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Last week I said I would talk about defensive driving.  If driving is a skill that requires life long learning then one of the most important topics should be defensive driving.  Operator error is the leading cause of automobile accidents.  

Ninety-eight percent of all accidents involve a single distracted driver.  The other two percent of all accidents are caused by things such as drunk driving, reckless drivers, automobile defects, poorly maintained roads, and malfunctioning traffic signals.  Defensive driving skills will improve attention to the task of driving and therefore reduce accident risk

It seems obvious to say that using the cell phone and text messaging while driving are examples of distracted driving.  In the media we are bombarded by this, but many of us still do it.  Almost all teens admit to texting while driving yet they agree it's dangerous when others do it.  I suspect many who use their cell phones in the traditional manner think they are safe too, but statistics prove otherwise.  Even when it is hands-free, research proves there is an increase in the accident rate. 

I didn't believe this, but when I ran a red light while using the OnStar system to make a call in my driver rehab vehicle, I became a believer.  I was stopped at the red and the light over the lane had turned green but I was in the left turn lane and there was also a blinking red arrow.  Thank goodness the traffic had not started before I made my left and no police were around.  Hard to explain that ticket to my boss! 

Some other distractions the driver has control over are passenger distraction, eating or drinking while driving, adjusting the radio, and use of navigation systems.  Passenger distraction has been studied in teen drivers. 

Having just one passenger in the car of a teen or novice driver within the first six months of driving increases accident risk but multiple passengers increased accident risk by 300 percent to 500 percent.  While many of these statistics relate to teens, I believe than can also relate to adult drivers who are novice drivers and perhaps experienced drivers that are new to using adaptive equipment, perhaps at a lesser amount to account for experience with the driving task itself.

Beyond limiting distractions there are also other defensive driving strategies that when utilized improve driving safety significantly.  The first is providing a 12 second visual lead.  Look 12 seconds ahead to see what is happening in the environment.  Remember that the faster you are driving the more ground you will cover, so be sure to increase the distance you are looking depending on the speed limit. 

I recommend that my clients search for the next traffic signal or sign and also look for speed limit, signs, warning signs, traffic density, and potential hazards they see after crossing each intersection.  They should look out the middle third of the windshield and not at the end of their car.  Look up and out, see what is happening. 

The second is to have a minimum of a 2 second visual lead in ideal driving conditions.  Driving in a new way or with adaptive equipment is not an ideal driving condition, so I recommend my clients use a 4 second following distance.  Recent research indicates that use of a 4 second following distance reduces gas consumption as well because you do not have to brake in response to other vehicles speed and maneuvers. 

To measure your following distance begin counting "one and two and three and four" when the back end of the vehicle of the car in front of you passes a fixed point - say a speed limit sign a bridge over head even a seam in the pavement or a shadow will do. 

When the front end of your vehicle passes the fixed point you stop counting.  If you did not reach "four" before you reached the fixed point you are too close and need more distance between yourself and the car in front.  To avoid having the task create distraction, I have my clients first practice this as a passenger so they know how to do it before they do it while driving themselves.