Defensive Driving Tips
September 13, 2004
In a last ditch effort to save on our escalating car insurance rates (no thanks to insurance fraud) my wife and I decided to sign up for a Defensive Driving course. According to the AAA, taking this course would drop our insurance by 10% (for each driver) and as an added bonus, decrease our overall driving points by 4.
The class lasted 6 hours, with sporadic breaks inbetween including a lunch at noon. Our instructor, a retired NY state police officer who served for 26 years, shared his philosophies, humorous quips and suggestions for driving better and defending yourself against Lazy Larry, Fast Eddie and Beeline Betty.
These tips included:
- When you’re on a highway or freeway, your speed should match the pace of the other drivers. Even if the posted MPH signs say ‘65MPH’, if the traffic is going at the rate of 75MPH it’s best to go with the flow.
- Police officers grant drivers with what is deemed and measured by the “tolerance meter”. Meaning they will give you the benefit of the doubt if your speed is at 75MPH, only if that’s in accordance with the flow of traffic.
- Police officers are human, despite what you might think otherwise. There are the go-getters; the officers who pull over those who break the law at breakneck speeds, the procrastinators; officers who show up at 2 in the afternoon, circle their jurisdiction and go home, and finally there are the hard workers; those who pull people over but also are more likely to give drivers the benefit of the doubt.
- As for how much room you should leave between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you, it’s suggested that you pick out an object in the distance, wait for the vehicle ahead of you to pass it and then count how long it takes you to get to that same object. If it takes you less than 2 seconds (one-one thousand, two-one thousand), then you should back off. A good rule of thumb is that if you see their back tires, you’re keeping a safe distance.
To be honest, I think we both learned that about 99.9% of drivers suck at driving. After about age 20 our perception, judgement and common sense take a dive and it’s up you to take preventative measures in order to save your life and the lives of others. I’m not preaching, just making a point that practicing good driving habits provides a wealth of advantages. Next time your stuck inbetween Lazy Larry and Beeline Betty, maybe you’ll think twice before you slam your breaks or exude frustration at the situation. Assess the situation; that both drivers (Larry and Betty) are only adding to the problem. They need to work that out amongst themselves, it’s not up to you to prove a point and slam your breaks or cut someone off.
Just coast off the off-ramp, smooth sail to your driveway, put your car in park and vent your frustrations on a computer game like Unreal Tournament or Medal of Honor. Computer games, unlike real life, allow for saves and continues.
13 comments
I think all new drivers should be taking this course. People here in Edmonton, Canada can’t drive if their life depended on it. Apparently, if it says to go 70km/h (43.74miles/h) on a freeway, you should be going 50km/h (31.25miles/h), according to most of the drivers. Also, according to those drivers, you don’t have to make full stops on a Stop sign, as well as you don’t need to signal when turning, and it is ok to cut of people when switching lanes. I’m just waiting for the rules where you can mount a rocket launcher under your car and blow those drivers into the air.
by Rafal on September 13, 2004 at 5:38 pm. #
Maybe it’s the sign of the times, or my love of action movies…but I read that first sentence and imagined a humvee, gung-ho attitude and a loaded weapon
by Gary on September 13, 2004 at 5:51 pm. #
My dad is a police officer, I’m pretty sure he is the type to give people breaks — it seems to be as of late that he is constantly letting people off; he is about to retire and I think he is becoming a little more relaxed.
by Donnie on September 13, 2004 at 8:34 pm. #
Hey, good job Erik…you’ve always been a good driver but additional learning on drving is always helpful! I’ll have to look into the course for myself, although driving in Bishop seems to be pretty safe. I’ll pass the beeline betty onto Grandma, good name for her.
Keep up the good work,
Dad
by Dad on September 13, 2004 at 10:23 pm. #
I guess I’ve said it before, but who cares I’ll say it again: There’s no better defensive driving course than spending a weekend through our Costa Rican roads — potholes galore, pedestrians playing “Frogger” at any point in the highway and drivers that just don’t give a poop about speed limits, gas emissions or each other’s physical integrity.
You may want to consider it for next time — and come visit our great beaches and rain forests. If you make it, that is
by beto on September 14, 2004 at 2:15 am. #
I agree with Beto in that good defensive driving skills can be acquired in the school of hard knocks also. I live in northwest Arkansas, which is a very rapidly growing area. I just spent 20 minutes in a traffic jam in Arkansas…whodathunkit??? I think the worst traffic I have seen is Atlanta by far, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth. In Atlanta, if you aren’t doing at least 75, you better look out.
So it’s going to drop your insurance by 10% each?? Sweet!
by Chad on September 14, 2004 at 9:36 am. #
12 years on the road, and not one accident. Why? Because I was taught how to drive proactively, instead of reactively. Reactive drivers merely respond to road conditions, say, turning the wheel after they realize they are in a curve. They are the 99% of drivers who suck.
You’ll find that people live their lives the same way they drive. By observing driving habits, you’ll determine whether someone makes things happen, or is the product of things that have happened to them.
by Charlie on September 14, 2004 at 10:38 am. #
Driving proactively is hands down the best method for driving, anywhere. After years of playing video games, I’d like to think my reflexes have improved, not to mention that this was a subject of debate a year or so ago.
One thing you should never consider is actually focusing on every step you take when you drive (gear shifts, speed adjustments, etc.). It’s better to just let it happen naturally, otherwise you might cause an accident just thinking about your actions.
by kartooner on September 15, 2004 at 9:21 am. #
If there’s one thing I hate in this world, it is collective responsibility. I hate having to do something, losing out on some things, having to pay more, etc, just because some loserheads that are in the same country, region, classroom, general vicinity, “demographic group” are dumb as a bag of hammers. I despise with a passion stronger than my feelings towards IE.
That said, I’m never getting a car if I have to pay more because teenagers usually cause more accidents. That specifically refers to the taking the course crap. Did you ever notice most of those hints were common sense? They repeated the “1001, 1002″ thing about thirty-six times in the Ontario driver’s handbook (a respectable $8). And what’s with half of those hints being about policemen? Was the course about driving defensively or driving so that you won’t get a ticket?
(Maybe I will (get a car) if I’m rich enough to not have to deal with the insurance com-crap-anies and just finance everything out of my very own pocket.)
Or I can just become a bus driver. This way my passions of loving driving, utilizing public transit and hating insurance companies will all work out, after all.
Ah, venting. Now I can go back to inspiring, interesting and thought-challenging (not) English homework.
by Jarek Piórkowski on September 15, 2004 at 8:42 pm. #
I still think that the best thing I ever did to improve my driving was getting involved in SCCA autocross (a.k.a. Solo II) and putting in time on the race track.
I would recommend autocross to anyone, because you can enter your daily driver (except SUVs, they’re too prone to rolling), it is very low-risk (generally, the worst you can do is spin out and hit some traffic cones. If you don’t spin at least once, you’re not trying hard enough), and you learn your car’s capabilities very quickly. You will be surprised how far you can really push a car, as even your average family sedan (ex. toyota corolla) has incredible performance by comparison to cars of yesteryear. If you do it enough, you’ll also pick up how to control your car in skids and spins, which is a skill that has saved my ass many times.
Track time, while not for everyone, is good for learning high-speed maneuvering, advanced driving techniques (heel-toe shifting, apexing turns, etc.), and honing your reflexes. Not to mention that it’s an absolute freakin’ blast if you’ve got the cojones to fly around turns and graze walls at high speed. Highway driving is a breeze by comparison.
by Paul Griffin on September 16, 2004 at 12:09 pm. #
Paul: I told my wife about your Autocross suggestion — we’ll see how that goes.
by kartooner on September 17, 2004 at 9:10 am. #
i think that if the police would do their jobs and start ENFORCING the law and show a better police presence on the roads people will act responsibly. i drive a delivery truck in edmonton and i see cops on the road once a month. the rest of the time all you see are photo radar traps where people have learned where to spot the white van at the side of the road, slow down , then speed up again when out of range. they speed through school zones and construction zones with reckless abandon. and god forbid they could put down their cell phones long enough to use the signal light. this idea of letting people off all the time is wrong. it will only escalate the problem because people learn they can get away with it. i think more enforcement is needed, and more education on the proper way of driving is needed.
by jimmyxtc on July 28, 2006 at 9:58 pm. #
also i disagree with the idea that you should keep up with traffic when driving. tell that to the photo radar camera when it snaps your picture for speeding.
by jimmyxtc on July 28, 2006 at 10:00 pm. #