Defensive Driving

There are a lot of fucking idiots on the streets, pardon my French. So it’s a matter of necessity that you employ defensive driving techniques, lest you end up being a maroon smear on the pavement. I say this because I’ve had to share the road with such idiots in the rain in both San Francisco and NYC these last couple of weeks.

Over the years, I’ve found myself unconsciously acting on certain defensive patterns while driving. So I decided to write them down here. Maybe one day, these will become lessons I pass onto my kids.

Or maybe one day, I’ll write a book, get filthy rich, then hire a chauffeur so I never have to deal with those fucking idiots on the streets anymore.

I should add that I’ve never taken a defensive driving course before, though I’d really like to. I wonder what kinds of tips they teach you in those classes. You should trust what you learn in those classes more than you trust what I’ve written here.

And to be honest, much of this may be common sense to you. If it is, then I thank you, because you probably aren’t one of those fucking idiots on the streets then.

Anticipate the Future

Look at least two cars ahead of you. Just watching the car in front of you isn’t enough. If visibility allows it, look past the car in front (e.g. through the windshield, over the side, by their shadows or reflections on the street) to the next car.

Some drivers don’t have good braking habits, so by looking two cars ahead, you can monitor the braking patterns of both. As a general rule, you should brake when the car in front brakes; an extension of that rule is to brake when the second car ahead of you brakes. You don’t have to be a frequent braking maniac either; simply being ready to brake is enough.

It should go without saying that leaving yourself plenty of space between you and the car in front is smart as well. This gives you some buffer room for sudden stops. Tailgating is just about the dumbest thing you can do.

If you have enough space, and are watching two cars ahead, then you can sometimes find yourself not needing to use the brakes as much. This has the added benefit of saving wear and tear on your brakes. If the car in front hits the brakes, you can watch the rate at which the space decreases. This can indicate when and how much to apply your brakes.

Although if you’re not entirely confident in your braking judgment, please feel free to apply your brakes whenever the car in front is doing so.

SUVs, vans, and trucks can impede your visibility. In such cases, try and get into a lane where the car in front is a regular passenger car.

Be Predictable

Let the drivers around you know what you’re going to do. You can do this through the use of your car’s various indicators. Not only are the left and right turn blinkers indicators, but your brake light is also an indicator. Using these allow other drivers to react to your actions appropriately.

If the cars in front suddenly brake hard, hopefully you’ve already given yourself enough space to react. In such a situation, tap your brakes to let the car behind know you’ve got a sudden stop. The tap should be hard enough to have some visual jerk of your car, but not enough to lose control. The point is to use your brake lights and an extra indicator to let the driver behind know there’s a sudden stop.

I’ve seen some drives also employ their blinkers in these situations. If you have the clarity of mind to do this, then go for it. It seems to be a fairly useful technique too.

After you’ve made the initial indication, ease up on the brakes and allow yourself to continue forward a bit. The intent here is to give the driver behind some space in case he doesn’t or can’t brake quickly enough.

This basically means you need to be mindful of the space in front and in back of you. If the driver behind is tailgating you, move to another lane and let him pass. You can use your brakes and speed to influence the average driver behind you into a safe distance. For aggressive drivers behind you, just let them pass.

And obviously, use your turn signals all the time. You never know when another driver intends to merge into your target lane. A signal will let him know your intentions, so he can react accordingly. Not only is this a defensive technique, but it’s also a courteous one too.

Have an Exit Strategy

As you’re driving, assume the worst. Picture in your mind the potential accidents that could happen around you. Doing this isn’t meant to drive you into a state of perpetual panic; this is meant to help you visualize an exit strategy to get out of any potential mess.

In other words, plan your escape route. Assume that the cars in front of you will stop short or get into an accident. Try to avoid being boxed in by cars and trucks, if possible. Lanes at the edges (left-most or right-most) can sometimes offer good exit points if they have shoulders or space to drive into.

On a street with low traffic, the center lane can be the safest, since you can exit into the left or right lanes easily if needed. There is buffer room on the sides of you for driving adjustments.

Drivers tend to do this unconsciously already. Whenever there are two cars next to each other, generally one of them will pull away. This is a sociological phenomenon that happens to be beneficial as well, because if the lane next to you is clear, it can be an exit lane.

This all may seem like a lot of extra mental overhead. But after having avoided several accidents and been in a few close-calls with some fucking idiots in San Francisco and NYC, I’d much rather be a defensive driver than a pissed-off accident victim.