Why should all drivers learn defensive driving?

In South Africa, the number of vehicles on the roads increases each year. With so many people commuting every day, and with so many drivers driving recklessly and outright badly, it’s no wonder that our country has so many fatal  road accidents. By choosing to practice safe driving in all forms, including defensive driving, you could better your chances of avoiding accidents. You would also do your bit to contribute to the overall safety on South African roads.
What is defensive driving?

Defensive driving literally means to “drive in a manner that will prevent accidents, also careful and alert driving”. This manner of driving a motor vehicle will assist motorists to be able to steer a vehicle to safety when affected by other road user’s actions, bad weather conditions and obstacles on the road. Defensive driving is an advanced driving skill that can be applied each time you need to use your motor vehicle. Anyone with a valid driver’s licence can learn advanced driving in order to improve their driving skills and handle almost any situation on the road as they occur.

What is included in a typical defensive driving course?
There are many courses available and they cover various areas of defensive driving, including:

–    Theoretical notes from specialized instructors
–    Video footage and awareness
–    Accident prevention
–    Vehicle control
–    Avoiding collisions
–    Practical driving (either tested on a road, skidpan or both)

Some courses may also include hijack prevention and risk management. Research shows that defensive driving is cost effective on fuel, wear and tear as well as on car insurance.

The road safety tips you can practice

The following are just some effective road safety tips that will help you have a safer journey:

–    Never try to multitask when driving (using your mobile phone to send a text, Tweet or make a call); rather put your phone on silent and throw it in your bag to avoid any distractions.
–    Try to stay as far away as possible from aggressive drivers. With experience, you will learn how to identify them on the road (aggressive driving can lead to road rage).
–    Always do your observations.
–    Always stay alert and focused on the road ahead.
–    Always buckle up and make sure that your passengers do so as well.
–    Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you (3 second gap) and remember to increase the distance in bad weather conditions.
–    Maintain speed limits.

Practising road safety is something that should come as second nature to all drivers and a defensive driving lesson will be well worth your while. See bidorbuy for various defensive driving courses ranging from dynamic skid and track to high performance driving and more.