Defensive Driving
Learning to defend yourself means more than ‘watching out for the other guy.
From teens to corporate fleets to adults, we have you covered. Read more here
Adult Defensive Driving
Studies have shown that risk is increased by under-perceiving a risk. Of course, the reason is that there is a tendency to do nothing to decrease the risk. With today’s driving environment, it is absolutely necessary to become a competent defensive driver.
Driving is a high risk activity. Some drivers are simply not competent. Many are overly aggressive. Some do not know how to recognize or handle bad conditions, and they can go out of control and they can kill you. Many drivers are distracted because of cell phones, texting, eating, drinking, or taking care of their kids. All of these situations present a danger to you and your family, due to distractions.
A serious crash can impact each member of the family in several potential ways. The results can be death; brain injury; paraplegic; quadriplegic; back and neck injuries; various ways to experience financial loss; psychological impact including personal guilt, fear, and overall state of mind. This is a serious process. The most important thing – most crashes can be prevented!
Defensive driving used to mean being aware of what is happening around you; anticipating what could potentially happen. But in today’s driving environment you need to know not only what to do, but you have to have the skill to respond. To avoid. Automatically. Without thinking about it. To handle a 4,000 pound vehicle without losing control. To maintain control in a slick road condition. To know what to do to execute a crash avoidance maneuver or handle a crisis. To know how to use the new technology systems on cars. The new technology is great – but most drivers have not had the opportunity to learn to use the systems.
The three primary dimensions of concern:
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Injury and/or fatality. Injuries from a serious car crash can be devastating. The lives of many people who used to die in car crashes are saved today because of the quality of emergency medical treatment. But serious injuries - brain injuries, broken backs, broken hips and legs, twisted necks, will severely impact a person’s quality of life for a very long time.
A few months ago a good friend of mine was driving cross country with his wife. He was a great athlete, and had been on the U.S. Olympic Skating team. Another car came across the highway into his lane and hit him head-on. Could he have avoided the crash? Maybe. We don’t know. But what if he could have responded just a half a second quicker? Maybe he could have avoided a crash that cost he and his wife their lives! And cost their children their mother and father!
In a crisis many people will panic and freeze. They just simply do not have the programming to respond subconsciously. It’s the same as in any sport. Keeping your driving skills sharp can save your life. And the lives of your family! -
Financial Loss. The total financial loss due to car crashes is huge. It is not just the damage to your car, but the property of others. It includes the loss of time. Possibly the loss of earnings from your job. Medical care and long term treatment. And the biggest potential financial loss – being sued by the other people. Everything you own is now at risk. Everything you have worked hard for – for the past 20 or 30 years could be lost. This is especially important if your family has a new teen driver.
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Psychological Affects. The impact of a traumatic car crash will often affect the mental state, the overall psychology, of everyone involved.
For many years we have worked with teens, when they were young, who had been passengers in cars that crashed. The psychological impact, the subconscious programming, of those experiences can impact them for years.
We have also worked with adults who have experienced severe trauma in a car crash. Many times a traumatic crash will change the quality of their function and overall personal confidence for many years. The only solution – a new experience that will help their brain deprogram the old experience and reprogram a new level of confidence!
It is estimated that more than 4 million drivers in the United States suffer from a serious phobic driving condition – an extreme fear of driving. As a result, it is difficult for them to appropriately respond to a crisis situation while driving. Have you ever ridden with a nervous driver? Does that bother you?
In addition, a driver who has had a brain injury, a stroke, or some other medical or functional condition can cause an extreme loss of confidence while driving.