Defensive Driving Strategies

As a defensive driver, you can lower your risk behind the wheel and avoid crashes caused by other people's mistakes. Aggressive driving alone causes roughly one third of all traffic crashes, and distracted driving: texting, eating, or multitasking behind the wheel is a growing problem. You can't control how other people drive, but you can control how you respond to it.

Trip Planning and Safety First

Before any drive, especially a longer trip, check your vehicle's condition engine oil, battery, brakes, and tires and make sure you've budgeted for gas and unexpected costs along the way. Just as important: make sure you're physically ready to drive. Get enough sleep, eat a light meal (heavy meals can increase fatigue and slow your reaction time), and never drink alcohol before driving.

Check your route and the weather ahead of time. If severe weather is expected along your path, consider postponing the trip or building in extra time bad weather reduces visibility and increases stopping distance, so you'll need to drive slower and leave more following distance than usual.

Evaluating the Traffic Environment

Check your mirrors frequently and scan the road 20 to 30 seconds ahead of you. Look around 15 seconds ahead about a quarter mile at 60 mph to spot changes in traffic before they become a problem. If you need to change lanes, do it one lane at a time, checking your mirror before each move; switching multiple lanes at once doesn't give you time to react to vehicles in your blind spot.

Always maintain a safe following distance, and increase it in poor weather stopping distance can double on wet roads and increase up to tenfold on ice.

Anticipating the Actions of Others

Never assume another driver will yield, let you merge, or stop at a red light or stop sign. Position your vehicle so you have the best chance of seeing and being seen, and always leave yourself an "out" a place to move if your path is suddenly blocked. Watch for behavioral cues: a driver checking their mirrors repeatedly is likely about to change lanes, and out-of-state plates can signal a driver who's less familiar with the area and may make unexpected moves.

Compensating for the Mistakes of Other Drivers

Don't assume everyone around you will act rationally. Keep these habits in mind at all times:

• Continuously scan the road ahead for potential hazards.
• Maintain a safe following distance to give yourself stopping time.
• Leave cushion space around your vehicle as an escape route.
• Constantly evaluate and anticipate what traffic around you might do.
• Stay extra alert during inclement weather.

If you encounter an aggressive driver weaving through traffic or tailgating, increase your following distance, let them pass, or change lanes it's never worth matching their behavior.

Avoiding Common Driving Errors

On freeways with smooth pavement and modern vehicles, it's easy to be unaware you're speeding check your speedometer regularly. And if another driver cuts you off or tailgates you, let it go. To avoid road rage:

• Stay calm and avoid eye contact with aggressive drivers.
• Let them pass and increase your following distance.
• Don't take other drivers' actions personally.
• If someone aggressively follows you, drive to the nearest police station.

Sharing the Road with Motorcycles and Bicycles

Motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely to die in a crash than a car occupant, largely because drivers simply aren't looking for them motorcycles are smaller, change lanes more often, and are harder to judge in terms of distance and speed. Bicycles, by law, have the same rights and responsibilities as other vehicles and aren't restricted to the right lane, so give them the same attention you'd give any other vehicle on the road.

Want a deeper look at one specific defensive driving concept? Read about the 3-second following distance rule or choosing the path of least resistance in an unavoidable crash.