Stay Alive When You Drive: The Keys to Defensive Driving
By Jaime Mintun
According to many Defensive Driving course instructors, there are five vital rules to defensive driving. If everyone followed just these five rules, experts agree that car accidents would be reduced by at least 98%.

So, do your part to reduce the dangers of driving, and to further protect yourself and your loved ones from dangerous and possibly fatal accidents. Read on to discover what you can do to be more safe on the road - and don't be fooled by the simplistic nature of these rules. You may believe they are common sense, but we can guarantee that either you or someone you know breaks at least two of these rules on a regular basis!

Defensive Driving Key #1. Pay Attention and Focus on the Task of Driving

Yes, this one seems the most obvious! But how often have you been on your cell phone while driving? Or fiddled with a handbag, papers, a map, or kept digging for something in your pockets? Splitting your attention from the process of driving immediately puts your driving on auto pilot. You are no longer consciously involved in operating your two ton box of metal - you find you can't remember what you saw, or that you changed lanes a mile back. Most importantly, your response rate is reduced and impaired. You cannot react quickly to new stimuli because your conscious brain is not involved in the active reception of such information.

So how can you increase your ability to pay active attention while driving? Never chat on your cell phone - in some states like California, it is now illegal to drive and talk on the phone. Try not to daydream, and if someone else is in the car with you, do not look at them while talking - keep your eyes and attention on the road. Averting your eyes, for even two seconds, while talking to a passenger, could put both your lives in serious danger.

Also form good driving habits. For instance, if you're making a trip to a new destination, get familiar with your map or directions before getting into your car. Make sure that you can recall most of them from memory so that you are not forced to finger through, or constantly look at your papers while driving. In addition, pace yourself - if you're hungry, stop and eat at the restaurant. Don't drive through and eat while driving. If you're tired, pull over and rest. Don't gamble your life and another's just because you're in a hurry or you believe you won't fall asleep. Driving is hypnotic - eventually you will fall asleep if you are not well rested.

Defensive Driving Key #2. Maintain Your Distance

This is particularly difficult for those of us living in Southern California. We're practically raised on tailgating! But nevertheless, following too closely behind another vehicle accounts for 40% of vehicle accidents. Plus, in the event of a rear-end collision, the fault automatically falls on the rear vehicle - even if the driver honestly believes the front vehicle stopped too suddenly.

This is because if you maintain the proper distance, it's almost impossible to hit the vehicle in front of you - because you've allowed yourself enough reaction time to stop.

So what is the proper following distance? A good rule of thumb is the "two second" rule. You want to always remain a two-second count behind the vehicle in front of you. However, the faster your speeds are, the more space you must allow. At freeway speeds, maintain a good 4 to 5 second leeway.