4-2Defensive DrivingThe best advice anyone can give about driving is:Drive defensively.Please start with a very important safety device in yourvehicle: Buckle up. See “Safety Belts” in the Index.Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means“always expect the unexpected.”Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going tobe careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what theymight do. Be ready for their mistakes.Rear- end collisions are about the most preventableof accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enoughfollowing distance. It’s the best defensive drivingmaneuver, in both city and rural driving. You neverknow when the vehicle in front of you is going tobrake or turn suddenly.Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrateon the driving task. Anything that distracts from thedriving task -- such as concentrating on a cellulartelephone call, reading, or reaching for somethingon the floor -- makes proper defensive driving moredifficult and can even cause a collision, with resultinginjury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, orpull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.These simple defensive driving techniques could saveyour life.
