Defensive Driving

[87CherokeeChief]

Im a fairly new teenage driver, ive had my lisence for about a year and two months. I was wondering if some of you more experienced drivers have some advice you would be willing to share to help make me, and whoever else reads this whether they are young or old, better drivers. Any type of defensive strategies, things to look out for, what to do if certain things happen, what not to do. That sort of thing. Thanks everyone.

Brett

 

[Darky]

look ahead, keep your eyes moving and scanning. Don't be darting your eyes back and forth all over, but don't just zone out staring straight ahead. Don't drive tired or drunk, or drugged... Don't assume someone will do the smart thing, assume they're all retards and 90% of the time, you'll be right. Its better to sideswipe someone than to hit someone head on or even rear end someone (while moving at a decent speed). If you're going slow, then yeah plow into the back end of the guy in front of you before you sideswipe someone else. Don't tailgate. Keep a safe distance so as to be able to stop in time to avoid hitting someone. Always use your turn signals, they're there to let others know you're about to turn so they can react appropriately. Its ok to take some risks, so long as they're calculated. That's all I can think of for the timebeing.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Always use your turn signals, they're there to let others know you're about to turn so they can react appropriately.

so THAT'S what those things are there for! I'll be dammed! I use em just cause i like the clicking noise......lol!

 

[Darky]

you bastard...

 

[Kejtar]

Im a fairly new teenage driver, ive had my lisence for about a year and two months. I was wondering if some of you more experienced drivers have some advice you would be willing to share to help make me, and whoever else reads this whether they are young or old, better drivers. Any type of defensive strategies, things to look out for, what to do if certain things happen, what not to do. That sort of thing. Thanks everyone.

Brett

Are you in CA? Are you a member of AAA (or is one of your parents a member)? If so check with your local office as they offer every so often classes especially geared to answer the questions you have. Also you might want to check with your insurance company: they might have a line on a class and as result you might get a discount on your rate.

Oh... is it a somewhat rythmical click click click click? If so than thanks, cause that just solved the 4 month mystery noise hunt

 

[azdesertrhino]

I have to disagree with Blacksport96. Figure they're all morons and you will be 99% correct. I drive approx. 40,000 miles a year with 50% of it in towns/cities. There are more idiots on the road than there are flies at a dump. If you treat each driver on the road as a serious screw up and watch them accordingly you will greatly reduce your chances of having a problem with them. IMHO.

 

[5-90]

How new? Had your license six months yet?

Let me know when you get there (it gives the thing time to dry, gives you time to get some practical solo experience - but not so much that we've got to kill too many bad habits...) come up with a week-end you can kill, come on down, and I'll give you some lessons. I've been through high-speed, E&E, foul weather, and defensive driving - I can probably help you with what you'd like to know. I won't go into teaching you controlled head-on collisions - but I'd bet I can help keep you out of most collisions...

It's a lot easier to teach directly than it is to just tell you - I've been through this with my two boys, and four of my nieces.

5-90

 

[Kejtar]

come up with a week-end you can kill, come on down, and I'll give you some lessons

And whatever he says do opposite and you'll have 50% chance of making the right decision

 

[johnnyc]

The 5 basic rules of defensive driving are:

1. Aim high in steering - look way ahead, not just 10 ft. in front of your vehicle
2. Get the big picture - be aware of everything in front, back , and on the sides
3. Keep your eyes moving - don't stare straight ahead - use your mirrors
4. Leave yourself an out - don't get trapped - always have an escape route
5. Make sure they see you - use your lights, signals - don't drive in other's blind spots

Also...

Lift and cover - take your foot off the accelerator and cover the brake when going through intersections.

Look both ways when going through any intersection...even when you have the green light (this has save me a couple of times).

Following distance should be one car length for every 10 mph. Even more in inclement weather.

Even though you may have the right-of-way, don't INSIST on it. Meaning don't force your way merely because you can.

I've had a commercial driver's license for about 12 years now. My job literally depends on driving safely.

The number one rule should be...NO CELL PHONES.

 

[Kejtar]

The number one rule should be...NO CELL PHONES.

Number two should be: no food or drink while driving! It's interesting somtimes to observe what a driver does when he hits a pothole and spills something or when his burger (or whatever) drips all over the place.

 

[87CherokeeChief]

How new? Had your license six months yet?

Let me know when you get there (it gives the thing time to dry, gives you time to get some practical solo experience - but not so much that we've got to kill too many bad habits...) come up with a week-end you can kill, come on down, and I'll give you some lessons. I've been through high-speed, E&E, foul weather, and defensive driving - I can probably help you with what you'd like to know. I won't go into teaching you controlled head-on collisions - but I'd bet I can help keep you out of most collisions...

It's a lot easier to teach directly than it is to just tell you - I've been through this with my two boys, and four of my nieces.

5-90

ive had my lisence a little over ayear i got it on my 16th birthday(july 26th). and i might have to take you up on some lessons.

Are you in CA? Are you a member of AAA (or is one of your parents a member)? If so check with your local office as they offer every so often classes especially geared to answer the questions you have. Also you might want to check with your insurance company: they might have a line on a class and as result you might get a discount on your rate.

Oh... is it a somewhat rythmical click click click click? If so than thanks, cause that just solved the 4 month mystery noise hunt

Yea im in CA, and i am i member of AAA just waiting for my card to come in the mail. ill check with them and the insurance company. thanks.

Brett

 

[GSequoia]

Monitor everybody even when you aren't driving. Keep your awareness level high for awhile, jack yourself up.

After awhile you'll notice that you can predict what people are gonna do; that is key.

As everybody said - keep the eyes moving, use your mirrors I cannot stress that enough, learn them, you will not be taught how to use mirrors in school.

Basically everybody wants to kill you; you want to avoid that.

Most important - Don't care how hot she is, don't show off! Make it a point of pride that you're always in control of yourself and your vehicle.

 

[5-90]

Cool - if you want to get a little training, come on down. We'll just have to set it up in advance, since I sometimes have week-end commitments.

Nothing wrong with AAA - I'm a member too.

I'd say to check with CHP or local PD's - but I've not heard of any courses that they do out here. I grew up in Lafayette, IN - and LPD had a course that stretched out over a year. Basically, you played around on the academy Skid Pad for a while, you played bumper tag with cops, and on days when the weather was so bad nothing opened, the cops would call and tell you class was in session and get down there. I considered the course $400 well spent - and Farmer's gave me a hefty discount when I took the course (since I was a teenager with his own car and no-one else on his policy, it was nice...)

That was my first DD course - I've had several more since then.

Remi - I think you're a little optimisitic on how often I'm wrong... :scottm: I'd hate to tell you how often all that training has come in handy - especially here in CA! Even so, I'm still ready to buy a tank for commuting - or, at least a Weasel...

5-90

 

[bajacalal]

Im a fairly new teenage driver, ive had my lisence for about a year and two months. I was wondering if some of you more experienced drivers have some advice you would be willing to share to help make me, and whoever else reads this whether they are young or old, better drivers. Any type of defensive strategies, things to look out for, what to do if certain things happen, what not to do. That sort of thing. Thanks everyone.

Brett

I've driven a lot outside of the U.S. and I am convinced that the U.S. has the worst drivers. Sure, people in other countries drive so agressively, run reds and cut each other off all the time, but what I notice is people everywhere else pay a lot of attention to whats going to happen ahead of them wheras here in CA you see tons of people oblivious to whats going on or are involved with other activitys inside their car.

All are good points made by the others, about watching whats going on all around you including your six. You have to observe, analyze and predict what is taking shape. 3 or 4 times something fell off a truck right in front of me, including a fridge at 1 green light. I actually backed up that time when I thought "that load isin't secured at all"

At lights, intersections, don't assume green means go, check that cross traffic has stopped. Pay attention to cars way up ahead on the freeway. I often see people on highways slamming their brakes and swerving so you anticipate that there is an obstruction and already have slowed and reacted before they do. You should be thinking "what if I need to quickly leave the lane I'm in" and where an open spot for that is. You should anticipate things like people decelerating (no lights) infront of you or swerving into your lane. So, leave ample space ahead of you and to the sides. Anticipate that the car you see waiting to turn into your lane does so right in front of you.

I say drinks/finger foods are ok, but you have to anticipate dropping the stuff if s hits the fan. Obviously no a super burritos.

Also, don't have stuff on the floor that can get under the pedal (youd be surprised how much I see this)

Most of the people (of your age I mean) I know that have wrecked were driving recklessly in the middle of the night. Don't do this and watch out for them. Also, don't allow you or friends to drive impaired. A friend of mine died when he was your age, hit by another teen, drunk, who veered over the center divide. I saw my friend at a party right before the accident. The party, saturday night, the accident, a quiet sunday afternoon. He came real close but never saw his 18th birthday.

These people are out there all the time.

 

[ECKSJAY]

or, at least a Weasel...

5-90

Awwwooooooooooooooo, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddy.

 

[Kejtar]

Even so, I'm still ready to buy a tank for commuting - or, at least a Weasel...

I'm with you on that: driving 60 miles across LA in each direction each day I did consider a tank couple times

Oh and the 50% thing... just messin with ya

 

[Fergie]

Well, from what I always here myself saying

1. Shut the f*** up and drive!(No cell phones)

2. Stupid good samaritan( Dont let people cut across lanes just to make a left turn. You may be nice and all, but that causes more accident than good.)

3. ABS check!(Dont ride other people's asses.)

4. Do you have no concept of speed?(Make sure when you are pulling out into traffic, that you judge oncoming traffic speed, that way you dont have to get on it.

5. Ha! Stuck at the same red light I am!(Always give yourself more tim thatn you think you need, just in case. Also, never be in a hurry. Better to be late than dead).

Good luck with the driving and don't get caught up in the whole "I am young, a badass, and invincible" mindset. It'll get you or someone else hurt.

Fergie

PS- Road rage stays in your head, or in the car if your windows up. Being cut off or having the bird flipped to you is NOT worth dying for.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Lots of good advice above. A few added thoughts:

Most young drivers are sleep deprived and often they're badly fed, even if they take care to be sober. Make sure you're in good shape when you drive.

Tailgating is one of the stupidest and riskiest behaviors possible when driving, but most people do it anyway. No matter how close you follow, you are guaranteed to reach your destination only about 3 seconds sooner than you would if you followed safely.

Don't pass frivolously. Get to know the prevailing speed of the highway. By this I mean that on many highways, owing to clumps of slow traffic, lights, etc., there's a speed beyond which you will never go for long. No matter how many cars you pass, how many lives you risk doing it, chances are that at the end of 50 miles, every one of them will pull up behind you at a stoplight. I live in Vermont, where many arterial highways are two lanes. One of the commonest serious accidents here is the passing headon collision. Pass the tractors and the grannies, but don't bother to pass a line of cars going more or less the speed limit. You'll never make it worth your while. Some people cannot get this idea through their heads, but on most roads (other than limited access highways) trying to get ahead of the flow of traffic will rarely gain you more than thirty seconds' lead in an hour of driving.

Little ones:

Never reach through the steering wheel for controls, always around it.

Watch green lights as you approach. If you see it green for long, expect it to turn and be prepared. Too many people are surprised when a stale green light turns red, and run it because they can't stop in time.

Learn how your vehicle behaves under the weight transfer of braking. Too many people lose control of cars because they pitch into corners and brake too late. Brake early and accelerate through. It's a lot easier to speed up after approaching a curve too slowly than it is to slow down after approaching it too fast.

 

[WB9YZU]

New license! Congrats!

They probably didn't teach CRM Cockpit Resource Managment in driver school. Essentually very simple. Prioritize your tasks correctly (driving is priority ONE!). Maps and Routes should already planned for. If you need the resouce of a Map, make arrangments ahead of time so that the map is in easy reach and arranged properly when you need it. I plan out my routes and keep them on a clip board. As I pass a waypoint, I turn the page.

Keep your eyes outside the car. By outside, I mean scanning. Scanning can be a very casual and enjoyable excersize. Think of it as sight seeing or as many say "Get the big picture".

Emotions, leave them home. If someone cuts you off, deal with the safety issue (if there actually is one) and forget the rest. No hand jestures! No horn! Most cases of Road Rage start with A perceived mistake, hand jesture/horn, retailiation for hand jesture/horn, etc.
If you yourself are emotionally distressed, do not drive if you do not absolutley have to.

Know your vehicle. Know what it can and can not do. If it's a lifted circus wagon, don't drive it like a BWM sports sedan. If it accelerates slow, accept the fact and try and anticipate situations where that is a problem (ramps) and drive accordingly.

Ramps. Learn to anticipate an opening and adjust your ramp speed accordingly. If at the top of the ramp, someone has decided not to yield to you (they are right next to you), let off the gas a bit and slide in behind them. Many drivers like myself will yield to the driver on the ramp instead of trying to out accelerate them. Watch out for this and take the lane when we give it to you. Do not stop on the top of the ramp unless the trafic on the highway is stopped also.

Learn the difference between a slow driver, a conservative driver, an agressive driver and the driver who is not "comfortable" with being a driver. The latter is the more dangerous of the bunch as they are unpredictable.

Remember that as your experience grows, so does your confidence, and this can be a problem. An aviation analogy if I may. It is a fact that many pilots experience a pilot performace related accident around 500 hours of logged flight. Works that way for drivers also. Folks get complacent, start using devices in the car which distract them and reduce their performance. Try not to fall into that trap.

Enjoy Driving!

 

[5-90]

Awwwooooooooooooooo, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddy.

Wrong Weasel. I'm thinking of one of those six-wheel jobs - or maybe I'd take the time to fab up something like that APC from ALIENS - but I'd have to make the rack guns functional.

You know, I've got to agree with another point - I've been all over, and I'll go so far as to say that the WORST drivers all over are right here in CA - especially in the Bay Area (I've driven in LA - that's a different kind of bad. I'm a damn good driver, but bumper-to-bumper at 90 gets to me after a while...)

I think a lot of it has to do with so many drivers here coming from countries where you have to go on bicycles - and then they get cars, phones, and drive like they're the only people on the road.

Since there's a misconception that driving is a right rather than a privilege, there's no readily-useful way to dissuade this behaviour.

I've been asked why don't I open a driving school? The answer is twofold:

1) It will have to be mandatory for new licensees, and current license holders will have to be cycled through.

2) People will fail. It's a given.

Moreover, after I've checked off drivers, I'll have random rechecks. I don't mean I'll be in the car with you - I mean I'll see you do something stupid on the road (something REALLY stupid - we all have bad moments. I'm differentiating between screwing up and being willfully idiotic,) and if I've already run you through the mill, you get a 12-month downcheck to think about what you did wrong. I spend a lot of time on the road, and I'm willing to get some more vehicles for cover.

Frankly, I'm sure I could give most cops out here a run for their money given half a chance. Gimme a car for a half-hour to get adapted to the thing, and chase me around for a while. I'd welcome the fun!

5-90