Skip to content
MENU

Crash Course: What is Defensive Driving?

In honor of National Safety Month, APTIM Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) teammates share their perspective on APTIM’s leading safety culture with blog posts throughout June.

Joseph Greg Peroyea oversees HSE throughout APTIM’s federal contracts within Resilience & Infrastructure Solutions, which includes emergency management and disaster services, engineering, infrastructure solutions, and oil and gas infrastructure. He has worked for APTIM and its legacy companies since 2010.THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTOR:
Joseph “Greg” Peroyea, Sr. HSE Manager of Government
APTIM | Resilience & Infrastructure Solutions
Joseph.Peroyea@APTIM.com
Greg oversees HSE throughout APTIM’s federal contracts within Resilience & Infrastructure Solutions, which includes emergency management and disaster services, engineering, infrastructure solutions, and oil and gas infrastructure. He has worked for APTIM and its legacy companies since 2010.

 

Crash Course: What is Defensive Driving?

No one wants to be in a serious accident, but statistically speaking, it can happen to you! Let’s go over some techniques that can protect you, your passengers, and other drivers on the road.

Defensive Driving Definition

While the definitions vary, generally defensive driving is a strategy or technique that enables drivers to anticipate and avoid potential hazards on the road.

Risks of Driving

Driving is the most dangerous thing we do every day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 40,990 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2023. Additionally, there were 289,310 people who were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. Lives cannot be replaced, and some injuries completely change people’s ability to live as before. In addition to the loss of life and potentially life-changing injuries, there are costs to replace or repair vehicles, increased insurance premiums, and potentially short- or long-term medical costs. This is why learning to drive defensively is so important.

Defensive Driving Techniques

Some defensive driving techniques that you can practice and incorporate into your daily commute include the following:

  1. Follow the speed limit. The NHSTA estimates almost one third of crashes are speed-related. Slowing down allows you critical time to assess a developing situation and respond accordingly. It’s better to be a few minutes late than to not arrive at all.
  2. Keep a safe following distance for the road conditions. You must be able to adapt your driving to different road and weather conditions. Add more distance at fast speeds, in bad weather, and in rough road conditions. All these situations will take a little bit longer to come to a stop if a situation develops in front of you.
  3. Look ahead and be prepared for unexpected events. In the city, you should look at least two blocks or two traffic signals ahead. In a suburban neighborhood, you should be looking at least three blocks or three traffic signals ahead. In a rural area or highway, look at least a quarter of a mile ahead. Don’t focus on the car in front of you. Instead, look for vehicles coming onto the roadway, into your lane, or slowing down to turn.
  4. Be alert- and distraction-free. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts the driver’s attention from driving. This includes talking or texting on your phone, eating or drinking, talking to others in your vehicle, and setting the navigation system or radio. Stay focused on driving and don’t let your mind wonder while driving.
  5. Respect other drivers and never assume their intentions. Understand that the driver who switched into your lane may not have seen you, rather than assuming they purposely cut you off. As drivers, we all make mistakes or misjudgments. We need to be patient with other drives when they make mistakes as well. Getting angry doesn’t change the situation or the other driver. It only affects you—and you have a choice on how you let it affect you.

Benefits of Defensive Driving

Besides not having a serious lifechanging accident, what are the benefits of defensive driving?

  • Reduced likelihood of collisions, injuries, and the costs associated with crashes
  • Reduced likelihood of receiving a moving violation
  • Improved fuel efficiency and less wear-and-tear on your vehicle from excessive acceleration and braking
  • Lowered stress levels and prevented road rage by keeping a calm and positive attitude on the road
  • Defensive driving discount on your car insurance or a reduction of points on your driver’s license if you live in a qualifying state

Put Safety First with APTIM

Remember: your primary goal is to get to your destination safely. We all can get complacent or distracted while driving, especially on well-known routes. During this National Safety Month Week 2 emphasis on roadway safety, let’s all try to practice the techniques of defensive driving.

APTIM. In Pursuit of Better.

Connect with APTIM

    Subscribe to the APTIM Xchange Newsletter

    APTIM's newsletter, The APTIM Xchange, provides industry news flashes, regulatory updates, service spotlights, and topical columns from our subject matter experts.