Defensive Driving: Distractions, Aggressive Drivers, Speed, Space, Seat Belts, Work Zones, Roundabouts, Fatigue, Phones and Vehicle Condition

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the New York State Class D knowledge (written) test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, chapter 8 "Defensive Driving" (pp. 45–53).

Drive defensively

Even good drivers make errors, equipment fails and weather turns. Anticipate mistakes by other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians and plan what you will do; never assume a driver approaching a STOP or YIELD sign on a side road will actually stop. Allow space, wear your seat belt, do not drive when very tired, on medication or after alcohol, do not use a phone or text, look ahead, keep the correct speed, signal before turns and lane changes, keep the vehicle in good condition, avoid arguments and emotional conversations, avoid eating, restrain children properly and secure pets in a carrier.

Sit upright with both hands on the wheel; slouching or one-handed steering makes control harder. Scan the road ahead, not just the vehicle in front, keep your eyes moving to the sides, and check the mirrors every few seconds. Paying attention to driving is your responsibility.

Aggressive drivers and road rage

Aggressive driving means speeding, tailgating, frequent or unsignaled lane changes, passing on the shoulder, bullying other road users, running stop signs and red lights, passing stopped school buses, failing to keep right, impaired or reckless driving; when a driver tries to harm another, it becomes road rage. Aggressive driving breaks a traffic law; road rage breaks a criminal law, and threatening or assaulting someone brings fines, jail, probation and loss of the license. Rage raises blood pressure and clouds judgment, so an enraged driver makes more errors.

When an aggressive driver confronts you: avoid eye contact, which can read as a challenge; stay calm; do not drive angry, upset or very tired; be polite and forgiving; do not respond in kind, speed up or hold your lane to block; ignore gestures and shouts; move away safely; report the driver with a description, plate, location and direction; if followed, do not stop or get out, drive to the nearest police station; and if the driver crashes, stop at a safe distance and tell police what you saw. To avoid becoming one: allow enough travel time, avoid peak traffic, call ahead if late, and treat your right-of-way as something to yield when it prevents a crash. Every DMV-approved crash prevention course must cover road rage.

Speed

Obey the limit; where none is posted, the limit is 55 mph. Some cities have lower unposted limits: 25 mph in New York City unless another limit is posted. Common sense often means driving below the posted limit: on a slippery or foggy expressway posted at 55 or 65, even 50 mph can earn a ticket for a speed not reasonable for conditions. Some highways post minimum limits, and driving too slowly, minimum or not, is as dangerous as speeding.

Allow yourself space

Four in ten crashes are rear-end collisions, usually from tailgating. Leave room to stop if the vehicle ahead stops suddenly, and brake early and gently so drivers behind get warning. Use the two-second rule: pick a fixed object, and when the vehicle ahead passes it count "one thousand one, one thousand two"; reaching the object before finishing means you are too close. In bad weather and behind large trucks use three or four seconds. If someone tailgates you, change lanes or slow and pull off to let them by, signaling as you leave and return, and never brake suddenly, which can escalate into road rage. Keep escape room to your left and right.

Seat belts, child seats and air bags

New York is a primary enforcement state: an officer can stop you just for an unbelted occupant, visitors included. The driver must be belted (fine up to $50); a passenger 16 or older must be belted, one person per belt (fine up to $50 for the passenger); the driver is responsible for every passenger under 16 (fine $25 to $100 and three points per violation). A child under 4 rides in a federally approved child safety seat attached by belt or LATCH, rear-facing until age 2 or the seat's weight or height limit; a child 4 through 7 rides in an appropriate restraint, normally a booster with lap and shoulder belt, the vehicle's belts alone not counting; a child 4 to 7 who is over 4 feet 9 inches or 100 pounds may use a seat belt; children 8 through 15 use a belt, with a restraint still recommended under 4'9" or 100 pounds. Exempt: certain emergency vehicles, 1964 or older vehicles, bus passengers (except school buses, where a district may require belts), rural letter carriers at work, taxi and livery passengers under 8, and people with a physician-certified disabling condition. An unrestrained person becomes a flying object in a crash.

Adjust the head rest, lock the doors, and keep heavy loose objects in the trunk. Air bags work with belts, not instead of them: they cushion a front occupant in a head-on crash, and belt plus air bag gives the most protection. Sit at least 10 inches between the center of your chest and the air bag cover, with hands at 3 and 9 o'clock. Never put a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag.

Work zones

Speeding fines double in work zones even when no workers or vehicles are present. Orange diamond signs warn of work zones and a flagger has the same authority as a sign, so disobeying one is a ticket. Use a detour when you can; merge at the first "lane closed ahead" notice rather than racing to the end; a "Road Work 1,500 feet" sign is 17 seconds away at 60 mph; keep two seconds or more behind the vehicle ahead, because the rear-end collision is the most common work-zone crash; keep clear of barriers, trucks and workers; and remember that moving work zones (line painting, patching, mowing) shift, so obey the signs until the one that says the zone has ended.

Roundabouts

A modern roundabout is a circular intersection where traffic moves counterclockwise around a central island with yield at entry: wait for a gap in the circulating flow, with low entry speeds forced by small diameters and curved entrances, and speeds inside held to 30 mph or less. Approaching, follow the lane signs on multi-lane approaches, slow down, yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, look left because traffic in the circle has the right-of-way, enter at the yield line when there is a gap, and never stop in the crosswalk while waiting behind another car. Inside, you have the right-of-way; proceed to your exit, signal right as you approach it, and yield to pedestrians as you leave. Bicyclists may ride in the lane like vehicles; do not pass a bicycle in a roundabout. Pedestrians stay on the walkways, cross only at the crosswalks one lane at a time using the splitter island, and never cross to the central island.

Drowsy driving

Fatigue slows reactions and clouds judgment like alcohol. Warning signs: eyes closing or losing focus, a heavy head, constant yawning, wandering thoughts, not remembering the last few miles, drifting, tailgating, missing signs, jerking the car back into the lane, hitting the rumble strips. Most at risk: long trips without breaks, sleep loss, driving through the night, sleepy medications or alcohol, driving alone, long boring roads, frequent travelers, young people, shift workers, and undiagnosed sleep disorders. Prevent it with enough sleep, a companion, a stop every 100 miles or two hours, no alcohol or impairing medication, and no driving for at least 15 minutes after waking. If drowsy, admit you cannot predict when sleep will come, do not rely on the radio or an open window, pull off somewhere safe for a 15- to 45-minute nap, and use caffeine, which takes about 30 minutes to reach the bloodstream.

Phones and electronic devices

Speaking into or listening to a hand-held mobile phone while driving is a traffic infraction: a first offense costs up to $200 and five points. You may hold the phone only to start or end a call; a hands-free phone may be used any time; emergency calls, police, fire and emergency vehicle operators on duty are exempt. Using a portable electronic device to send or read texts or e-mail is illegal: up to $200 for a first offense, $250 for a second within 18 months, $450 for a third. Probationary and junior drivers get a 120-day suspension for a first phone or texting conviction and a revocation of at least one year for another within six months of getting the license back.

Vehicle condition

A vehicle must be inspected at least once a year, but maintenance is the operator's ongoing responsibility, above all brakes, steering, lights, tires and horn. Brakes that pull to one side may be wet (dry them by riding the pedal lightly) or need repair; have any change checked at once. Steering should have little free play; check power-steering fluid, and a whine on sharp turns signals trouble. Keep lights clean and aimed, and replace broken lenses that glare. Tires must have at least 2/32 inch of tread; wear bars show when it is reached, and the penny test (if you can see all of Lincoln's head with it inserted head-first, the tire is worn out) works too; cuts to the cords, bumps or bulges are illegal; check pressure often. Keep glass clean with fresh wipers, a working defroster and washer fluid. The horn may be your only warning to others; fix it promptly and never use it in anger.

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