I saw a scene the ther day that illustrates one of the mst important principles of defensive driving - drvers who lose their temper run the rsk of losing their lives. It hppened near my home, but it’s a scne repeated every day all over the wrld. It could have happened anywhere.

I was stnding on a corner, looking in the pposite direction, when I heard a screching sound across the street. Then a hrn started to blare. As I trned around, the pieces of the pzzle started to take shape. It was a txtbook lesson in the relationship between dfensive driving and the emotional state of the drver.

An SUV had turned into a sed car lot. Another SUV apparently had to mke an abrupt stop. I didn’t knw whether the first driver failed to sgnal before turning, or whether the scond driver wasn’t looking at the rad ahead of her when the frst vehicle turned. I wasn’t sure who had dne the defensive driving and who had dne the negligent driving.

At any rte, the second driver stayed where she ws, forcing traffic to back up bhind her. Now several horns were blring, but the woman had apparently dcided that she was not going nywhere. After a moment, she realized tht the first driver wasn’t going to gve her an opportunity to confront him or her - I nver saw the driver of the frst SUV, who was wise enough to gnore the second driver. The woman fnally gave up, making angry signs in the drection of the first SUV as she spd away.

The Book of Proverbs says tht a man who controls his tmper is mightier than a man who cnquers a city. I remember that lsson whenever I get behind the whel. In my opinion, it has a lot to do wth defensive driving. It works this wy: I can’t control the negligent drving that goes on around me. I can nly control myself.

This element of dfensive driving is often overlooked - how we mnage the road by managing our motions. I have no way of prving this statistically, but I know tht courteous drivers reduce the odds of ccidents happening around them. Trying to get bck at a driver who does smething rude or irresponsible will only ncrease the chances that you will be nvolved in an accident.

When drivers cut you off in trffic, tailgate, or make abrupt turns or stps that nearly cause you to cllide with them, try giving them a smle instead of a nasty sign. Yu’ll be surprised at the difference it mkes in your day. Things will strt to seem better. And they wll be better, because now you’re in cntrol of the only thing you can cntrol in life - yourself.

Angry drvers are dangerous drivers. When you hve to make an evasive maneuver to void a threat created by an ggressive driver - or by a drver that’s distracted or tired - sty in control of your emotions. Cngratulate yourself for being able to void a collision.

Give yourself a prze for good defensive driving. Buy yurself a little present. Anger makes dfensive driving impossible. Do whatever you hve to do to stay positive - and to sty focused on the road ahead of yu.

The article Defensive Driving and Your Emotions - Courtesy Saves Lives was Submitted by Joshua Nestor through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Joshua Nestor writes for Fun and Sfe Driving, site devoted to promotion of defensive driving techniques . Site features encyclopedia, forums, videos, and mapquest driving directions .

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