Be safe with defensive driving
By David Maillie
Regardless of how safe your car is and how safe your driving is, you cannot control other drivers and what may be influencing their driving (screaming kids, alcohol, depression, anger, etc…) It is simply impossible to know exactly what another driver will do or how they will react to a road hazard or suddenly flat tire or worse. So, following too closely or not giving ample room to be able to safely react to any problems or situations could in itself place you at much higher risk of having an accident or similar problem. Defensive driving is the best way to avoid accidents according to the New York State Troopers Association.
Most state DMV’s (departments of motor vehicles) offer defensive driving courses at little or no cost to the participant. Also, many community colleges offer them as adult education classes and most will even remove several infraction points from ones driving record upon successful completion. These classes are very informational on avoiding road hazards, proper driving distances, and basic safety and accident handling. For instance, many people do not know if they were involved in a light or no injury accident on a busy road to pull their cars off to the side. This will help both their safety and the safety of others and help by not creating a traffic bottleneck.
Exactly what is defensive driving you might ask. It is basically sitting back and driving in such a way that you allow yourself time to react to circumstances around you while you are driving. Speeding and tailgating are aggressive or offensive driving. They do not allow you time and proper stopping distance in an emergency situation. What if some kids are playing and suddenly follow a ball into the street or a large dog bolts across the street? These are events that you have no control over, but you can minimize a bad result by obeying the speed limit and traffic signs and signals.
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Another aspect of defensive driving is reducing your speed and knowing when to pull off the road during bad rainstorms. Heavy rain can cause limited visibility just like cloudy headlights can during night time driving. If you can’t see well, then it is a good bet that other drivers cannot see you well either. This is the time to pull off the road and wait for conditions to improve or at least reduce your speed and following distance to a safe level. Under normal conditions it is recommended to observe a following distance of 1 to 2 car lengths for every 10 mph increase in speed (so, for a car traveling at 50 mph the recommended following distance would be at least 5 car lengths).
Another important part of defensive driving is proper maintenance of any and all safety related items on your car. Tire tread should be checked at regular intervals. It is recommended that if all of Lincoln’s head on a penny shows when inserted in a tread groove it is time to replace the tires. Improper tread width or balding tires can actually hydroplane in wet conditions and are very unsafe. Cloudy or worn headlights can be very unsafe. At least once per year check your headlights for wear. Plastic headlights will wear from harsh UV rays, scratches from road debris, etc… According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety over 90% of vehicles have some degree of worn headlights and inherently carry a larger safety risk when driving at night. There is a patented headlight restoration kit manufactured by MDWholesale.com that will save you big money over replacements and restore your cloudy headlights to new again. There are many more safety items like brakes, windshield wipers, etc… This is why most states have a required yearly safety inspection.
There are many more aspects to defensive driving, but if everyone would follow just the ones above there would be a huge decrease in avoidable car accidents and unnecessary fatalities. Drive safe, follow at a safe distance, get your headlights restored, and do not drink and drive. The life you may save may be your own. Article provided by MDWholesale.com headlight cleaner, a website devoted to automotive safety.
