Defensive Driving Tip #29: Check for Hydroplaning Defensive driving instructors will tell you that hydroplaning is what happens when the tread on your tires cannot channel all the rain-water out from under your tires – or, from under each patch of tire that is supposed to be resting on the road and providing you with traction. When hydroplaning, those tire … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #28: Maintain an Even, Measured Pace   What defensive driving? One of the most frequent factors behind collisions is the “jackrabbit” driver. He’s the guy who’s constantly changing speeds, changing lanes, tailgating, and otherwise not fitting into traffic. Other often interrelated causes of traffic collisions are “disparate” vehicle speeds (when one driver is driving much faster than … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #27: Get Rid of Tailgaters Most defensive driving instructors will tell you not to tailgate other vehicles for several reasons. Following too closely is a factor in about 40% of collisions (in my state of Arizona), and they are not always minor in terms of injuries and fatalities. Following too closely often restricts your vision, making it … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #26: Take Care of Your Vehicle Defensive driving means taking care of your vehicle. Check your fluid reservoir (if you don’t know where it is, have someone who does show you). Brake fluid levels don’t usually change much so a sudden change in fluid level is a red flag. You should have your brakes checked regularly since … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #25: Maintain Your Tires One element of defensive driving is driving to save money. Taking good care of your vehicle can pay cash dividends, and you’ll be much less likely to get stranded out on the road where you’d be vulnerable to a variety of calamities. “The devil is in the details”—ever heard that phrase? Most often, … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #24: Slow Down in the Rain or Monsoon On an afternoon, on I-10 south of Chandler I was creeping along at a reduced speed in the summer monsoon. Visibility was about 100 feet, and dust covered the roadway that was slick from the rain, making it very slippery. A man in a black Camaro passed me doing … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #23: Know When To Use Your Headlights   Defensive Driving means using your headlights. Headlights are for seeing and BEING seen! Be sure to recognize the circumstances where lights are necessary for safety. The sobering statistic is that while only 25% of the miles we drive are at night, about 50% of the fatalities occur in the … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #22: Know How To Stop In 1999, Arizona earned the dubious title of red-light-running capital. According to the Institute for Highway Safety, Arizona led the nation for the most deaths caused by red-light runners.  Fifteen years later, Arizona has improved, but our state is still in the top five when it comes to fatalities tied to red-light … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip  #21: Be A Highway Pro The high speeds of controlled-access highways and the density of traffic on them require a special set of operating rules. Depending on your location, they may be called highways, expressways, or “the super-slab,” but no matter what you call them, the standard operating procedures are the same. For this rule, I’ll call … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #20: Beware of Intersections According to the Federal Highway Association (FHWA), about 2.3 million intersection crashes occur in the United States each year, resulting in over 7,700 deaths. Intersections are one of the most dangerous areas for any driver. One oft-quoted statistic is that over 80% of all city collisions involving injury or death occur within signal-light … Read More