we are never too far from risk when driving as we can't control the way
other motorists drive or what hazards we might find on the road ahead of us to
remain safe we must use our experience and judgment to drive in a way that will
allow for other people's mistakes or unseen hazards this is called defensive
driving in this video we will show how we use the basic principles of defensive
driving to keep safe and decrease the chance of having an accident as always
if you have any questions about the video then please leave a comment and we
will reply as soon as we can
defensive driving is all about being observant anticipating problems and
planning ahead we must think about what we can see and what it means for us and
then use that information to decide how to drive as safely as possible if we
notice that there are many pedestrians waiting as a bus stop there might be a
bus approaching or if the rubbish bins are outside each house the dustbin lorry
must be nearby we should always consider what might
happen and drive accordingly so we have time to react when we find something
unusual in front of us we can't control what others do but we can make sure we
keep ourselves as safe as possible behind the wheel by making our own
decisions and not making assumptions about what others will do
we must stay focused when driving as there are a lot of things we need to
think about if we concentrate we can look out for adverse road conditions
road markings and signs keeping our speed safe our gear selection correct
and maintaining a good road position however if we allow ourselves to be
distracted by our phone by eating or even by other people in our car we may
react slower to hazards or even miss them altogether putting us in danger
even very experienced drivers can get complacent and let their attention slip
so we must remind ourselves to stay focused when behind the wheel
we need to maintain an adequate clearance to other vehicles near us so
that if something unusual happens we will have space and time to react there
are four rules we must always follow to maintain a safety gap around our car
they are follow other vehicles at least two seconds behind allow a full doors
width gap two parked cars stop a safe distance behind other stationary traffic
and also to position diagonally to other vehicles on multi-lane roads for more
detail on these rules please watch our other video called adequate clearance
we must keep an awareness of what is around our car at all times so if we
need to react to a hazard quickly we already know which way we can steer
without colliding with another vehicle to do this we check our mirrors
regularly and look ahead as far as possible
if we then spot another vehicle braking hard or a cyclist about to cross the
road in front of us we can slow down well before we are in any danger if we
hear or spot an emergency vehicle approaching from behind us it is much
easier to deal with if we have time to consider our options we like to be
considerate of others but we must also look out for ourselves when joining a
dual carriageway we never assume another driver will move out of the way to allow
us to merge when we are proceeding at a green traffic light
we still look out for other drivers driving through their red light other
drivers will make mistakes so when we plan ahead we try to anticipate the
worst-case scenario and allow for it just because the car in front of us is
indicating doesn't mean it will actually turn unless we can physically see the
vehicle turning that action hasn't been confirmed if there is any doubt we wait
and see what the driver does rather than pursuing I even realize that their
indicators are on
we will need to consider the correct speed to drive since speed limits are
only the maximum possible speed and not a target in ideal conditions we may be
able to drive up to the maximum allowed but when weather traffic or road
conditions are poor that is our responsibility to drive at a safe speed
that will allow us to react any hazards we come across we always adjust our
speed before a bend and then drive at a constant speed around the bend to keep
the car balanced braking and steering at the same time makes it much more likely
to lose control so we always plan ahead and slow down in plenty of time the rule
we always follow is that we must be able to stop in the amount of Road we can see
to be clear in case we come across something blocking our lane this means
we can safely drive faster when we can see lots of clear road ahead of us but
must slow right down when we see much less clear Road
if another driver flashes their headlamps at us we still take time to
decide whether the flash was meant for us and only proceed if we think it is
safe when crossing a give-way line if our view is blocked by another vehicle
we don't trust their judgment enough to go where nay go as they might be willing
to take a chance that would put us in danger if we expect other drivers to do
what we would normally do then they could surprise us if they do something
else if we keep a safe distance and wait until we can see it is safe to proceed
we can reduce the chance of having an accident
when driving in busy places there will be lots of pedestrians we must be
prepared for anything they might do young children might run out in front of
us and adults distracted by their phone may not see us driving towards them as
they cross the road if we drive at a lower speed it will allow us to react to
danger quickly and even if there is an accident it will be at a lower speed and
less damage or injury caused when in areas that have many tourists remember
that they might forget that we drive on the other side of the road to them and
they could look the wrong way before crossing the road
we would recommend using the principles of defensive driving on the driving test
as it will help prevent us getting ourselves into a situation where we
could be forced to react suddenly if we put our trust in other drivers then they
might surprise us somehow which could lead to a serious fault and a test file
instead if we drive defensively staying alert maintaining adequate clearance and
anticipating the actions of others we will have a much higher chance of
passing
so remember to stay alert and distraction-free maintain adequate
clearance to other vehicles control our speed carefully and look ahead and
expect the unexpected
you
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