Defensive Driving

The Sad Facts

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of all work place
fatalities.
• Leading cause of death for those aged 5 to 24
• Two out of every five people will be involved in an
alcohol related crash in their lifetime
• In 4 hours roughly 20 people will be killed in motor
vehicle crashes
The Statistics
• Every 11 minutes in the USA a person dies as a
result of injuries sustained in a crash
• In four hours 1,040 will be injured
• In one year more than?
• 44,000
• 24,000
• 124,000
It’s the Other Driver I’m Worried About…
• Have you ever said this or heard this comment
before?
• Are you the other driver?
• Are you part of the solution?
• If you are a defensive driver you are part of the
solution.
Part of the Problem
• In the last 20, years the number of registered drivers
has doubled
• The number of registered vehicles tripled...yet our
roads have not
• 60 to 90% of us feel we are better drivers than every
one else…yet accident numbers are remaining the
same…
Still Part of the Problem
• Drivers surveyed admitted to the following:
• 30% ran yellow / red lights
• 26% slowed but did not come to a complete stop at
stop signs
• 23% drove 10 mph over interstate speed limit
• 22% drove 10 mph faster than flow of traffic
• 8% drove when affected by alcohol
Defensive Driving, the Solution
• Driving to SAVE LIVES, TIME and MONEY, in spite
of the conditions around you and the actions of
others.
• We just heard from the other driver their actions and
in some cases their condition.
• NOW lets learn how to deal with them and other
issues.
Defensive Driving Course is About:
• Developing safe driving habits / attitudes
• Improving the way you see the road
• Improving the way you respond to hazards
• Taking control over your actions behind the wheel
• Learning to recognize hazards, avoid crashes,
violations, and road rage
The Goal!!!
• Develop driving skills that may one day save your life
and the lives of others
• Remember those statistics
• The more you drive the more potential
What are…
• The most hazardous issue you see daily?
• The hazard you deal with most often?
• The conditions you deal with?
• The driver conditions you deal with?
• How do you handle these hazardous?
• Do you talk to management about them, other
drivers?
• At the end we will talk about some of these.
Defensive Driving Involves…
• Making effective, safety and legal choices
• Creating safe, stress free driving conditions
• Getting to place without ticket or crash
• Practicing courtesy, common sense, cooperation
• Understanding the hazards of conditions and
behaviors around you
DDC Collision Prevention Formula
• Recognize the hazard / • Understand the defense
scan • Know what to do to avoid
• Past, present, and future a hazard
• Use the what If • Know the consequences
strategy…. of your choices
– What if that car does • Know the defense
not stop, what will I • Scanning
do?
DDC Collision Prevention Formula
• SLOWING DOWN
• Safe Following Distance
• Act correctly, in time…
• Be alert, pay attention to
driving
• Concentrate on hazards
Driver Actions you Witness
• Eating, drinking meal • Fail to yield
• Reading • Driving aggressively
• Speeding • Sleeping
• Tailgating • Signal kept on
• On cell phone • Did not use signal
• Stopping • Poor vehicle condition
• Passing on right • Too fast for conditions
• Passing • Too fast for vehicle
Road and Driver Conditions
Road Driver
• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, • Angry
leaves… • Upset
• Traffic • Rushed
• Construction • Stressed out
• School zone • Under influence of
• Motorcycles drugs, alcohol
• Too much light • Under influence of
• Not enough peers
• Glare
Road and Driver Conditions
• Control your emotions
• Control your emotions
• Leave late be late
• Get calm, wait
• Time is the only way to sober up
• Driver is responsible
Road and Driver Conditions
• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, • Reduce speed
leaves… • Increase following
• Traffic • Reduce speed
• Construction • Reduce speed
• School zone • Following distance
• Motorcycles • Glasses, slow down
• Too much light • Slow down
• Not enough • Slow down
• Glare
 Dealing with other Driver Actions
• Followed to closely - Let them go
• Speeding - Let them go
• Passing - Ask yourself why
• Failure to yield - Watch for them
• Rolling Stops - Bad habit, eye scan

Jeff Gibson
Accident vs. Collision
• You run a yellow turning to red light and hit a car is it
an accident?
• You fail to reduce your speed when it is raining and
skid off road, is it an accident
• You fail to pay attention and rear end the vehicle in
front of you is it an accident?
• 90% are driver error
• Less then 10% acts of God, mechanical failure
No, No, and No
These are preventable collisions where the driver did
not take reasonable actions to reduce the potential for a
crash.
• Is it reasonable to slow down approaching an
intersection?
• Is it reasonable to slow down in rain, snow or other
weather hazards?
• Is it reasonable to focus attention to vehicles around
your vehicle?
An Accident is an Unplanned Event
• We know we should not run lights, follow too close,
and that we should slow down in poor weather.
• Why don’t we… Its not me I am worried about, it’s
the other guy….
• We think it won’t happen to us
• Other reasons!
• Drive to save lives, time and money
At Intersections
• White lines
• Signal
• Cover the brake
• Point wheels straight
• Right on red
• Right of way
• 40% of all traffic crashes occur at intersections
How NOT to Get Hit at an Intersection
• Look Left • 30% of drivers reported
• Look Right they ran a red light
• Look ahead • Window down, look and
listen
• Look Left Again
• Be able to see tires of
• If the first car don’t jump
vehicle in front on ground
the light
At an Intersection…
• Next to a bus or large truck
• Light turns green, do you go immediately?
• Can you see the intersection completely?
• Don’t pull up stop, and then roll closer to the car in
front of you.
• Get boxed in, hit from behind, hit vehicle
in front
Intersections - Fail to Stop
Play the what if game….
• What if the vehicle does not stop…what will I do?
• Reduce your speed by covering the brake
• Cover the horn with you hand
• Last -- don’t count on them stopping
Rail Road Crossings
• They are intersections too
• Expect a train any time
• Never drive around gate
• Never stop on tracks
• Never race the train
• Don’t rely on warning
signs
• If you are stuck or
stalled – GET OUT
• Run toward the train not
from it
• Never get into middle of
intersection if you can
not get all the way
through regardless of
light
Unsafe Behaviors
• Passing – why do we pass?
• What will I gain from this pass?
• 3 types of crashes- head on, side swipe, run off the
road…
• # of vehicles on the road today
• Next intersection, stop light, sign, or construction site…
who do we see?
Passing
• Is it safe to speed to • What do you think?
pass?
• Is it legal to speed to
complete a pass?
• Remember DDC
• Safe and Legal
• Save time, money, and
lives
The Sinister Six
• 6 unsafe driving habits we just discussed
• Speeding
• Right of way errors or violators
• Improper turning
• Driving left of center
• Improper passing
• Following too closely
Speed Kills
• Every 10 mph over 50 the • What are the common
risk of death is doubled causes listed in the
• When there is a car paper?
accident that makes the • Why do you think
newspaper what are some drivers speed?
of the comments in the
paper concerning the
cause?
Speed Kills – is it Worth the Risk?
Time to go 10
Speed Time saved Risk of death
miles
50mph 12 min - X
55mph 10:54 1:6 1.5x
60mph 10 min 2 min 2x
65mph 9:14 2:46 3.0x
70mph 8:34 3:26 4.0x
75mph 8 min 4 min 6.0x
80mph 7:30’ 4:30 8x
85mph 7:3 4:57 12x
Is it Safer to Speed with the “Flow of
Traffic,” or do the Speed Limit?
• Risk of Death
• Save, Time, Lives and Money
• Tickets
• # of vehicles on the road
• Using a 2 second following distance 150 cars would
have to pass you to lose five minutes of time
Drinking and Driving
• Check you local paper, all ages of drivers affected or
caught
• Don’t do it
• Don’t follow charts weight/time/# of drinks
• Chose a designated driver
• Medications can have same effect
• Time is the only thing that sobers one up, NOT
COFFEE
Collision Prevention Formula
• Recognize the hazard: by scanning
• In front, behind, on sides
• Check mirrors every 3 to 5 seconds
• Use the “What If” game…..
• What if that car does not stop, get back into their
lane, complete their pass,
• What will I do?
Collision Prevention Formula
What if that car does not stop, get back into their lane,
complete their pass...
• What will I do?
• Read the road (recognize hazard)
• Reduce your speed
• Ride to the Right
• Ride off onto should or more if have to
Understand the Defense
• See hazard….
• Ask what can I do to avoid this
• Reduce speed as soon as possible
• Increase following distance
• WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING
DISTANCE?
• 2,3,4, or 5 seconds
Following Distance
• 4 seconds on clear dry day good road light traffic and
following like vehicle (car) 5-bus
• Add a hazard, add a second to the 3”
• Motorcycle 4 + 1= 5
• Have a tailgater behind, add several
• Poor weather add several
• Traffic add several
Act Correctly in Time
• Be alert focus on driving not other actions
• Being alert allows the most response time possible
• “The car stopped quickly, I did not have enough
time.” In reality the driver did not see the vehicle
stopping and lost valuable reaction, action and
stopping distance
Passing, Avoiding Head on Crash
• The Four R’s….
• Read the road ahead
• Drive to the Right
• Reduce your speed immediately
• Ride off the road or to the far right of your lane.
• NEVER GO INTO THEIR LANE
• Gorham Maine – bus accident
Emergency Vehicles
• Scan mirrors every 3 to 5 seconds to see them.
• Be able to hear them
• Pull over and stop
• If can’t acknowledge and when can pull over and stop
• What is the following distance 500’, 250’ 3 seconds?
Aggressive Drivers
• It takes two….
• Don’t participate
• Stay calm
• Different time, different route
• Leave late, will be late (number of vehicles)
• Be courteous
What are Some Aggressive Driving
Behaviors you Have Seen?
• Speeding • Slamming on brakes
• Tailgating • Others!
• Fail to yield
• Blocking traffic
• Lane changes
• Gestures
• Verbal
• Throwing things
“Road Rage”
• Decisions –
Consequences
• Get emotions in control
• Leave late will be late
• Call and let them know
you will be late – defuse
anxiety
• Your life depends on it
• Give other drives benefit
of doubt-wave
• You make mistakes too
• Different route or time
Bad Driving Behaviors
• Blocking left most lane on highway
• Tailgating – 3 seconds or more
• Signal use, lack of it, forget to shut off
• Horn use – for emergency
• Blocking traffic at an intersection
• Merging, allow other vehicles to merge
Save Lives, Time and Money in Spite of the
Actions and Conditions
• Take reasonable actions…..
• What if game
• Increase following distances
• Reduce speed
• Cover the break
• Drive at posted limit or below
• Make driving number one activity
Save a Life, Time or Money
• Be at your best, rested, awake, sober
• Check your vehicle before leaving on trip
• Check the weather
• Check traffic reports
• Check for construction projects
Area Road Hazards
• Name them
• Discuss what to do
• Determine best course of action
• Develop a solution
• Act on it
Driver Experience
• Turn a rounds
• Cul De Sacs (circles and telephone poles)
• Overhanging branches
• Obstruction in my lane, or other lane
• Cargo Security!
From my (you) Perspective
• An unsafe habit I have that I want to change is….
• The defense technique I am going to use…
• One thing I learned today is…
• Any questions you still have…
Thank you for Attending
• Drive Defensively
• There are others that want you around, need you,
depend on you.