Chapter 5 Defensive Driving

Preventing a Collision
Alert
✿ BE _______________- Never think the other motorist will
not make a driving mistake
✿ BE PREPARED- Learn what to do in any
Situation
______________________when you have to act fast, and
always expect the unexpected
Panic
✿ ACT IN TIME- Try not to ___________________. Know
what to do if something happens suddenly

Aggressive Driving
Progression of unlawful driving actions such as
✿ Aggressive driving is a __________________
Improper
unexpectedly altering the speed of a vehicle, making ___________________ or erratic lane
Yield
changes, disregarding traffic control devices, failing to _______________ the right of way
and tailgating.
Temper or becomes frustrated because of
✿ Road Rage occurs when a motorist loses their ____________
Disturbances
traffic ________________.
Speeding tailgate, weave
These aggressive motorist may: run stop signs, red lights, ______________,
Illegally use hand or facial gestures, scream, honk horns,
in and out of traffic, pass ____________,
flash high beams, etc.

Aggressive driver - # 77 on your cell phone. ( pull over when making your
✿ To report an _______________
call )

Distractions
Cigarette
✿ Lighting a _______________________
Fasten
✿ Trying to ________________________ a safety belt while
driving
✿ Reaching across seat to close door or reach
Glove
______________________ compartment
✿ Reaching for coins in pockets when approaching
Tolls
_________________
✿ Watching children or __________________
Pets in the vehicle
 Text
✿ Reading __________________ and newspapers
Eating or drinking
✿ ___________________________ while driving
Mirror
✿ Adjusting _________________________ while driving
✿ Use of cell phones and other
Electronic devices
__________________________ devices
✿ Adjusting________________________
Applying
✿ ________________________make up
✿ Using ___________________________
Laptop or computer

Tired Driver/Highway Hypnosis

✿ A tired driver is a ___________________
Dangerous driver!!
✿ Tired driver’s have ________________
Delayed reaction times,
can fall asleep behind the wheel.
Drunk
✿ Can be just as dangerous as a ____________ driver
✿ Maggie’s Law – Enacted in June 2003 makes it illegal to
Impaired
knowingly drive a vehicle while ________________ by
lack of sleep. The law establishes driving while fatigued
as recklessness under the vehicular homicide statue.
✿ Highway _______________
Hypnosis – the trance-like state may
be avoided by not looking at any one thing for more than
Seconds
a few __________________. It is recommended that a
motorist rest every two hours or share driving time with
another licensed motorist.
Deprived
✿ Motorist most at risk are: the sleep _______________,
shift workers, __________
Young people, driving alone, driving
through the____________,
Night taking medicines that cause
drowsiness, driving on long, rural road ways,
commercial truck drivers.
Keep a Safe Distance
✿ Tailgating refers to following too ______________
Closey
behind a vehicle directly in front of you.
 Collisions
✿ Can cause rear-end ________________
✿ Use the following methods to create a safe following
distance:
– One Car Length – Keep back ________
One car length for
every 10mph of speed.
– Three-Second Plus Rule – Choose a fixed object ahead
of the vehicle in __________
Front of you (tree, mailbox,
telephone poll). Once the car in front of you passes
that object, it should take you 3 seconds to pass the
Object
same ______________.
– ** Following distances should be increased in bad
weather (rain, ____________,
Snow sleet, ice)

Changing Lanes and Passing

✿ Only pass or change ______________________
Lanes when
necessary
✿ Only pass or change lanes if it can be completed without
_____________________
Speeding
✿ Keep a safe following distance; do not
Tailgate
____________________
Ahead
✿ Check traffic _______________________ and behind
Signs
✿ Only pass when _________________________ and
pavement markings permit
Lane
✿ Signal every __________________ change
Right
✿ Signal your return to the _________________________
lane
✿ Return to the right lane when well ahead of the vehicle that
Passed
was _______________
✿ __________________________
Cancel the turn signal

Road Conditions
HYDROPLANING
✿ Wet road surfaces can cause tires to hydroplane, or
Ride up
________________ on a film of water
 35
✿ Can occur starting at just _______ mph
✿ Can cause a motorist to __________control
Loose of his/her
vehicle
✿ Chances of hydroplaning increase as speed
Increases
__________________

SNOW AND ICE

✿ Winter driving has special dangers: longer hours of
_______________,
Darkness fog, rain, snow, sleet and ice
Increase possibility of an accident
✿ All ___________
✿ Start your engine and let it warm up in ___________
Cold
weather.
Ice
✿ Snow and__________ must be removed before driving –
New Jersey Law states a motorist is responsible for any ice
that flies from his/her vehicle and causes injury, death or
property damage.
✿ Always _____________
Defrost windows before driving
Distance
✿ Always increase your following _____________!!

Driving Situations
✿ CITY DRIVING- Expect heavy traffic and pedestrian,
stay
____________ alert.
slowly
✿ Drive ___________
Visible
✿ Pedestrians may be less __________________ because of
parked cars/ may not be crossing in a designated crosswalk.
✿ A motorist should always look 12 seconds ahead

✿ CONSTRUCTION ZONES/WORK ZONES

❀ Fines are doubled for motor vehicle violations
 committed in the area of roadway construction
Zones
______________________
❀ These work zones are identified by an advance
flashing
warning sign or ________________________ lights
on a vehicle up to one-half mile before the work area.
❀ Flaggers may _____________________
control traffic
❀ Motorists might encounter ______________________
detours
❀ End Road Work sign will be placed at the end of the
Work
_______________area

✿ WHEN DRIVING THROUGH A WORK ZONE:

Alert
❀ Stay ___________________
Pay
❀ _________________close attention
Headlights
❀ Turn on __________________
don’t
❀ ______________________ tailgate
❀ Don’t __________________
Speed
❀ Minimize _____________________
distraction
expert
❀ _______________________ the unexpected
❀ Be _______________________
patient
800
❀ Annually, there are nearly ________________ fatal
and over 37,000 serious injury crashes in work zones

WHAT TO DO IF:
✿ Car goes into a skid - Sudden turns,
Lane changeing
________________________ or hard braking can throw
a car into a skid, as well as wet and icy roads. Take foot
off the gas pedal. Turn in the _______________
Direction the rear
of the car is skidding, without over steering. Look in the
direction you want to go
✿ Running off the pavement – If a vehicle’s wheels drift
Do not
onto the should of the road, _______________ try to turn
back onto the pavement right away. Stay in the
Shoulder
_______________, ease off the gas pedal, then slowly
 turn back onto the road. ( slow down, regain control,
turn slowly onto the road)
✿ Tire Blow Out- Hold the steering wheel
______________and
Firmly keep the vehicle straight as
possible. Gradually slow down (do not jam on brakes)
Stop
Vehicle should coast to a ___________, pull to the
shoulder, side of the road or a near by parking lot.
Lower
✿ Brake Failure- Shift to a _____________ gear and
Fast
pump the brake pedal hard and __________several
times. If this does not work, the emergency brake handle
should be used while holding the brake release. Look for
a safe place to stop off the roadway and call for help.

COLLISIONS
✿ Avoiding collisions - always wear a seatbelt! Increases
chance of surviving an accident by 60%
✿ If a motorist sees that he or she may hit something, the
following things may be done to avoid a collision…
– Stop
– Speed up
– Turn
 *Try not to panic. If a collision looks possible, try to
turn away from oncoming traffic, even if that means
leaving the road. If possible choose to hit something
that gives way (bush, mailbox, shrubs) rather than
something hard (tree, telephone poll, parked car)

TYPES OF COLLISIONS
✿ Rear collision
✿ Side collision
✿ Head- on collision
✿ Parked vehicle collision
✿ ** Always ___________
Notify the police in the case of an
accident. No matter how small.
Exchange
✿ ** Always _________________ insurance information
Never
✿ ** ____________ admit blame
Pictures the collision at the scene of the
✿ ** Take ___________of
accident
Calm
✿ ** Remain ___________
✿ ** Try not to _____________
Block traffic if possible

What to do in Case of a Collision

✿ If a motorist witnesses a collision or is involved in one,
they should ________________________
Follow these tips to
protect everyone Involved:
❀ Stop the ____________________
Vehicle
❀ _____________________calm
Remain
❀ Assume the ___________________and
Worst get help
Scene
❀ Wait at the ___________________, but try not to
block traffic
Assistance
❀ Ask for _____________________________from
 passing motorist, bikes, or joggers
❀ Depending on the location of the accident- local road,
__________________________
Highway or in a busy city
intersection- warn oncoming traffic

Reporting Accidents
✿ New Jersey law requires _______________________to
Motorists
notify the police of accidents where there is
_____________________________,
Injury death, or vehicle or
property damage. If someone has been killed, do not move
body until emergency personnel
Arrive
___________________________.