Journey Management

Defensive Driving Reminder

Are you testing

the waters or preventing

the flood of vehicle incidents?

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.

It’s the Other Driver I’m Worried About…

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

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 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.

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

Recognize the hazard / scan

Past, present, and future

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

I do?

• 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

Act correctly, in time…

Be alert, pay attention to driving

Concentrate on hazards

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

Snow, ice, fog, rain, sand, leaves…

Traffic

Construction

School zone

Motorcycles

Too much light

Not enough

Glare

Driver

Angry

Upset

Rushed

Stressed out

Under influence of drugs, alcohol

Under influence of peers

Control your emotions

Control your emotions

Leave late be late

Get calm, wait

Time is the only way to sober up

Driver is responsible

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

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

Jeff Gibson

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

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?

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

White lines

Signal

Cover the brake

Point wheels straight

Right on red

Right of way

40% of all traffic crashes occur at intersections

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

It takes two….

Don’t participate

Stay calm

Different time, different route

Leave late, will be late (number of vehicles)

Be courteous

Speeding

Tailgating

Fail to yield

Blocking traffic

Lane changes

Gestures

Verbal

Throwing things

Slamming on brakes

Others!

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

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

Name them

Discuss what to do

Determine best course of action

Develop a solution

Act on it

Turn a rounds

Cul De Sacs (circles and telephone poles)

Overhanging branches

Obstruction in my lane, or other lane

Cargo Security!