Important Benefits of Defensive Driving

Defensive driving is driving your car sensibly and being able to anticipate potential dangers or problems so that you can take care to avoid getting harmed. You may be a very skilled driver, but it is possible that some situations are out of human control. Unforeseeable circumstances for example, sudden failure of the car mechanism, abrupt change in the weather, or even an unexpected traffic accident, can make even the most prudent of drivers feel irrationally and drive unsafely. Learning drive defensively is not only for your own safety, but also for your car and the other vehicles as well as the passengers on the road. 

Defensive driving involves keeping a proper speed at all the time, wearing a seat belt, and being prepared for unexpected incidents which may take place at anytime and anywhere. In addition to these, keeping your vehicle in good condition, signaling when taking turns or changing lanes, definitely refusing fatigue driving and drunk driving or under the influence of drugs are all defensive driving techniques that must be followed to prevent road mishaps. 

Defensive Driving and its Advantages 

The followings are some reasons why defensive driving is important for a driver.

Wearing a seat belt reduces the chances of being killed in car accidents by about 55%. As an skilled and well-educated driver, when you choose to use other safety devices such as airbags and child safety seats, you have the responsibility to safeguard the lives of those around you.

Usually speed is the most common factor in car crash accidents. By driving at a consistent speed, you can prevent crashes. When you are speeding up, you might don’t have enough time to brake, and even airbags at that time may not be of much help if you are driving over the designated speed.

When you follow the two-second rule, a safe cushion between your car and the one ahead of you has been provided.

When you drive defensively, you’ll get used to control road rage. We know that road rage is a heightened state of emotion where the driver is either hostile or angry at other drivers or himself while driving, it is obvious a bad emotion to cause dangerous to the safety of everyone. When you keep your emotions in control and drive with a composed mind, you are able to make informed decisions, are less prone to errors, and naturally lower the risk of causing an accident.

A consistent speed saves fuel as well. By maintaining a certain speed, you avoid sudden braking and rapid accelerations, which will effectively reducing your mileage by about 30%.

Driving at a uniform speed will effectively improve the lifespan of your car. Rapid accelerations and sudden brakes will lead to less wear and tear of the tires and put less pressure on the engine. 

However, installing a car camera is also an ideal choice for your driving safety.

Benefits of a Defensive Driving Course

Taking a defensive driving course will reduce your insurance rates, even as much as 12% for a period of 3 years.

The defensive driving course teaches you safe driving skill and how to control speeding and road rage effectively.

It teaches knowledge on how to drive in unpredictable and atrocious weather conditions and responding to emergency situations which may increase unexpectedly.

If you haven't gone for a course yet, do so at the earliest. As we have introduced numerous advantages it has to offer. It's not just the monetary benefits like lower fines for a traffic violation or insurance reduction, but also the relative road skills which you learn that go a long way in making you a skilled and trustworthy driver.