| If motorists practiced good defensive driving | | | | It is important to get your broken down car off the |
| techniques and a concern for the needs of other | | | | road. If it can't be driven, push it. Then stay in your car |
| motorists, traffic would move faster and accidents | | | | until help arrives. Don't risk your lives or the lives of |
| would decrease. | | | | others by blocking traffic. |
| Most people want to be good, courteous drivers. They | | | | Speed |
| just don't know when to exercise any other defensive | | | | Stay under the speed limit, but move with the speed of |
| driving technique than those the basic good, common | | | | traffic. If the speed limit in an area is 65 and one lane is |
| sense driving habits. | | | | moving at 50 while another moves at 68, decide |
| For this reason, I have taken the liberty to list three | | | | whether you want to drive slower than the speed limit |
| examples of opportunities to use your best defensive | | | | and be safe from tickets, or go slightly over. Don't |
| driving habits. | | | | expect everyone else to march to your beat. Not all |
| When Taking in Scenery | | | | other motorists practice defensive driving, so interfering |
| Occasionally, we all go for sightseeing drives. | | | | with the flow of traffic can be more dangerous than |
| Sometimes it's a local drive in the country or a part of | | | | altering your individual speed. |
| the city you don't usually travel to. Other times, we're | | | | Passing |
| on vacation and decide to take in a new area where | | | | Using "cruise control" to pass is not a good display of |
| we've never been. Also, we might be searching for an | | | | defensive driving. When you don't move quickly around |
| address or a particular landmark, causing us to drive | | | | the car that you are passing, you are only blocking |
| slower than usual, interfering with our usual good | | | | traffic in both lanes for other motorists. When passing |
| defensive driving habits. | | | | a truck using cruise control, the driver of the truck |
| One should always remember that, while this area is | | | | loses the ability to move from the right lane to avoid |
| new to us, others travel the same roads every day. | | | | road hazards that they are not equipped to break |
| To practice good defensive driving in this situation, it is | | | | quickly for. |
| important that one keeps an eye on the rearview | | | | When using good defensive driving, it is important to |
| mirror. If there is traffic behind you, pull over and allow | | | | pass quickly and deliberately. If you aren't sure about |
| them to pass so that they may get home. Your | | | | your pass, don't switch lanes. If the car ahead of you |
| momentary inconvenience as you practice defensive | | | | isn't really going so slow that you need to pass, then a |
| driving is worth the courtesy you will show the ones | | | | basic rule of defensive driving is not to risk it. |
| you are sharing the road with. | | | | Don't worry that the other driver will be angry or |
| When Suffering a Breakdown | | | | offended at your decision to pass them. Most won't |
| One might assume that defensive driving goes out the | | | | even pay attention and some might appreciate that |
| window when you lose the ability to drive at all due to | | | | you are practicing good defensive driving by passing |
| car trouble, but this is not the case. | | | | safely. |