Yes, even in sweet, calm, North Idaho we sometimes need a refresher on defensive driving – especially as vacation season is getting closer and our beautiful area is full of drivers from out of state. The term “road rage” was coined in the 1980s when aggressive and angry behavior behind the wheel began leading to extreme incidents of assaults, collisions, and even deaths as drivers angered each other with their inconsiderate actions on the road.
Defensive driving is a conscious choice you should make every time you get into your vehicle. The following seven quick defensive driving tips will help you and your passengers stay safe as you make your way around North Idaho’s roads.
Pay attention. Nothing is more important than having all the information available as you make decisions on the road. Nearly all collisions are a result of distractions, sleepiness, daydreaming, or otherwise not paying attention. This is especially dangerous in familiar situations as a psychological condition called “change blindness” sets in. You may be used to the four way stop on the way to work every day. You see a certain scene every day – one that never changes. So you get used to a few pre-programmed glances around before proceeding through the intersection, and your brain fills in the remainder of the scene from memory. Change blindness can lead to terrible accidents with other cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. It is important to pay attention and be specifically aware of your surroundings while driving, no matter how familiar you are with the road.
Hand-in-hand with paying attention is avoiding distractions. How many distractions are there in a basic everyday driving situation? The radio? The cell phone? The temperature controls? Your purse falling on the floorboard? The fast food you just picked up? The kids hitting each other in the back seat? In everyday driving, we face many distractions that can prevent us from paying attention to what is happening on the road. Defensive driving requires minimizing distractions in the vehicle in order to drive as safely as possible. If you have to pull off the road in order to deal with a distraction, so be it. It’s better to delay by a few minutes than risk not getting to your destination at all.
Trust no one. This defensive driving tip may seem like a horrible thing to say, but it is vital to driving safely. Think back for a moment on your driving career. Think about the times you have fiddled with the radio dial, taken a hand off the wheel to fumble for something in the back seat, or taken a phone call while driving. You don’t know if the other driver has experience driving in the snow or whether or not the other driver is using good traction tires. You don’t know if another person is drunk or if someone’s tire is going to blow out. Every driver on the road is a potential threat to your safety, so you have to be aware of his or her movements and prepared to react to any errors they make.
The fourth defensive driving tip is very important. Don’t drive while impaired. Everybody knows the dangers of drinking and driving, but impairment goes far beyond drunk driving. You could be driving impaired if your contact falls out or your glasses break. Impaired driving can be caused by a lack of sleep or medication – both prescription and over the counter. Any factor that decreases your ability to operate a vehicle safely is impairment. Impaired drivers usually have slower reaction times and less situational awareness, making them a danger to themselves and everyone on the road with them. When you drive defensively, you never drive while impaired.
Drive predictably. We have all seen them – those drivers who quickly accelerate to 75 miles per hour on the freeway and then suddenly slam on their brakes and dodge across two lanes of traffic to make an exit, often without signaling any of their movements. Defensive drivers will always signal their intentions well before they make a move, braking slowly, and using blinkers in advance of turns or lane changes. Always let other drivers know your intentions while you’re on the road. The other drivers are not mind readers and can’t know what you intend unless you tell them by properly using your vehicle’s signaling capabilities. If your turn signals, brakes, or other lights are not functioning properly, it is important to have them fixed immediately (call Silverlake Automotive and get your vehicle into the shop).
Be smart in inclement weather. Here in Idaho we have extreme weather changes and can experience fog, sun, rain, sleet, snow, and high winds all in the same day. In a matter of minutes roads can go from being clear and dry to near-zero visibility and slick. The first thing to do in any bad weather is to slow down. Water on the roadways can cause hydroplaning. Fog, sleet, and snow can cause ice or slush. Visibility is low during bad weather, and turning on your headlights will make you more visible to others. Defensive driving during storms makes the road safer for everyone. The speed limit on Highway 95 through Coeur d’Alene and Hayden may be 45, but in bad weather, you should take it more slowly. Snowplow trucks typically do not start working until at least an inch of snow has fallen, and by then road conditions are already poor. On dry pavement, stopping distance at 45 mph is about 140 feet, but on wet pavement, that increases to 170 feet. On snow or ice, stopping distance for a vehicle traveling 45 mph can be 500 feet, even with good traction tires. That’s almost the length of two football fields! Defensive drivers take it slow in bad weather.
The final defensive driving safety tip is to recognize the futility of rushing. In most areas, and Idaho is no exception, traffic lights are timed so that in theory if you start from a new green light with no other traffic ahead of you and accelerate promptly to the speed limit, you will hit every other green light along your route. If you speed, you’ll hit almost every red light, making it nearly impossible to make up time on city streets. When you relax while driving and take the time necessary to pay attention, avoid distractions, and be aware of our surroundings, you will have a smoother trip without the risk of further delay caused by being pulled over or being involved in a collision or other altercation. When you’re rushing, you are more likely to make mistakes and do stupid things while driving. Instead, try leaving a few minutes earlier than necessary so you can take your time and drive safely.
Defensive driving is a skill that should be practiced every time you’re on the road. When you pay attention, avoid distractions, signal your movements, are aware of other drivers’ movements, don’t drive while impaired, slow down for bad road conditions, and don’t rush everywhere, you increase your chances of arriving at your destination safely and without incident.
