely? etc.

Eye movements of experienced drivers tend to be very rapid, moving from one point of critical interest to another to check and recheck areas of risk. This is known as ‘visual scanning’.

Through visual scanning you should:
- Keep the eyes moving – avoid staring at one object for too long.
- Get the big picture – be aware of the information being fed to you about your environment through your peripheral vision.
- Make others see you – through lights/horns/indicators and other signals.
- Plan your escape route – always have alternative escape route in mind if you have to take emergency action to avoid an accident.
- Look ahead to steer – look in the direction you want to go and your arms will automatically try to steer you in that direction.

6. Make Good Use Of Your Mirrors

Your mirrors are an essential safety driving aid which even many drivers often forget to use.

It is essential to:
- Make sure your mirrors are properly adjusted.
- Make sure that you use your mirrors before changing course or speed and before overtaking.

7. Keep Your Distance – The Hold Back Procedure

This is a very useful safety tool and involves actively reducing speed and holding back to allow you to look, assess, and decide on what action to take in response to road conditions ahead. The safety cushion this provides allows you time to decide on the safest form of appropriate action.

8. Don’t Take Risks

The advice here is simple: ‘If you’re not sure, don’t’. It could make the difference between life and death.