by : David Faulkner

While for some drivers the thought of driving defensively can sound demeaning, the facti is that defensive driving can often be the difference between becoming involved in, or avoiding, a fatal accident. Most drivers are good drivers, and a few drivers are exceptional drivers. But even exceptional drivers can be helpless at the hands of reckless or drunk drivers who happen to cross their paths.

What Are Defensive Driving Skills?

Defensive driving skills are those which let you compensate for the careless or irresponsible behaviors which can endanger all the other responsible drivers around you, and defensive driving skills often result from simply operating your car with common sense and keeping your eyes and ears open for the first signs of trouble developing among the drivers around you.

Common sense-based defensive driving will let you, first of all, avoid trouble when someone else on the road decides to do something stupid. You can learn defensive driving skills through a defensive driving education program, designed by expert drivers especially to save responsible drivers from the irresponsible ones. You will be introduced to defensive driving methods which will let you recognize and avoid potentially dangerous road conditions, so that you remain aware of what is going on around you and can respond appropriately to any difficulties.

The Specifics Of Defensive Driving Courses

The best defensive driving courses give you specifics on how to stay out of accidents and improve your safety while driving. They will give you tips on little things which can make a big difference in your safety, like how keeping your tires properly inflated will optimize your car's performance. They will instill in you the habit of regularly checking your mirrors, directionals, headlamps and brake lights, and windshield wipers to determine if they are working properly.

You will learn that defensive driving means staying away from the sides of large vehicles, which can prove difficult for their drivers to control. If you someone who has to drive a large vehicle on a regular basis, defensive driving will mean you keep well clear of other traffic.

Defensive driving skills include knowing how to change lanes safely, and to know where you are going before you begin your trip so that you do not end up swerving across lanes of traffic because you are about to miss your exit.

There are many schools offering defensive driving classes in every metropolitan area, and there are also online courses on defensive driving. Anyone who drives can learn the art of defensive driving, and if all drivers did, the stresses which come from spending hours in traffic would be a thing of the past!

Knowing when and where to do defensive driving is crucial if you want to use your defensive driving skills to avoid accidents or the kinds of situations which can easily lead to accidents. You put good money and a lot of time and effort into your defensive driving course, and knowing where to use your defensive driving skills will pay you back in no time!