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Defensive driving is far from being a rocket science – basically, it is all about trying to minimize the odds of hazards happening while on the road. The major part of every defensive driving training emphasizes the importance of anticipating the other drivers' moves. A defensive driver will not react to every dangerous traffic situation just at the last moment. On the contrary, he will be trained to constantly access everything that happens on the road – he will anticipate the way things will unfold and he will act in order to avoid the dangers way before these dangers become evident to a novice driver. For instance, the instructors from the defensive driving courses can tell whether a driver is defensive or not by observing the way he brakes. A well trained driver will never be forced to apply these brakes in emergency. He will only have to slightly touch the brake pedal in order to get out from a dangerous situation before this situation develops. On the contrary, for a novice driver, almost every braking is likely to be an emergency one.
Another important part of every defensive driving training is all about communicating your existence as a driver and your intentions to the rest of the drivers. For instance, using the blinkers should not be regarded as an option – they must be used as a way of clearly communicating all your intentions when your are traveling on the road. The stop lights should be in order too because if your existence on the road or one of your actions takes the surrounding drivers by surprise, you will increase your odds of getting into a serious road accident. The defensive driving training can also show you how to proactively manage the atmosphere on the road. Actually, courtesy is likely to reduce the level of anxiety on the road – this way, you will also reduce the odds of a road accident. Courtesy should be used in order to teach other drivers a valuable lesson. Keep in mind that a behavior with no regard to other drivers will significantly increase the psychological tension all around you. For instance, other drivers may become annoyed and this annoyance may lead to an impaired judgment that increases the odds of a hazard on the road.
One of the most important concepts in the real life defensive driving is leaving yourself a space for possible error. For instance, you should maintain enough distance on all 4 sides of your car in order to allow yourself to safely react to every change on the road. Your reactions will depend upon your current level of concentration, current shape and environment – you will know how to maintain bigger distances when you feel fit and fresh. But if this satisfactory room for your possible error cannot be maintained, you should lower your speed in order to achieve the necessary safe distances. For instance, when a heavy rain reduces your visibility, you will have to lower your speed in order to maintain these safe distances. Keep in mind that if you are an experienced defensive driver, you will not depend on the other drivers for your safety. You will actively manage everything that happens on the road and you will increase your and others safety. You will not fear driving – you will enjoy it for everything that it has to offer.
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