DefensiveDriving.com Blog

You wouldn’t knowingly run a red light, would you? Doing so puts you at risk of getting sideswiped by oncoming traffic. But what about speeding? Do you ever speed when you are on your way to work or running late to a doctor appointment? The truth is that most people speed without thinking much about it, yet they would never dream of running a red light. So why do some road laws have more clout than others?

First, people think they can get away with speeding much easier than other laws. There are...

Now that it is officially spring, it is time for warmer weather, more sunshine, and lots and lots of rain. After all, those gorgeous flowers don’t just grow by themselves. While rain can be calming, and it is necessary to create such a gorgeous spring landscape, it can also make it very difficult to drive. The rain wreaks havoc on the road in many ways: it makes the roads slippery, the skies dark, and your visibility almost nonexistent. So how can you drive safely even in these anything-but-safe...

When you are driving and it starts to rain, you may start to panic. Suddenly, the clear road in front of you becomes blurry. Even with good windshield wipers, the roads become shiny and it becomes a lot harder to see where you are going. The millions of water droplets in front of you are reflecting the lights in every direction possible, making it almost impossible to accurately evaluate the traffic in front of you.

There has to be something I can do?

Unless you are Bruce Almighty, there is no...

Provided by Nationwide Insurance

While heavy rains, dense fog, and blustery snowstorms are obviously dangerous to drive in, the wind can catch you by surprise. The skies can be clear and the road can be dry, but suddenly, a huge gust of wind makes your car uncontrollable. While it is possible to have high winds affect your city driving, more often than not, the wind will creep up on you when you are on a desolate highway. The terrain around you will create massive winds that will have you counting down the miles until you are...

It is no secret that driving isn’t exactly the safest thing you do every day. In fact, depending on your job, it could very well be the most dangerous. The US Census reports that in 2009 there were 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents. But what if there was more to the story. Sure, your risk of getting injured while in a car is high, but simply being in your car may also be harming your health, even if you are accident free.

Oh, from the stress?

Yes, the stress while you are driving can get...

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were someone you could turn to for all of the safety information regarding your car, tires, child restraints, and equipment? It can get exhausting searching multiple websites to find all of the information you need. You have go to one site for the crash test ratings of your vehicle, another to find out if you are installing your child’s car seat correctly, and yet another to find out if you are using the most dependable brand of tires.

There is a better way.

And...

When you get behind the wheel of a car, what is the most important thing? Of course, the car needs to start, but after that, you need to be able to see out of your windshield. You wouldn’t drive with your eyes closed, and you shouldn’t drive with subpar windshield wipers either. Your windshield wipers are the only things giving you high visibility during rainfalls and snowstorms, so it is important that you value them as such.

How do I know when I need new ones?

Most of the time, it is pretty...

Every time you get in the car it is a risk. You are risking your life to get to your destination. It is well known that traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths in the US (second only to suicide). But what if there was a way to avoid the roads that have the highest rates of fatal crashes? Would you reroute your commute to avoid these roads?

Sure! But how do I know what roads to avoid?

I’m glad you asked. The website riskyroads.org has done all of the legwork for...

As you sit in rush hour traffic, yet again, you start to get frustrated. It seems like all you do these days is waste minute after minute sitting idly in your car. You start to ponder what you can do to avoid this situation. Maybe you can convince your boss to let you telecommute. Maybe you should just find a new job closer to home. You the wonder if all cities have this bad of traffic. Maybe you should just move to a completely new city. Then it would be better.

Rush hour traffic is an epidemic...