Defensive Driving for Safety on the Road in White Bear Lake
Posted February 11, 2013
Being a safe driver is a great place to start when it comes to avoiding accidents, but driving defensively takes road safety to a whole new level. We’ve compiled a few defensive driving tips to help you stay safer on the road, avoid accidents, and have a more pleasant driving experience in general.
Mirrors and Seat – Seeing around and behind your car is the first step to defensive driving. Adjusting your mirrors and seat are things we’re taught to do from day one, but its importance should still be stressed. Take a few seconds before you driving to make sure your mirrors and seat are perfectly placed, as adjusting them on the road is an invitation for an accident.
Keep Hands on the Wheel – You might be good at driving with one hand on the wheel while the other holds a coffee or a cell phone. You may even be an expert knee driver when cruising through your neighborhood. However, these habits don’t lend themselves to the alert and ready principles rooted in our driving education. Keeping your hands on the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions ensures you’re ready and prepared for unexpected disturbances and hazards on the road.
Adapt to Conditions – Is it raining? Snowing? Sleeting? Am I on a dirt road or in the middle of construction? You know what it can be like in White Bear Lake—as an auto repair shop, we sure do—your vehicle could be in these conditions at any given moment. This makes your ability to adapt to the weather and roads essential.
The “What If” Game – Understand the defensive approach. Always be looking for potential hazards and play the “what if” game. “What if the driver ahead of me suddenly slams on his/her brakes?” “What if someone runs a red light at the next intersection?” “What if…?” Think about what could happen and think about how to handle the situation if it happens.
Preventive Maintenance – Proper vehicle maintenance plays a large role in collision avoidance too. Everything from brakes to clean windows all help in keeping you as safe as you can be. As an auto repair shop serving the White Bear Lake and Vandnais Heights areas, we hope you’ll stop by or call us at (651)-426-0462 so our automotive mechanics and ASE-Certified technicians can help you prepare for anything on the road and give you a fair auto repair estimate.