Learning to drive is often considered a rite of passage. In the haste to get that coveted driving license, young drivers often forget all the safe driving lessons that their instructors try teaching them. In Australia, safe driving is considered a crucial part of driving education and teaching defensive driving is a part of the curriculum even in driving instructor courses. In today’s world where everyone is in a hurry, the need for defensive driving is paramount. While driving skills are important, defensive driving also involves road awareness and staying alert when driving. Defensive driving techniques are the ways in which a driver can drive safely and avoid getting into an accident on the road. It helps protect the drivers, their passengers, and the pedestrians too, ensuring everyone stays safe and healthy.Â
What are the Main Defensive Driving Techniques?
Defensive driving means using some common safe driving methods to identify potential hazards and adapt your driving accordingly. Here are a few main defensive driving techniques everyone should know about:
Maintaining Safe Following Distances
One of the most obvious defensive driving techniques is to maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you. It is one of the first lessons a driving instructor will teach you. Maintaining a safe distance allows you to be prepared in case the vehicle ahead of you stops abruptly or gets involved in a crash.
Hazard Perception and Response
Hazards are any obstacles that hinder your driving or cause you to shift attention away from the road. Potential hazards can be anything from a vehicle merging into your lane to a pedestrian suddenly walking onto the road. An alert driver is always aware of the road environment and can recognize potential hazards.
Avoiding Distractions
Anything that diverts your focus away from the task of driving can be considered a distraction. For some people, listening to music can be distracting while others may find eating while driving distracting. No matter what it is, if an object or situation causes you to lose focus while driving, you should try to avoid it when you’re behind the wheel.
Understanding and Adapting to Different Road Conditions
Road environment and conditions consist of a lot of things. Road signs, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, etc. are all a part of the road environment. When driving, a driver needs to be very aware of his/her surroundings. Keep checking the road and surrounding areas regularly and read the road signs correctly. Checking your mirrors regularly, braking early, checking blind spots, and keeping an eye on the pedestrian crossings and side streets is helpful in recognizing a potential hazard and responding accordingly.
Advantages of Defensive Driving
Defensive driving has many advantages for both the pedestrians and the drivers. Safe driving techniques help you avoid situations that might result in a collision. It enhances your driving skills and increases your understanding of the road and surroundings. It also helps develop your hazard perception and response skills. When drivers follow safe driving methods, we can avoid collisions and even reduce the rate of accidents on the road. When you’re aware of your surroundings, even in a serious situation, you can reduce the severity of the accident. Moreover, defensive driving also has some personal financial benefits. Compared to rash drivers, defensive drivers get benefits and lower costs for safe driving.
Significance of Driving Instructors in Defensive Driving Training
Driving Instructors are essential in defensive driving training. Along with basic driving skills, driving instructors also impart important knowledge on defensive driving techniques. They develop a safety-first mindset in their students, teaching them the importance of understanding the road environment and making decisions proactively. They also help develop the drivers’ ability to perceive hazards and respond to them. Another thing that instructors help with is the road rules and standards. In Australia, where road rules differ from state to state, this is very important. A driving instructor in Sydney would be able to help students in following rules specific to Sydney, and the same is true for driving instructors in canberra, Melbourne, etc. With their guidance, drivers can learn to drive safely and responsibly. They can also encourage drivers to follow traffic rules handle challenging situations and reduce the risk of accidents.
Conclusion
Road safety is important not just for drivers but also for pedestrians. Instilling safe driving habits in the drivers is a good way to achieve road safety. Defensive driving techniques can help a driver drive safely and by following a few rules and developing road awareness and hazard perception. Professional driving instructor schools like the Academy of Road Safety offer special training to driving instructors to help them teach safe driving techniques to students easily and effectively. By adopting defensive driving, we can significantly reduce the number of road accidents and create a safer road environment.
