10 Tips For Safer Driving

Has it been a while since you took a defensive driving or driver’s ed class? Keep your driving skills sharp to stay safe on the road. James Solomon, training director for the National Safety Council’s defensive driving courses, suggests utilizing these techniques for safer driving.

1. Beware of blind spots. Don’t count on other drivers seeing you if you’re in their blind spots. Your best bet is to maintain a proper following distance.
2. Re-think your following distance. Up to 65 miles per hour, leave 3 seconds between you and the car ahead “when driver conditions are all perfect.” Add at least 2 more seconds for rain, snow, speeds over 65 miles per hour, bad road conditions, or when you’re pulling a two-wheel trailer.
3. Give big trucks big space. Commercial truck drivers can’t see you unless you can see one of their outside mirrors, and ideally you should see the driver’s reflection. “Never drive near the rear or on either side of the trailer on an 18-wheeler,” Solomon says. Drivers who’ve been on the road more than a couple of hours may drift “one to two feet” from their lane.
4. Hang up and drive. “No call is so important that you should risk lives while you drive carelessly,” Solomon says. “Research shows that hands-free phones are just as distracting as handheld phones.”
5. Give your brain a break. Staying alert on road trips is critical and so is knowing when to take a break. “If you have driven two hours without stopping, you and your brain are too tired to go on,” Solomon says. Find a safe place to get out and walk around for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Plan ahead for fewer lane changes. Because lane changes raise your risk of a collision, it’s a good idea to keep them to a minimum. Think through your trip before you leave to avoid unnecessary lane changes along the way.
7. Change lanes the right way. When you must change lanes, do so carefully. Check all your mirrors, look over your left shoulder to check your car’s blind spot, and signal well before you change lanes (100 feet ahead in the city, 300 feet on the highway). With your signal on, look again, and make your move if the way is clear.
8. Proceed through intersections carefully. Move into the correct lane well before your vehicle reaches the intersection, signal ahead of turns, and look out for emergency vehicles. Take your foot off the gas and cover the brake while you’re in the intersection in case you must stop quickly.
9. Keep the noise down. “The volume of your sound system should be low enough that you can hear sirens, horns, and bells,” Solomon says. Hold your kids and other passengers to the same noise-level rule.
10. Prepare for bad-weather driving (and avoid it when possible). The safest bet is to stay home when the roads are bad. If you must drive, clean the insides of all your vehicle’s windows and make sure your car has safe tire-tread depth, good wiper blades, and enough window cleaner and solvent before you go. Allow for double or triple the travel time during bad weather, and drive slowly enough to avoid skidding on wet or icy pavement.

For even more tips on how to improve the safety of your driving in winter weather, check out our guide for handling icy roads like a Northerner.