How to Drive Defensively

Series Summary

Driving a vehicle is a very complex and confusing venture. There is a seemingly endless amount of information that must be absorbed and acted upon at a moment’s notice, or an accident can occur. Thankfully, our brains are capable of such a feat. Driving is also enforced by laws that create a safer driving environment and maintain organization when the roadways are heavily trafficked. For those of us who have been driving for a while, there is little about driving a car that seems difficult. However, many drivers learned incorrectly and need quite a bit of education. Also, to someone just beginning, operating a vehicle might seem a bit overwhelming. Just like anything else, driving will become almost automatic with proper instruction and practice. In this free video series on driving, a professional driving instructor demonstrates a few beginners driving lessons. Learn to make a U-turn, merge onto a highway and drive in heavy traffic. Get tips on parallel parking, backing up in a parking space and parking on a hill safely, and find out how to be a better, more defensive driver. Stay safe behind the wheel, or overcome a fear of driving, with these simple driving instructions.

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Tony and I'm going to teach you the basics of driving. First thing we are going to talk about here is defensive driving. You always want to be alert, be aware of the other drivers that are on the road, cause you never know what they are going to do. So defensive driving more then anything is watching out for what other people might do, you know be it the right thing or the wrong thing. And a lot of the times it's the wrong thing and if you can keep your eyes out for that and make sure you know what everyone else on the road is doing then you can be a lot safer when you are driving. You always want to just you know keep an eye on your mirrors, know if someone is coming up behind you, if someone is coming up in the lane next to you. And keep your distance from driver's in front of you you know maintain a safe distance. A lot of people think that you are supposed to keep your hands at ten and two while driving, which used to be the case in older cars, but newer cars with an airbag, you want to keep your hands a little bit lower on the steering wheel, because if that airbag deploys when you get into an accident it can cause your arms to break if they are at ten and two. So you want to keep them a little bit lower so that the air bag will deploy above your arms."