Can you Call Yourself a Defensive Driver?
The largest liability facing the moving and storage industry is obviously motor vehicle accidents. When larger commercial vehicles are involved in accidents, the bodily injury and damage to personal property is three to four times more severe than accidents that involve private passenger vehicles. A company that takes the time to hire safe drivers and provide the necessary training will reduce motor vehicle accidents.
Defensive driving involves removing the element of surprise from driving hazards. Having preventable accidents, or even close calls, means you are not paying enough attention to the traffic and conditions around you. You know other drivers and pedestrians are going to make mistakes and you can expect driving conditions will be less than ideal at times. As a driver, it is your job to anticipate, observe and avoid these hazards.
If you are often surprised by actions of others on the road and by changes in road conditions, you are not anticipating ahead of time.
Try this quiz to determine if you are being surprised at the last second by hazards that you should be anticipating:
- Do you frequently slam on your brakes because a vehicle slowed or stopped in front of you?
- Do you often get cut off by other drivers?
- Do you get stuck in the wrong lane at intersections?
- Are you distracted by things other than the traffic pattern; such as people on the sidewalk?
- Are you surprised by other drivers running red lights or making unsafe lane changes?
- Have you ever nearly struck a bicycle or small vehicle hovering in the blind spot besides the rear of your vehicle?
- Have you ever gone into a skid on an unexpected slippery road surface?
- Do you ever express your temper or other bad mood in the way you drive?
- Do you always give yourself adequate time to reach your destination?
Answering yes to any of the above questions is a clue you are not always driving defensively.
Defensive driving means being prepared to drive as safely as possible, trying to anticipate and avoid all hazards. You can’t do much to change other drivers or pedestrians, nor can you do much about road and weather conditions. What you can do is stay alert and plan well ahead of time to avoid these hazards.
A defensive driver is rarely taken by surprise!
Written By: Brandon Laam
Brandon has been a transportation insurance specialist for over 10 years, and is constantly striving to create enhanced services for brokers and insureds.
Brandon spearheads the MOVER’S CHOICE philanthropy efforts with Move for Hunger, a national organization working with the moving industry to reduce food waste and fight hunger. Outside of the office, Brandon likes to fish, hike, kayak, garden and read.