Top Defensive Driving Habits Your New Mexico Company’s Fleet Drivers Should Follow
Defensive driving should be a way of life in vehicle management. There is a risk of losing money if it’s the case that the business in question isn’t on solid ground.
What are the benefits of practicing defensive driving? First and foremost, it’s an issue of security and safety. It’s a terrific method to avoid accidents but also provides several other advantages, like cheaper fuel expenses, reduced maintenance costs, and lower insurance rates.
As a fleet, we understand how challenging it can be to embrace a culture of defensive driving. Occasionally, a fleet driver will have a bad day, and a deadline must be reached. It’s challenging to stay moreover. However, drivers and companies benefit if you put it at the top of your priority list.
Defensive driving: how it’s done
When it comes to defensive driving, it’s straightforward to implement. To help fleet drivers improve their defensive driving skills, we’ve compiled a list of the five most critical habits to develop.
Drivers should be aware of other road users.
Keep an eye on what other drivers are doing. It’s a fundamental part of safe driving. The ability to anticipate your next move before something happens on the road is as essential as being aware of what is happening around you. As a driver, it’s about keeping an eye out for undesirable driving habits from other motorists and modifying your driving style accordingly.
So, you’ll need to develop a mental profile of the motorist in front of you and the one directly behind or nearby. The more time you spend behind the wheel, the more familiar you get with the other driver.
If you’re driving in a city, things like braking time and maneuver time “shrink,” thus, you need to account for it while planning your route. Based on the time you’ve spent driving behind or in front of the driver, you’ll still need to make educated guesses about their driving habits. It’s possible, for example, to adjust your driving style to meet the needs of the driver better ahead of you if you pay attention to how they accelerate and brake.
Stay vigilant.
As with the previous principle, you must be constantly aware of what is happening around you. You won’t go far wrong if you anticipate the unexpected and are prepared to take action. When predicting how the other driver will act based on what you’ve observed, it’s essential to have an open mind in case they do anything out of character. Remember that the only vehicle you have control over is your own. Your pace, mannerisms, and other traits are all taken into consideration. Because of this, you strive to be prepared with preventative steps ahead of time. Food intake and coffee consumption can directly impact the quality of your driving.
Make sure you’re following the rules.
First and first, defensive driving is about adhering to traffic rules, regulations, and speed restrictions. It doesn’t matter how other drivers act; you have to keep within the bounds of the law. Rules and speed restrictions are not put in place to enforce the law. Furthermore, although other drivers may want to overtake vehicles ahead of them on dangerous roads (complex curves), you must avoid this desire. It may seem like a good idea to make it easy for other drivers to overtake, for example. However, doing it on the wrong side of the road may be exceedingly dangerous. In general, safety should be your primary concern. Keep your focus and ignore the ‘noise’ around you. We’re not referring to your Van Halen Best of Collection.
Be cool.
Driving defensively is about controlling your emotions, so don’t lose your cool. Be cool like Fonzie and keep your composure. Having a good mindset when driving is essential. Let go of the things that bother you, and you’ll find yourself distracted or tempted to behave hastily. Drivers who have been in the field for a while will tell you that this skill comes with practice. Even on “poor” days, when you’re not at your best or encounter more than one nasty driver while driving for work, it’s essential to keep this in mind.
Keep an eye on the chasm.
Keep a safe distance, or in other words, don’t get too close. This is as vital in city traffic as on the open road, even if the traffic goes slowly. Maintaining a safe following distance from other motorists is essential to safe driving. If you live in a city, it’s easy to forget this. Still, you never know when a person, car, or other means of transportation like motorbikes or bicycles (now we can add intelligent electric scooters) may suddenly pull out in front of you.
To sum it up:
Beyond ensuring your drivers know about the considerations mentioned above and any additional you may have had that we overlooked, the answer lies in structured training. Having a more experienced driver offer a casual conversation about important rules like the ones listed above is one thing. This is tremendous assistance. Still, you could set up regular formal training sessions with your drivers to further reinforce the message. As a result, they will constantly be focused on defensive driving.
The rationale for driving more cautiously
We believe today’s fleet drivers are more aware of the need for defensive driving than they were a few years ago. As previously said, deadlines and the “busyness” aspect may often come in the way of good work habits. Establishing ground rules and keeping them current through training is critical. As a result, your employees and business will be safer, and the firm will save money.