Defensive Driving

Training Module
 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
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.
• 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
DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE (DDC)
COLLISION PREVENTION FORMULA
• Recognize the hazard / • Understand the defense
scan • Know what to do to avoid a
• Past, present, and future hazard
• Use the what If strategy…. • Know the consequences of
• What if that car does not your choices
stop, what will I do?
• Know the defense
• Scanning
• SLOWING DOWN
• Safe Following Distance
• Act correctly, in time…
• Be alert, pay attention to
driving
• Concentrate on hazards
 DRIVER ACTIONS YOU
WITNESS
• Eating, drinking • Sleeping
meal • Signal kept on
• Reading
• Did not use signal
• Speeding
• Poor vehicle condition
• Tailgating
• Too fast for conditions
• On cell phone
• Too fast for vehicle
• Stopping
• Passing on right
• Passing
• Fail to yield
• Driving aggressively
 ROAD AND DRIVER
CONDITIONS
Road Driver
• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, • Angry
leaves… • Upset
• Traffic • Rushed
• Construction • Stressed out
• School zone • Under influence of drugs,
• Motorcycles alcohol
• Under influence of peers
• Too much light
• Not enough
• Glare
 ROAD AND DRIVER
CONDITIONS
• Control your emotions • Not enough
• Leave late be late
• Glare
• Get calm, wait
• Reduce speed
• Time is the only way to sober up
• Increase following
• Driver is responsible
• Reduce speed
• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, leaves…
• Following distance
• Traffic
• Glasses
• Construction
• Slow down
• School zone
• Motorcycles
• Too much light
 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
 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 • Right on red
• Signal • Right of way
• 40% of all traffic crashes occur at
• Cover the brake
intersections
• Point wheels straight
HOW NOT TO GET HIT AT AN
INTERSECTION
• Look Left • 30% of drivers reported they
• Look Right ran a red light
• Look ahead • Window down, look and
listen
• Look Left Again
• Be able to see tires of vehicle
• If the first car don’t jump 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 • If you are stuck or stalled –
GET OUT
• Expect a train any time
• Run toward the train not
• Never drive around gate from it
• Never stop on tracks • Never get into middle of
• Never race the train intersection if you can not
get all the way through
• Don’t rely on warning signs 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
What do you think?
•Is it safe to speed to 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
• What are the common causes • Every 10 mph over 50 the risk of
listed in the paper? death is doubled
• Why do you think drivers speed? • When there is a car accident that
makes the newspaper what are
some 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
• Choose 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?
• 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 2 to 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 • Reduce your speed immediately

•Drive to the Right • Ride off the road or to the far

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 • Your life depends on it
• Get emotions in control • Give other drives benefit of
• Leave late will be late doubt-wave
• Call and let them know you • You make mistakes too
will be late – defuse anxiety • 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 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…
 THANK YOU FOR
ATTENDING

• Drive Defensively
• There are others that want you around, need you, depend on
you.