As a tow truck driver, it’s essential to be as prepared as possible for anything. Things can change on the road in the blink of an eye. You’re not alone on the streets, so you have to pay attention to what other drivers are doing. Constant vigilance is a must – driving is dangerous. Defensive driving can help you avoid getting into an accident, which can help you save money on your tow truck insurance rates. (And that’s helpful because tow truck insurance rates have been increasing.) We’ll explain the three aspects of defensive driving and how it can help you avoid accidents.
The three steps of defensive driving.
1. Spotting the danger.
You can’t respond to or avoid danger if you don’t see it, which is why the first piece of defensive driving is seeing and recognizing a hazard. That means checking your mirrors and looking ahead so that you see any danger with as much time as possible. The more time you have to react and respond to a potential danger, the better. This also gives you has much time as possible to formulate a plan of action.
2. Creating a plan.
The second portion of defensive driving is coming up with your plan of action. This is why seeing the danger as soon as possible is so important – you need to be able to come up with your plan. Sometimes you may not need to act on it if the danger clears itself up, but you need to know what you would do if it doesn’t – for example, what if the car inching out of a parking lot onto the street pulls out right in front of you? They may or may not do so, but you need to be prepared for if they do. Could you change lanes? Is there enough room to safely slow down or come to a halt? You need to be able to anticipate what could happen and not assume that the danger will just go away.
3. Taking action.
When it comes to avoiding danger, it’s better to act sooner than later. Remember, the goal is to prevent a car accident, which means giving yourself as much time as possible to act. If you need to change lanes to avoid a hazard don’t hesitate – change lanes safely before it’s too late.
Another part of being a defensive driver is being familiar with relevant traffic laws and regulations. That means understanding things like right-of-way. Though you may respect right-of-way and traffic laws, you have to be prepared for other drivers not to. You have to be ready to compensate for the actions of other drivers, even if you know you’re in the right and they’re not.
Defensive driving and road conditions.
To be a defensive driver, you also need to adjust your driving to accommodate for driving conditions, whether that’s heavy traffic, rain, darkness, or roadwork. You need to adjust to those things. Perhaps that means slowing down and increasing your following distance.
Defensive driving and your tow truck insurance rates.
Being a defensive driver can help you be a safe driver, and being a safe driver can help you avoid accidents. Since accidents cause tow truck insurance rates to go up, by keeping a clean driving record you and help keep your premiums down. If you want to find out more about defensive driving, there are many certified defensive driving courses out there. You can find one and practice your defensive driving skills.
Defensive driving means being highly alert to your surroundings when you’re on the road. You have to look ahead and be constantly scanning for any sort of danger so that you can create a plan and act on it with as much time as possible. The trick is to see the danger and form a plan quickly – you have to be ready to respond to the danger that you see. Defensive driving can also help you lower your tow truck insurance rates because it can help you prevent accidents and be a safe driver.
Do you want to save money on your tow truck insurance? We would love to help you with that. We’ll help you shop around for the best possible rate – our team of tow truck insurance experts is really good at helping businesses save money on their insurance rates. All you have to do to get tow truck insurance quotes is fill out our online form or call us today.