Defensive Driving January 2011

The Sad Facts

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of all work place fatalities.

– Leading cause of death for those aged 5 to 24– Two out of every five people will be involved in

an alcohol related crash in their lifetime– In 4 hours roughly 20 people will be killed in

motor vehicle crashes

The Statistics• Every 11 minutes in the USA a person dies

as a result of injuries sustained in a crash

• In four hours 1,040 will be injured

• In one year more than?– 44,000– 24,000– 124,000

It’s the other driver I’m worried about

• Have you ever said this or heard this comment before?

• Are you the other driver?

• Are you part of the solution?

• If you are a defensive driver you are part of the solution

Part of the Problem• In the last 20 years the number of registered

drivers has doubled

• The number of registered vehicles tripled ...

Yet our roads have not

• 60 to 90% of us feel we are better drivers than every one else… yet accident numbers are remaining the same…

Still Part of the Problem• Drivers surveyed admitted to the following:

• 30% ran yellow / red lights

• 26% slowed but did not come to a complete stop at stop signs

• 23% drove 10 mph over interstate speed limit

• 22% drove 10 mph faster than flow of traffic

• 8% drove when affected by alcohol

Defensive Driving the solution

• Driving to SAVE LIVES, TIME and MONEY, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others.

• We just heard from the other driver their actions and in some cases their condition.

• NOW lets learn how to deal with them and other issues.

Defensive Driving Course is about…

• Developing safe driving habits / attitudes

• Improving the way you see the road

• Improving the way you respond to hazards

• Taking control over your actions behind the wheel

• Learning to recognize hazards, avoid crashes, violations, and road rage

The Goal!!!

• Develop driving skills that may one day save your life and the lives of others

• Remember those statistics

• The more you drive the more potential

What are …..

• The most hazardous issue you see daily?• The hazard you deal with most often?• The conditions you deal with?• The driver conditions you deal with?• How do you handle these hazardous?• Do you talk to management about them,

other drivers?• At the end we will talk about some of these

Newspaper Articles about crashes

• Alcohol plays part in 2 crashes

• Speed a factor in crash

• Car hits bus killing 2

Defensive Driving Involves…

• Making effective, safety and legal choices

• Creating safe, stress free driving conditions

• Getting to place without ticket or crash

• Practicing courtesy, common sense, cooperation

• Understanding the hazards of conditions and behaviors around you

DDC Collision Prevention Formula

• Recognize the Hazard – scan

• Past, Present, and Future

• Use the What If strategy….What if that car does not stop, what will I do?

DDC Collision Prevention Formula

• Understand the Defense…

• Know what to do to Avoid a hazard

• Know the consequences of your choices

• Know the Defense

• Scanning

• SLOWING DOWN

• Safe Following Distance

DDC Collision Prevention Formula

• Act Correctly in Time…

• Be alert, pay attention to driving!

• Concentrate on Hazards

Driver Actions you witness

• Class, give me examples of actions you have seen

• Or examples of what you have done

Driver Actions You Witness

• Eating, drinking meal• Reading• Speeding• Tailgating• On cell phone• Stopping• Passing on right• Passing

• Fail to yield• Driving aggressively• Sleeping• Signal kept on• Did not use signal• Poor vehicle condition• Too fast for conditions• Too fast for vehicle

Road and Driver Conditions

• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, leaves…

• Traffic• Construction• School zone• Motorcycles• Too much light• Not enough• Glare

• Angry• Upset• Rushed• Stressed out• Under influence of

drugs, alcohol• Under influence of

peers

Road Driver

Road and Driver Conditions

• Control Your Emotions• Control Your Emotions• Leave Late Be Late• Get Calm, Wait• Time Is The Only Way To Sober Up• Driver Is Responsible

Road and Driver Conditions

• Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, leaves…

• Traffic• Construction• School zone• Motorcycles• Too much light• Not enough• Glare

• Reduce speed• Increase following• Reduce speed• Reduce speed• Following distance• Glasses, slow down• Slow down• Slow down

Dealing with other driver actions

• Following (followed) too closely

• Speeding

• Passing

• Failure to yield

• rolling stops

Jeff Gibson

Dealing with other driver actions

• Followed to closely - Let them go

• Speeding - Let them go

• Passing - Ask yourself why

• Failure to yield - Watch for them

• Rolling Stops - Bad habit, eye scan

Accident vs. Collision• You run a yellow turning to red light and hit

a car is it an accident?• You fail to reduce your speed when it is

raining and skid off road, is it an accident• You fail to pay attention and rear end the

vehicle in front of you is it an accident?• 90% are driver error• Less then 10% acts of God, mechanical

failure

No, No, and No These are preventable collisions where the driver did not take reasonable actions to reduce the potential for a crash.– Is it reasonable to slow down approaching an

intersection? – Is it reasonable to slow down in rain, snow or

other weather hazards?– Is it reasonable to focus attention to vehicles

around your vehicle?

An accident is an unplanned event

• We know we should not run lights, follow too close, and that we should slow down in poor weather.

• Why don’t we… Its not me I am worried about, it’s the other guy….

• We think it won’t happen to us

• Other reasons!

• Drive to save lives, time and money

At Intersections

• White lines• Signal• Cover the Brake• Point wheels straight• Right on red• Right of way• 40% of all traffic crashes occur at

intersections

How not to get hit at an Intersection

• Look Left• Look Right• Look ahead• Look Left Again• If the first car don’t

jump the light

• 30% of drivers reported they ran a red light

• Window down, look and listen

• Be able to see tires of vehicle in front on ground

At an intersection…

• Next to a bus or large truck• Light turns green, do you go immediately?• Can you see the intersection completely?• Don’t pull up stop, and then roll closer to

the car in front of you. • Get boxed in, hit from behind, hit vehicle

in front

Intersections - Fail to stop

Play the what if game….

• What if the vehicle does not stop…what will I do?

• Reduce your speed by covering the brake

• Cover the horn with you hand

• Last -- don’t count on them stopping

Rail Road Crossings

• They are intersections too

• Expect a train any time

• Never drive around gate

• Never stop on tracks• Never race the train• Don’t rely on warning

signs

• If you are stuck or stalled – GET OUT

• Run toward the train not from it

• Never get into middle of intersection if you can not get all the way through regardless of light

Unsafe Behaviors

• Passing – why do we pass?

• What will I gain from this pass?

• 3 types of crashes- head on, side swipe, run off the road…

• # of vehicles on the road today

• Next intersection, stop light, sign, or construction site… who do we see?

Passing

• Is it safe to speed to pass?

• Is it legal to speed to complete a pass?

• Remember DDC• Safe and Legal• Save time, money,

and lives

• What do you think?

The Sinister Six

• 6 unsafe driving habits we just discussed

• Speeding

• Right of way errors or violators

• Improper turning

• Driving left of center

• Improper passing

• Following too closely

Speed Kills

• Every 10 mph over 50 the risk of death is doubled

• When there is a car accident that makes the newspaper what are some of the comments in the paper concerning the cause?

• What are the common causes listed in the paper?

• Why do you think drivers speed?

Speed Kills – is it worth the risk?

Speed Time to go 10 miles

Time saved Risk of death

50mph 12 min - X

55mph 10:54 1:6 1.5x

60mph 10 min 2 min 2x

65mph 9:14 2:46 3.0x

70mph 8:34 3:26 4.0x

75mph 8 min 4 min 6.0x

80mph 7:30’ 4:30 8x

85mph 7:3 4:57 12x

Is it safer to speed with the “flow of traffic,” or do the speed limit?

• Risk of Death

• Save, Time, Lives and Money

• Tickets

• # of vehicles on the road

• Using a 2 second following distance 150 cars would have to pass you to lose five minutes of time

Drinking and Driving• Check you local paper, all ages of drivers

affected or caught

• Don’t do it

• Don’t follow charts weight/time/# of drinks

• Chose a designated driver

• Medications can have same effect

• Time is the only thing that sobers one up, NOT COFFEE

Collision Prevention Formula

• Recognize the hazard: by scanning

• In front, behind, on sides

• Check mirrors every 3 to 5 seconds

• Use the “What If” game…..

• What if that car does not stop, get back into their lane, complete their pass,

• What will I do?

Collision Prevention Formula

What if that car does not stop, get back into their lane, complete their pass ...

– What will I do? – Read the road (recognize hazard)– Reduce your speed– Ride to the Right– Ride off onto should or more if have to

Understand the Defense

• See hazard….

• Ask what can I do to avoid this

• Reduce speed as soon as possible

• Increase following distance

• WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING DISTANCE?

• 2,3,4, or 5 seconds

Following Distance

• 4 seconds on clear dry day good road light traffic and following like vehicle (car) 5-bus

• Add a hazard, add a second to the 3”

• Motorcycle 4 + 1= 5

• Have a tailgater behind, add several

• Poor weather add several

• Traffic add several

Act Correctly In Time

• Be alert focus on driving not other actions

• Being alert allows the most response time possible

• “The car stopped quickly, I did not have enough time.” In reality the driver did not see the vehicle stopping and lost valuable reaction, action and stopping distance

Passing, avoiding head on crash

• The Four R’s….• Read the road ahead• Drive to the Right• Reduce your speed immediately• Ride off the road or to the far right of your

lane.• NEVER GO INTO THEIR LANE• Gorham Maine – bus accident

Emergency Vehicles

• Scan mirrors every 3 to 5 seconds to see them.

• Be able to hear them

• Pull over and stop

• If can’t acknowledge and when can pull over and stop

• What is the following distance 500’, 250’ 3 seconds?

Aggressive Drivers

• It takes two….

• Don’t participate

• Stay calm

• Different time, different route

• Leave late, will be late (number of vehicles)

• Be courteous

What are some aggressive driving behaviors you have seen?

• Speeding• Tailgating• Fail to yield• Blocking traffic• Lane changes• Gestures• Verbal• Throwing things

• Slamming on brakes• Others!

“Road Rage”

• Decisions – Consequences

• Get emotions in control

• Leave late will be late• Call and let them

know you will be late – defuse anxiety

• Your life depends on it• Give other drives

benefit of doubt-wave• You make mistakes

too• Different route or time

Bad Driving Behaviors

• Blocking left most lane on highway

• Tailgating – 3 seconds or more

• Signal use, lack of it, forget to shut off

• Horn use – for emergency

• Blocking traffic at an intersection

• Merging, allow other vehicles to merge

Save lives, time and money in spite of the actions and conditions

• Take reasonable actions…..

• What if game

• Increase following distances

• Reduce speed

• Cover the break

• Drive at posted limit or below

• Make driving number one activity

Save a Life, Time or Money

• Be at your best, rested, awake, sober

• Check your vehicle before leaving on trip

• Check the weather

• Check traffic reports

• Check for construction projects

Area Road Hazards

• Name them

• Discuss what to do

• Determine best course of action

• Develop a solution

• Act on it

Driver Experience

• Turn a rounds

• Cul De Sacs (circles and telephone poles)

• Overhanging branches

• Obstruction in my lane, or other lane

• Cargo Security!!!!!

From my (you) perspective

• An unsafe habit I have that I want to change is….

• The defense technique I am going to use…

• One thing I learned today is…

• Any questions you still have…

Thank for you attending

• Drive Defensively

• There are others that want you around, need you, depend on you.