When you drive a car, your obligation is to follow the rules of the road. These help you drive safely by doing things like defining the speed limit or telling you when you need to yield to oncoming traffic. Driver’s training classes help instruct people on the rules of the road so they know the bare minimum that they should do to stay safe.
But with defensive driving, drivers can take things a step further. The goal is to be proactive and to anticipate the mistakes made by other drivers. This often means going well beyond the basic obligation to follow the rules of the road. Instead, a defensive driver actively seeks to lower their risk of being involved in a collision, even if they wouldn’t be in the wrong.
2 examples of what this could look like
For instance, say that someone is waiting at a stoplight when it turns green. If they adhere to the rules of the road, they can immediately start driving forward because they have the right of way. But a defensive driver may take an extra second to look both ways. They’re anticipating that someone else may make a mistake and run the red light. By going beyond their duty to simply follow the traffic signals, they may be able to avoid a crash.
Another example is when someone is being followed by a tailgater. Just because the driver behind them wants to go faster doesn’t mean that person has to break the speed limit. Their obligation is just to drive correctly and adhere to the limit on that particular road. But a defensive driver may be proactive by pulling into a parking lot to allow the tailgater to go around. By doing so, they reduce the odds that they’ll be involved in a rear-end accident caused by another person’s negligence.
Of course, even defensive drivers can suffer injuries in accidents. If this happens to you, be sure you know how to seek financial compensation.
