 |
|
 |
 |
Defensive driving is safe driving because as we all know,thousand of people are killed or seriously injured in road accidents every year and in many of these accidents, the main contributing factor is driver error. This can be attributed to the skill level of the driver, the attitude, lack of judgement, lack of knowledge of vehicle characteristics. Defensive driving is all about developing the right attitude and approach, brushing up on general driving skills, learning about the handling characteristics of your vehicle and various other factors which we will discuss a little further.
Responsibility, concentration, anticipation, patiences and confidence are the qualities which contribute towards driver attitude and it is the driver’s attitude which influence’s his behaviour on the road. In defensive driving, a responsible driver is always concerned with the safety of his vehicle and the safety of all other road users around him. A defensive driver is always tolerant of the mistakes of other road users and is aware that everyone is entitled to use the road as much as him.
Anticipation in defensive driving is the art of planning well ahead. Recognising hazards well before they develop and taking the most appropriate action to deal the developing hazards. In defensive driving, if you plan ahead and anticipate the actions of other road users, you can avoid being taken by surprise, take evasive action and be in control of the developing situation. Be patience of other road users, especially the more vulnerable like young children, the elderly and people with young children or animals. With defensive driving you will show patiences by avoiding hostile or aggressive behaviour, making obscene gestures or abusive language. If you are the recipient of such behaviour, you should try and ignore it, never retaliate, keep calm and concentrate on your driving. Even though it can be very hard but you are more likely to make a mistake if you lose your cool or get upset and this can have very dangerous consequences.
Nobody can claim to be the perfect driver, no matter how long you have been driving there’s’ always something new to learn. You can brush up on your driving skills by doing a few refresher driving lessons with a qualified driving instructor. If you would like to improve your defensive driving even further, you can take one of the advanced driving tests. You can contact any of the driving associations and they will be able to help with the tests and also put you in touch with a driving instructor who teaches advanced driving. This will help to improve the things you already know and teach you a few new skills as well. It will also help in your driving if you can read up on your vehicle’s manual and try to learn how it handles corners and how effective the brakes are.
