4-Hour Defensive Driver Course

This course has been designed by the Center for Transportation Safety and industry safety leaders to address the areas of everyday driving in a wide range of conditions. 

 

The objective of the course is to help familiarize the driver with the many hazards of the roadways.

These are the topics covered in the Defensive Driving course in the order they are presented.

• Trip planning - understanding that the well planned course will result in the safest journey.
• Proper seat and mirror adjustments - reducing fatigue and blind spots, creating a safer journey.
• Understanding your vehicle - its characteristics, limitations, and ability to perform, stop, and corner.
• Vehicle inspection - as important as a preflight in an aircraft. This is the first step in any trip, regardless of the length, time of day, or conditions.
• Familiarization with the roadways - understanding terrain, road pitch, angles, and the many factors of "reading the road."
• Understanding fatigue factors - how to recognize them in yourself and others, and knowing when and where is the limit.
• Understanding the role time of day, weather conditions, cabin temperature, and personal health play in fatigue factors.
• Understanding road rage, which affects 84.3% of all drivers today - how to avoid the situation, how to understand the symptoms, and how to defuse the situation.
• Reading the road - understanding the importance of stopping distance, power braking, ABS and slick roads, skid control, hydroplaning, loose gravel, and much more.
• Inclement weather and the tools to handle almost any situation: wind, rain, snow, ice, standing water, and all the related factors of driving.
• Soft shoulders and recovery procedures.
• Animals, from the pet in a neighborhood to a deer, elk, or others that we encounter on the roads - tools to avoid being in the wrong place and techniques to steer or brake to control.
• Mountains - the dangers they hold, the weather, the conditions, and the tools each driver will need to safely handle a mountain pass.
• Construction zones - the dangers that result in 14.3% of highway fatalities.
• Railroad crossings - how to, when to, and where.
• Reverse - the techniques of backing up, handling a vehicle, and using a spotter. Setting your vehicle up in the proper position prior to backing and the dangers of improper mirror adjustments.
• Distractions - cell phones, radios, and the part they play in a safe drive.
• Driver impairment - stress, emotion, diet, fatigue, drugs, and alcohol all play a vital part in arriving alive.