Defensive Driving Tip #9: Don’t Run Red! In my home town, drivers reportedly run red lights 120,000+ times each day! First, there are two basic types of red light runners—there’s the daydreamer or distracted driver who just doesn’t see it, and then there’s the driver who’s impatient and accelerates on the yellow signal instead of stopping and waiting the average … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #8: Motorcyclist, Protect Thyself! Talk about helmets always incites vehement disagreement between folks that believe in their value and those that don’t. In Arizona only riders between the age of 16 and 18 are required to wear a helmet. When I was in college I had a Honda 500 and never had an accident. I had a … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #7: Buy and Use Safety Devices In addition to seat belts, we also recommend size-appropriate child safety restraints, ABS brakes, and air bags tire pressure monitoring and Electronic Stability Control. Child Safety Seats: As a defensive driving practice, children under age five should be restrained in approved child safety seats, buckled properly into the vehicle, even when … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #6: Wear Your Seat Belt!  Without a doubt, seat belts are the most significant safety device ever invented. Seat belts do several things for you. They provide impact protection, they absorb crash forces, and they keep you from being thrown out of the vehicle. Modern vehicles are built with “crumple zones,” and seat belts are an integral … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #5: Don’t Drive Impaired   First, let’s get this straight. In Arizona the “real” standard for Driving Under the Influence is “Impaired to the Slightest Degree.” This is a serious issue for drivers in Arizona, roughly 40% of all deaths in automobile accidents are directly related to driving under the influence. The first thing that comes to … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #4: Don’t Speed! Driving at a speed that is higher than reasonable and prudent is not defensive driving, it increases your risk in two ways: it cuts your reaction time and results in more “stored” energy (that must be dissipated in any collision). You should consider if the risks are worth the gain. This is the science … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #3: If in Doubt Yield! “Nobody ever yielded their way into a collision.” Think about it. If you are in doubt about who has the right of way, give it away. The other guy may be wrong, but you can end up hurt or dead. We often say no one HAS the right-of-way until it is yielded … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #2: Don’t Trust ANYBODY! We have met the enemy and he is us. You can never rely on what the other driver will do. Think back to all the mistakes you’ve made while driving over the years. Think ahead to the ones you know you will make in the future. All the other drivers are just like … Read More

Defensive Driving Tip #1: Pay Attention “I never saw him!” is the most common excuse heard after a collision. Was the other vehicle invisible? Virtually all collisions involve inattention on the part of one or both drivers. Inattention can involve many things, some of which are daydreaming, distractions, sleepiness, fatigue, “highway hypnosis,” talking, etc. A moving vehicle develops thousands of … Read More

Airbags might save lives, but they can come with their own set of injuries as well, some of which are more unusual than others A 17-year-old Michigan girl was in a car accident where the airbags deployed. Upon being admitted to the emergency room she complained of blurry vision and feeling like something was in her eye. She had no … Read More