Stay Alive When You Drive: The Keys to Defensive Driving

According to many Defensive Driving coursemore space you must allow. At freeway speeds,
instructors, there are five vital rules to defensive driving.maintain a good 4 to 5 second leeway.
If everyone followed just these five rules, expertsIf counting seems difficult to measure while driving,
agree that car accidents would be reduced by at leastconsider car lengths...always have at least one car
98%.length between you and the car in front of you. At
So, do your part to reduce the dangers of driving, andfreeway speeds, lengthen that space to roughly two
to further protect yourself and your loved ones fromcar lengths or more. If you find yourself having to
dangerous and possibly fatal accidents. Read on tobrake every time you see the car in front of you
discover what you can do to be more safe on thebrake, then you are following too closely.
road - and don't be fooled by the simplistic nature ofDefensive Driving Key #3. Don't Speed
these rules. You may believe they are common sense,If you love to drive, you hate the admonition to not
but we can guarantee that either you or someone youspeed. However, driving too fast for road conditions or
know breaks at least two of these rules on a regulartraffic exponentially increases your chances of getting
basis!into an accident. First of all, your speeds leave you with
Defensive Driving Key #1. Pay Attention and Focus onless reaction time than may be needed to avoid a
the Task of Drivingcrash and the faster you drive, the longer it will take
Yes, this one seems the most obvious! But how oftenfor your brakes to successfully stop your moving
have you been on your cell phone while driving? Orvehicle.
fiddled with a handbag, papers, a map, or kept diggingYes, inertia's a witch. But it's a law of physics and no
for something in your pockets? Splitting your attentionpouting will change that. So work with the universe and
from the process of driving immediately puts yourwatch how fast you're going. The easiest way to
driving on auto pilot. You are no longer consciouslymanage your speeds is to keep pace with the traffic
involved in operating your two ton box of metal - youaround you. And most importantly, don't change lanes
find you can't remember what you saw, or that youor weave in and out of traffic when at high speeds.
changed lanes a mile back. Most importantly, yourDefensive Driving Key #4. Don't Drive Impaired
response rate is reduced and impaired. You cannotIf you have any alcohol, you must wait two hours for
react quickly to new stimuli because your consciousevery drink consumed before you drive. And always
brain is not involved in the active reception of suchfollow up alcohol with an equal amount of water. It will
information.allow you to maintain your "buzz" for a good length of
So how can you increase your ability to pay activetime, but will help your body return to full capacity
attention while driving? Never chat on your cell phone -when you begin winding down (provided you wait the
in some states like California, it is now illegal to driveprescribed amount of time after drinking before driving).
and talk on the phone. Try not to daydream, and ifAnd don't kid yourself. Just because you think you can
someone else is in the car with you, do not look atwalk in a straight line doesn't mean you can drive
them while talking - keep your eyes and attention onadequately. Just as talking on a cell phone impairs your
the road. Averting your eyes, for even two seconds,ability to drive defensively and safely, having any
while talking to a passenger, could put both your lives inalcohol in your system when you're driving will impair
serious danger.your ability to react to road conditions or other drivers.
Also form good driving habits. For instance, if you'reThis also goes for being sick, tired, or otherwise
making a trip to a new destination, get familiar withimpaired. If you do not feel you have a clear head, do
your map or directions before getting into your car.not drive. If your eyes or head hurt too much, don't
Make sure that you can recall most of them fromdrive. If you have trouble staying awake, or you've had
memory so that you are not forced to finger through,to take medication that makes you drowsy, don't drive.
or constantly look at your papers while driving. InDefensive Driving Key #5. Buy and Maintain Safe
addition, pace yourself - if you're hungry, stop and eatDriving Equipment
at the restaurant. Don't drive through and eat whileIf you drive an older model vehicle, find out what
driving. If you're tired, pull over and rest. Don't gambleequipment your car has and consider upgrading. You
your life and another's just because you're in a hurry orwant to ensure that you have ABS (anti-lock) brakes,
you believe you won't fall asleep. Driving is hypnotic -traction control systems, and air-bags. Auto engineering
eventually you will fall asleep if you are not well rested.continues to impress - consider the latest in safety
Defensive Driving Key #2. Maintain Your Distancetechnology: run flat tires, SOS systems that will
This is particularly difficult for those of us living inautomatically notify paramedics if your vehicle is in an
Southern California. We're practically raised onaccident, and active systems that assist with safely
tailgating! But nevertheless, following too closely behindmanaging your vehicle, such as Active Cruise Control
another vehicle accounts for 40% of vehicle accidents.that will automatically change your speed to match a
Plus, in the event of a rear-end collision, the faultslower vehicle in front of you, and to maintain a
automatically falls on the rear vehicle - even if thepre-determined distance behind.
driver honestly believes the front vehicle stopped tooBecause upgrading an older vehicle to these new
suddenly.technologies can get exceedingly expensive, you may
This is because if you maintain the proper distance, it'sconsider selling your used car for a newer model. If this
almost impossible to hit the vehicle in front of you -is the case, we can help. We are the largest and most
because you've allowed yourself enough reaction timerespected auto buying service in Los Angeles and all
to stop.of Southern California, having bought and sold over
So what is the proper following distance? A good rule50,000 cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs. We guarantee to
of thumb is the "two second" rule. You want to alwaysoffer you more for your car than any dealer and we
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of you. However, the faster your speeds are, theat Cash4UsedCars.net to learn more.