What’s the most common suggestion or tip that you hear from family and friends when they find out you’re learning how to drive? Perhaps most of them have told you that you should learn how to be a defensive driver. But what does it really mean to be a defensive driver? How do you learn to drive defensively?
If you’re new to driving, here are a few tips on how you can be a defensive driver. These tips will help you reach your destination, safe and sound.
- Never use your cellphone while driving.
Whether it’s a text or a call, never take your attention away from the road. Driving requires your full attention, so give it that and save yourself from all the trouble. Using your cellphone while driving can be distracting. You should only use it when you are properly parked.
- Pay careful attention to traffic signs.
When you take these traffic signs for granted, you end up entering a one-way street. The speed limit signs will also remind you the top speed you can take while traversing a road you haven’t travelled to before. Stay within the speed limit, watch out for road signs. Whatever you do, make sure that you don’t follow the driver of the car in front of you. After all, you are not sure he’s really following the traffic rules or not.
- Never drive too closely to the car in front of you.
Keep a careful distance between you and the car in front of you, just in case you need to come to a full stop. If there isn’t enough room between you and the other vehicle, you might be involved in an accident. It may not be your fault, but your insurance company may raise the rates and will consider the accident to be your fault too.
Defensive driving is not about being so tensed while on the road. You don’t wait for an accident to happen. Instead, you work your way on the road, along with the other cars, and be prepared to take on the defense when a reckless driver decides to put you in a difficult driving situation.
When you were first taught how to drive, you were told be aware of the movements that you make with your car. However, after learning the basics, you were reminded to also be mindful of what other drivers do with their cars. What then should you focus on first?