Texas Defensive Driving

Operating A Motor Vehicle Is A Serious Responsibility

Statistically, the everyday motor vehicle is the number one cause of death among people ages 15-30 in the United States; more deaths occur as a result of unsafe driving than from any other cause. However, some countries have only half the number of crash-related deaths that the United States does... with just as many vehicles on the road! Therefore, we know that many of these deaths can be avoided. In this course, we emphasize a collision-prevention approach that is effective in reducing the number of injuries and fatalities due to unsafe driving.

Driving safely requires that you obey the laws as stated because they establish an agreement among all drivers that results in predictable traffic flow and procedures. When you know what other drivers will do and vice versa, the likelihood of collisions is reduced. You may personally object to some laws, but keep in mind that all laws are basically a compromise. So if you find yourself unwilling to follow a law, realize that we need to have agreements in place if we are to drive at all.

One compelling reason to stop completely at a stop sign (or red light) is the guarantee that you won't get a traffic ticket... but the main reason should be to avoid hitting a pedestrian or another vehicle. That's why you stop behind the limit line, or at a crosswalk, or where stops are required when no limit line or crosswalks are present.

The California Office of Traffic Safety reports that pedestrians accounted for nearly 17% of vehicular deaths in 2004. The elderly are the most frequent victims - often because their ability to see and hear, and to react and move swiftly, has deteriorated.

How to Share the Roadway with All Drivers

We all share the roads with other drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, pedestrians, road workers, and so on. Each person has his or her own needs and limitations. A truck, for instance, takes longer to accelerate and brake than does a car. A loaded tractor-trailer, for example, requires between 20% and 40% greater stopping distance than a car. The way for us all to share the roadway is to be aware of others, understand their needs, and apply the Golden Rule: Treat others in the same way you would wish others to treat you.

Courtesy Brings Order Out of Chaos

Common courtesy is one way of following the Golden Rule. For example, you should let people in front of you when they want to pull into heavy traffic or into your lane. Common courtesy also means that you should use your indicator lights to signal your intent, or your horn or emergency flashers to signal your presence or the presence of a hazard ahead.

Adjusting To the Driving Environment

Driving environments change, so it is important to know and use the correct driving techniques for each environment.

Daytime vs. Nighttime

Visibility

When driving during the day, you can see with more clarity and further ahead because of the bright, even lighting. You can see road signs, traffic hazards, and turns in the road much better than if you were driving at night.

When driving at night, on the other hand, visibility becomes a big issue. Streetlights and headlights can never reveal as much detail as daylight. Headlights sometimes present glare problems that can temporarily blind a driver. Older people may take half a minute to adjust their eyes to the darkness after being blinded (compared to 5 seconds for younger people). Even one second of "blindness" is too long.

To avoid being blinded by an approaching vehicle at night, slow down and avoid looking directly into the lights of the approaching vehicle. When confronted by oncoming high beam headlights, keep your eyes on the right side of your lane.

Speed

Speeding can kill! This is truer when driving at night because you have less visibility in the darkness. This can be critical if you are driving fast, as you need to see to stop in time. You will often need to reduce your speed at night so that you are able to stop within the distance illuminated by your headlights and any streetlights.

Weather

Stopping distance

It takes about 230 feet to stop a vehicle traveling at 55 mph on a dry road. A slick or wet road will increase that distance four times. You must slow down when driving in rain or snow, even if the road may normally support a higher speed.

Speed

The faster you drive, the less control you will have of your vehicle. If you can only see 100 feet ahead because of weather conditions, do not drive at a speed that requires 230 feet to stop. You must either adjust your speed and drive according to the environmental conditions or find a safe place to wait out the bad weather.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was the cause of 30% of all fatal crashes nationally in 2004, killing over 1,000 people each month at an economic cost of approximately $40.4 billion dollars.

Slippery roads

A road that is normally safe can become dangerous when it is slippery. Slow down when there is water, snow, or ice on the road in order to avoid rear-ending another vehicle.

Some road surfaces are more slippery than others. Here are some guidelines in order to adjust speeds:

• Wet roads - go 5 to 10 miles slower
• Packed snow - cut speed in half
• Ice - slow to a crawl

In heavy rain, your tires can lose all contact with the road at a speed of about 55 mph. When this happens, your vehicle will hydroplane. "Hydroplaning" occurs when a thin film of water builds up between the tires and pavement, making steering and braking practically impossible. If your vehicle starts to hydroplane, do not panic and apply the brakes, but rather slow down gradually.

To help avoid a skid on slippery surfaces:

• Drive more slowly and stay farther behind the vehicle ahead.
• Slow down as you approach curves and intersections.
• Avoid fast turns.
• Avoid quick stops. "Pump" the brakes to slow or stop. (Antilock brakes should not be pumped)
• Shift to low gear before going down a steep hill.
• Avoid especially slippery areas, such as ice patches, wet leaves, oil, or deep puddles.

If the brakes get wet, for example from driving through a puddle, and your braking ability is reduced, dry them by lightly pressing the gas pedal and brake pedal at the same time so that the vehicle drives against the pressure of the brakes. Do this only until the brakes begin working.

Road Conditions

You may at times encounter hazardous road conditions such as soft shoulders, drop-offs, bad surface conditions, or seasonal hazards like ice. Under such circumstances, constantly adjust your speed and direction in order to retain control of your vehicle.

Soft shoulders

Unpaved edges of the roadway are known as "soft shoulders." The shoulder surface may consist of sand, dirt, or loose gravel. Many roads, especially in the country, have soft shoulders. If your right wheels wander onto this kind of shoulder, they will meet more resistance and pull the vehicle to the right. If this happens, take your foot off the accelerator, firmly grip the steering wheel, and gradually pull the vehicle back onto the roadway. Most roadways will display warning signs so that you know what type of road you will soon be dealing with, but do not rely solely on these signs. Always beware.

Drop-offs

A sudden drop in level at the edge of the roadway is known as a "drop-off." The road may drop off due to mountainous areas, erosion during severe weather conditions, or road construction. Drop-offs are dangerous because if you pull or stray off the road where one exists, you can lose control. When you come to a drop-off, DON'T APPLY YOUR BRAKES! If you do, the uneven traction will cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Take your foot off the accelerator, grip the steering wheel firmly, and as soon as possible, steer back onto the road.

Bad pavement

Not all streets are perfectly paved. The sharp edges of potholes, broken pavement, cracks in the road, and gravel can all affect your ability to drive safely. These conditions can cause you to lose control of your vehicle. They can also result in tire blowout or damage to the suspension of your vehicle. When you come to a street with bad pavement, slow down, hold the steering wheel firmly, and make sure you're ready to take action without swerving into oncoming traffic.

Seasonal hazards

Storms, rain, snow, dust, ice, sleet, hail, fog, and rush-hour traffic are seasonal hazards that also affect your driving. They all require slower speeds, no matter what the posted speed limits may say, and greater attention to the environment. For instance, if you can see 100 feet ahead, what lies 101 feet ahead may be a truck stopped dead in its tracks.

Driving Distractions

The driving environment often includes distractions both inside and outside of the vehicle.

Inside the vehicle

Inside the vehicle, you may be distracted by a passenger, a cell phone, applying make-up, eating or drinking, changing the radio station, arguing or talking, reading a map, trying to restore order among children or pets, or countless other stimuli.

A study done by The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that the chances of having an accident double when a person sips a drink or lights a cigarette while driving; it quadruples when a person speaks on the phone. Hands-free phones do not reduce this statistic, indicating that it is the driver's attention rather than his or her hands being otherwise occupied that makes the difference.

Outside the vehicle

Events occurring outside the vehicle also cause distractions. These include interesting objects, buildings, sites, passers by, as well as other vehicles or their occupants. Rubbernecking is also a major cause of traffic jams that could otherwise be avoided.

Collision Causation

Collisions occur for many reasons - often a combination of them. A driver's mental or physical condition, the environment, and visual obstructions all contribute to collisions.

Mental

When you are wrapped up in thought, angry, worried, or upset, your attention won't sufficiently be on the road to preempt or respond to events. You will make unnecessary mistakes, like passing without checking your blind spot or stomping on the accelerator instead of the brake. You will probably drive similarly to the way you feel - emotionally and illogically.

Physical

Any number of physical problems may also contribute to collisions. Driving while tired or ill can precipitate collisions. In addition to falling asleep at the wheel, your reaction time slows, making rational decisions difficult. Taking medication or drugs to combat any of these conditions can add to your inability to drive alertly and calmly. Consult your doctor while taking medication or after major surgery. Driving when you are physically or mentally unfit is unsafe for both you and others.

Environment

Environmental hazards include everything from potholes in the road to rain, fog, snow, windstorms, black ice, or road construction. Be constantly aware of your environment.

Visual Habits

One common visual habit that contributes to collisions is not performing a head check before moving into another lane. Another habit is using peripheral vision when turning right on a red light at an intersection, instead of looking directly for oncoming traffic or pedestrians. Failing to wear your required prescription lenses when driving is also a habit likely to result in a collision. These habits are all easy to resolve: wear prescription lenses and look before you act - don't just assume the road is clear.

Other Drivers

Finally, other drivers can do any of the above, especially if they are under the influence of alcohol, medicinal or psychiatric drugs, or are tired, upset or distracted. Their turn indicator control may have been snapped off, they may tailgate as a matter of principal, or they may switch lanes every few seconds at twice the posted speed limit. Whatever the reason, other drivers can result in grief for you unless you remain alert. Fall back or pull off the road if you have to, so as to avoid collisions with such drivers.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 11,809 people died in 1998 when their vehicles hit an object at the side of the road (28% of the time it was a tree) - an increase of 8% since 1975. Rather predictably, 55% involved speeding and 45% involved drunk drivers, 43% of whom were men under 35 years of age.

The Driving Privilege

Driving may seem like a constitutional right, and it is true that everyone has the right to own a vehicle, but driving on public roadways is a privilege earned by demonstrating the ability to drive responsibly on those roads.

Since 1915, California has required its citizens to demonstrate competence before the right to drive on its roads is given to them in the form of a driver's license. The license is issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when a driver passes a test covering the laws governing driving and safety and demonstrates the ability to operate a vehicle safely.

Chicago began requiring licenses in 1898, with a woman being one of the first to be licensed.

Graduated licensing systems, started in New Zealand in 1987, are one of the recent effective weapons being used in the battle to reduce teenage motor vehicle wrecks. In 1995, only 30 states required a learner's permit, with only 11 of these requiring the permit be held for any length of time (up to 90 days). Today, 36 states require a learner's permit, with 23 of these requiring the permit be held for at least six months.

Teenage Applicants

In an effort to crack down on teenage driving fatalities and injuries (four times higher than the "average" driver), instructional permits have been mandated for teenage drivers before they qualify for provisional licenses. Instructional permits are provided so that teenagers ages 15 ½ through 17 can learn how to drive with an instructor, parent, guardian, or adult over 25 years of age possessing a valid California driver's license.

The minimum age for issuance of an instructional permit is 15 years, 6 months. The DMV, for good cause, may issue an instructional permit to any physically and mentally qualified person who meets the following requirements and who applies to the DMV for an instructional permit:

• Is age 15 years and 6 months, or over and has successfully completed an approved course in automobile driver education and is taking driver training or is enrolled and participating in an integrated driver education program.

The permit must be held for a minimum of six months before applying for a provisional license. During this time, applicants must complete at least 50 hours of practice driving, 10 of them during the hours of darkness.

Collisions

A driver whom the DMV determines is responsible for a collision is penalized one point, except where the driver is also convicted of another offense, in which case the collision counts as two points.

A hit-and-run involving injury or death counts as two points, as do hit-and-runs involving property damage.

For teenagers, one at-fault collision or a one-point conviction for a violation in a 12-month period will result in a warning letter from the DMV. A second such incident, or combination of both collision and violation, within a 12-month period will result in the teenager not being allowed to drive for 30 days unless in the presence of a parent or an adult over 25 years of age with a valid license. A third such incident and three points within a 12-month period will result in the suspension of the teen's driving privilege for six months and probation for 12 months.

In 2004, 983 teenagers died in California in motor vehicle crashes, usually because they made some kind of mistake. These accidents often occur at night, especially over the weekend, and often involve speeding, single-vehicle crashes, and no seat belt use. They all boil down to inexperience behind the wheel and a willingness to take risks that few experienced drivers would take (when sober).