Driving Safety tips and Strategies to Know
At Legacy Driving Academy, our first and foremost mission is to ensure that every student that comes through our doors is taught the importance of staying safe on the road with our driving safety tips. More than the technical aspects of driving, or learning the rules of the road, the guiding principle is always to drive with safety in mind, for you, for your passengers, and for others driving on the road.
With that being said, one of the most helpful mindsets to have is what is known as defensive driving.
What is Defensive Driving?
Defensive driving is a mindset and a set of driving techniques that ensures that you are taking the proper precautions to avoid road incidents. The goal of defensive driving is to avoid having to react to sudden changes on the road by removing yourself from potentially risky situations. Naturally, driving on the road always carries some small amount of risk no matter how careful you are, but that does not mean there aren’t things you can do to minimize that risk.
Increasing Bumper Distance/Not Tailgating
This is one of the most common mistakes many young drivers make which is why it’s one of the most crucial driving safety tips. Tailgating can be a natural instinct for someone who is stuck in heavier traffic or for those attempting to get ahead, switch lanes in a tight spot, etc. However, trailing right behind another vehicle is never a good idea. If something happens in front of that vehicle, they will have no choice to brake immediately, giving you little to no time to react and causing a crash.
It is recommended that you keep a distance of 2-3 cars between you and another vehicle, especially on the highway where speeds are much faster and there is less time to react to sudden braking.
Expect that Drivers Will Not do What You Expect
Confused? Allow us to explain. The road is governed by many rules, most of these rules are dependent on other drivers doing what they “should”. Should is a difficult concept, because if you are involved in a crash, you realize that what someone “should” have done is irrelevant outside of insurance purposes. No one wants to be involved in a road incident, even if they are not at fault.
Picture this: you’re pulling up to a stop sign in a shopping center and there is another car approaching the stop sign at the intersection of the road, you are well ahead of them so you stop at the sign (as you should), look both ways, and move forward. As you’re going straight, you are struck from the side by the person who coasted the stop sign.
You expected them to stop and look both ways, but they did not. They may not have been paying attention and were texting or on a phone call, maybe they thought you were turning and they were clear to go straight as well. Regardless, this person “should” have stopped and yielded right of way to you, but they did not.
Keep an Eye out for Potential Road Hazards and Plan Ahead
If prevention is the name of the game, then keeping an eye out for potential hazards on the road is one of the ideal driving safety tips. For example, suppose you are driving through a residential area past some homes, while you may not see anyone, it is always prudent to expect that someone like a child or a dog could run out into the street at any time. This is why your speed in residential areas should be notably lower than traditional roadway speeds in your area.
Sometimes the hazard is you! If you are feeling drowsy, are highly tempted to answer a call or text, or otherwise feeling distracted from the road, there’s no shame in pulling into a safe place to do these things—especially if you are driving in a very drowsy state, which is never recommended in the first place.
Driving School Phoenix AZ
Legacy Driving Academy’s mission is to make learning to drive an easy and fun experience. Our goal is to provide an environment where teens and new drivers can learn the ropes and develop confidence on the road.
Contact us today at (602)-396-8321 if you have any questions about our programs. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
