21 Nov Defensive Driving – What to Expect?

One of the highlights of growing up was most definitely the point when I was old enough to purchase my first set of wheels. To gain the freedom of travelling where I want and when I want. You are taught the K-53 basics including: driving on the left-hand side of the road, traffic coming from the right-hand side gets priority at a roundabout and to always remember to carry your driver’s license. But what about defensive driving skills?

Starting at the very beginning is imperative to mastering any skill but what about the more important aspects of road safety and the sort to become a more skilled driver: maintaining vehicle health, safe following distances and how to identify hazards in a predictable manner?

Defensive driving skills has been defined as, “driving to save lives, time and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others”. We couldn’t agree more.

BAOBAB OFFERS DEFENSIVE DRIVING

Baobab’s Defensive Driving course is undoubtably the heart of all training courses where we train drivers beyond the rules of the road and the basic mechanics of driving, to reduce the risk of collisions and to practise and master specific driving techniques. Defensive driving is also beneficial to Corporate Fleets as it is a known fact that by raising the level of driving skills in employees directly results in reducing driving accidents, injuries and fatalities, as well as, better fuel consumption, better vehicle maintenance and mechanical compassion.

With a mixture of theoretical and practical driving, we are able to better the driving skills of attendees. Defensive Driving focuses on enhancing driving skills in a relaxed and informative manner; high performance driving is not on the menu for the day.

Baobab’s top Defensive Driving Tips:

Safe following distance: Keep at least 3 seconds between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Add an extra second if you’re travelling in bad weather

Be vigilant: Always be on the lookout for potential safety hazards. Obey road signs and look out for other motorists, cyclists and motorcycles on the road

Be Present: Focus on the task at hand: driving. Don’t allow distractions to influence your driving

Stay alert: Being alert allows you to react quickly in a potentially dangerous situation. Driving under the influence and driving while drowsy drastically affects a drivers’ reaction time and judgement

Watch your speed: To maintain the control of your vehicle, you must control your speed. It is your responsibility to ensure that your speed matches surrounding conditions. Adhering to the speed limit is imperative to safe driving