A number of years ago Defensive Driving was all the rage. It was cool. It was hip. It separated the really good drivers from the, well lets just say less proficient ones. Defensive Driving? Gee – what a concept!

In recent years this concept of Defensive Driving seems to have been shuffled off to the "back seat".  Defensive Driving is often now viewed as  wimpy, reserved only for those who drive slowly and perhaps don’t have the requisite skills or desire to challenge every driver they meet on the road with risky acts of daring do!

Pushing the limits of risk now seems for some, the preferred manner in which to prove ones driving prowess.  The tragic fact is that constantly pushing the limit quickly reflects the drivers complete lack of driving expertise – not to mention a total disregard for life – be it his, his passengers or the lives of others on the road.  The strange part of this is that these drivers feature themselves as absolutely the best drivers on the road!  Yup!  They may be skilled, but they're anything but - safe!

We would ask them to rethink their approach. 

Defensive Driving is not wimpy.  It is not just for the slow and unsure.  Defensive driving is still cool.  Defensive Driving can keep you alive. You can still practice Defensive Driving even if your driving style trends towards the “Get there quickly” persuasion.  You can drive quickly – but you can do it defensively!

So what exactly is the Driverthink take on Defensive Driving?  It’s pretty basic really.  You always want to be asking yourself one brutally simple question.
 

“What can that other driver suddenly do to kill me, and what can I do to keep him or her from doing it?” 

Is defending yourself wimpy?  Many take self defense courses to learn to defend themselves.  Ask any Black Belt if he or she thinks they’re wimpy.  In combat, self defense is just slightly mandatory.  Ask a combat veteran if he thinks he’s wimpy because he/she knows how to practice self defense.  Self defense is tough.  It’s macho.  The ability to defend yourself can define you – and not in a particularly wimpy way!  Being able to defend yourself is cool.  Defensive Driving is also cool.

So why is it that this cool concept of self defense seems to fly right out the window when so many drivers plop themselves into the cockpit of their favorite bop along buggy?
 

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Maybe it’s because that cocoon offers them a false sense of security.  “My car will protect me – I don’t have to defend myself when I’m in it.”  Perhaps it’s because the velocity vehicle is their only chance to exercise power.  “I got this motor now.  Let’s see what it can do!”  Maybe it’s because they simply never stop to think that, even behind the wheel, self defense is still cool!  Maybe they haven’t yet grasped the concept that they can actually drive quickly and defensively at – wow!  The same time!

Defensive Driving brings into play all of the Driverthink concepts.  It is the sum total of Driverthink.  Watching for Road Hazards.  Knowing what they are.  Situational awareness.  Driving smoothly.  Anticipating what can (and often will) happen on the road while you can still make a smooth defensive maneuver to avoid it, one that your passengers won’t even know happened.

When you’re tailgating you may very well have the reaction time to jam on your brakes if the driver in front of you does something unexpected, then mash the gas to cut off another driver to get around victim number one.  But it’s not very smooth, it’s not very cool and it certainly suggests that you haven’t mastered the concept of self defense driving.  When you have to depend on other drivers not suddenly doing something silly to keep you from ending up in itsy bitsy pieces in a ditch on the side of the road , or when your passengers are busy quietly soiling your nice clean upholstery, you’re practicing anything but – self defense.

Sudden, quick maneuvers are the epitome of non-defensive driving.  If you make a sudden, unexpected move you can’t assume that other driver will be expecting it – so you’d better make sure there’s nothing she can do to interrupt your joyride.  The operative word here is “Pause”!  You don’t have to pause the car – you have to pause your brain.  “Before I do this, what can that other driver do to kill me – and how can I smoothly avoid him if he tries?”

“Is that driver in the slow lane suddenly going to swing out in front of me while I’m mashing the gas?” You can almost count on it! “Is that Nose Out on the side road or coming out of the parking lot, suddenly going to jump out in front of me while my right foot is anchored to the floor?”

A sudden illegal move magnifies the problem.  They really won’t be expecting you!

There may be times when, for whatever reasons you’ll choose to cross a double line or slip a Stop Sign or mash it through an Orange Light which turns Red by the time you get to it (hopefully only in extreme emergency).  But when you do, pause the Grey matter.  Make sure there’s not an unsuspecting driver there to interrupt your suddenly plotted Infraction.  If you don’t, the Infraction can quickly turn into a Felony - or a hospital stay.

The difference between driving defensively fast and simply driving fast is this.  At the end of the ride, your passengers will be saying, “Wow, we’re there already?” instead of “Thank God – we finally made it - alive!  Time for a dozen Martinis.”  And they won't be looking at you cross-eyed when you reiterate what a great driver you are.  They'll be telling you how good you are.

Yup.  Defensive Driving is cool.  It’s no different than learning Karate, Kickboxing or how to shoot straight.  The only thing is, you’ll probably get much more opportunity to practice your Defensive Driving skills.