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Tennessee driving lesson · Vehicle Control & Defensive Driving

Defensive driving: scanning, space & road rage

A 4-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Vehicle Control & Defensive Driving
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
106, 107, 108, 109

Defensive driving means expecting other people to make mistakes and being ready to make up for them. Learning never ends when you get your license; a safe driver keeps scanning, keeps space and keeps calm.

Five keys to staying safe

  • Aim high in steering: look far down the road
  • Get the big picture: keep a proper following distance
  • Keep your eyes moving: scan, don't stare
  • Leave yourself an out: space ahead and at least one side
  • Make sure they see you: use horn, lights and signals
Handbook p. 106 ↗

Know the rule

Courtesy and consideration toward others are the most important driving attitudes — the key to safe driving. Expect the other driver to do the WRONG thing and have a plan ready.

Handbook p. 107 ↗

How to scan

  • Look 10 to 15 seconds ahead — about one city block
  • Scan side to side for signs, cars and people
  • Watch for clues: exhaust smoke, brake or back-up lights, turned wheels
  • In rural areas watch for hidden driveways, curves and hills
  • At intersections look left, right, then left again
  • Check your rearview mirror about every 10 seconds
Handbook p. 107 ↗
90 percent

Share of information about the road that you gather through your eyes

Handbook p. 107 ↗

Keep a space cushion

Keep a space cushion
SpaceHow to keep it
AheadTwo-second rule; extra room at rail crossings and on hills
BehindSteady speed and early signals
TailgaterMove right, or slow gradually; never brake suddenly
SidesStay out of blind spots; keep slightly right of center
Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

'Split the difference' between two hazards, giving more room to the more dangerous one. 'Take hazards one at a time' — for example, let an oncoming car pass before moving left around a cyclist.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

You need a gap of at least four seconds to change lanes, enter a road or merge. Cross multiple lanes one at a time.

Handbook p. 108 ↗
10 seconds

Time needed to pass one vehicle at 55 mph — so you need a 10-second gap in oncoming traffic

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

Pass only one vehicle at a time, and don't return to your lane until you can see both headlights of the car you passed in your rearview mirror.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Know the rule

Give extra room when views are blocked, when others are distracted or confused, and when drivers are passing, merging or being forced into your lane.

Handbook p. 108 ↗

Aggressive driving

Tailgating, honking, gestures, speeding, cutting others off. NHTSA says it causes about 66 percent of traffic deaths each year.

Handbook p. 109 ↗

Avoiding road rage

  • Give driving your full attention and obey the law
  • Keep your emotions under control
  • Don't join a confrontation, even by honking or glaring
  • Don't tailgate
  • Give an angry driver plenty of space
  • Don't take it personally; be polite
  • If followed, go to a police station or public place and report the tag number
Handbook p. 109 ↗

Put it into practice

A driver rides your bumper on a two-lane road with no right lane. Don't brake-check. Wait for a clear stretch where passing is legal, then gradually slow down a little so the tailgater can go around you.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

According to NHTSA data cited in the handbook, aggressive driving behaviors are associated with about what share of traffic fatalities?
  1. 5 percent
  2. 95 percent
  3. 20 percent
  4. 66 percent

Answer: 66 percent

NHTSA data cited in the handbook links about 66 percent of traffic fatalities to aggressive driving behaviors.

Handbook p. 109 ↗
About what percentage of the information you gather while driving comes through your eyes?
  1. 90 percent
  2. 25 percent
  3. 50 percent
  4. 10 percent

Answer: 90 percent

The handbook states that drivers gather about 90 percent of information about the road through their eyes.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
A minimum gap of how many seconds is recommended when merging, entering a roadway, or when your lane merges with another?
  1. One second
  2. Four seconds
  3. Ten seconds
  4. Half a second

Answer: Four seconds

A minimum four-second gap is needed whenever you change lanes, enter a roadway, or merge with another lane.

Handbook p. 108 ↗
If another driver tailgates you, the safest response is to:
  1. Slam on your brakes to warn them
  2. Speed up to lose the tailgater
  3. Move right if you can, or slow gradually
  4. Turn on your hazards and stop in your lane

Answer: Move right if you can, or slow gradually

If tailgated, move over if there's a lane, or slowly reduce speed; never brake suddenly to discourage a tailgater.

Handbook p. 108 ↗
Tips to avoid road rage include all of the following EXCEPT:
  1. Giving an angry driver plenty of space
  2. Not taking traffic problems personally
  3. Controlling your emotions behind the wheel
  4. Honking back and gesturing

Answer: Honking back and gesturing

Tips to avoid road rage include not joining a confrontation, even with just honking or glaring; retaliating is discouraged.

Handbook p. 109 ↗
Defensive drivers try to focus their eyes about 10 to 15 seconds ahead of their vehicle.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Defensive drivers try to focus their eyes 10 to 15 seconds ahead, roughly one city block, to see hazards early.

Handbook p. 107 ↗
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