Many people in today’s world have an excellent focus on the fundamentals of personal protection. They daily load up their EDC pistol, extra magazine, and possibly even a flashlight and a knife. They do their best to have good situational awareness and train for events on the range. One area, however, that is often overlooked is the time that we spend in our cars. Self-defense driving is not at the forefront of people’s minds.
Self-Defense Driving – Know the Real Rules for the Road
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Americans spend over 300 hours a year in their car. Many of us have long commutes, and our day-to-day life is built around being able to get from point A to point B in our cars. With this much time spent inside the vehicle, it’s important that you understand the fundamentals of personal protection while driving your car. Today, we are going to explore some fundamentals of self-defense driving.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Give Yourself Room
Just as we would in a physical altercation, we want to focus on giving ourselves as much room to work as possible. A good example of that is when we are approaching something such as a stoplight. If there is a car in front of you, I encourage you to stop where you can still see the car’s rear tires over the hood of your car. In the event that you need to quickly move out of that space, this distance will give you room to maneuver. This principle also applies while we are driving. While sometimes traffic is dense, it’s important to always give yourself room to escape if the need arises.
Don’t Get Blocked
A second tip is to avoid being blocked in if at all possible. Once again, dense traffic can make this difficult, but if you focus on trying to keep an open space to the right and left of your car, it once again gives you room to maneuver if something happens. On this topic, I also encourage you to use the same principle when parking. Like you, I prefer to park as close as possible to my destination. However, I realize that giving myself space on both sides of my car allows me more movement options.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
This is especially true when you are in the act of parking. In many cases, this is where carjackings and violence can occur. Assailants know that you are partially distracted with the process of parking and/or getting out of your car, and see it as an opportunity to attack.
Suggestions Rather than Rules
The third thing to understand is that stoplights, lane lines, and even curbs are more of a suggestion than they are a firm rule. In the event that you need to escape danger, do not hesitate to ignore these items and move to safety. If that means you need to run a stop sign and or a red light, I encourage you to seriously consider it. Of course, safety is paramount, and you need to make certain that this action isn’t going to cause an accident.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Keep it Running
A fourth rule is to maintain your vehicle. This has less to do with the longevity of your car and more to do with performance. If you need to accelerate and escape a situation quickly, it’s important that your car doesn’t have issues. This applies to every aspect of your car, ranging from the engine to the tires and even wiper fluid to keep the windshield clean. While this may seem a bit extreme, it is the same principle that we follow when maintaining your EDC pistol.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
Four Wheel Weapon
The fifth and final rule is to understand that your vehicle can be a weapon. If a threat presents itself directly in front of your vehicle, in many cases, it is quicker and safer simply to press on the gas. While we always prefer to escape, if the situation is forced, hitting a threat with your car is a fairly effective way of stopping a fight.
The underlying theme to all of these points boils down to awareness. Always give yourself room to work, make sure your vehicle can do what it needs to do, and ultimately, do your very best to escape.
Self-Defense Driving
Just as with your EDC handgun, defensive driving takes practice and training. We are accustomed to tuning out halfway while we drive. Our minds are racing with our day and our destinations. While you drive, take the time to evaluate where you are in traffic and sincerely answer the question, could I escape from here if something happened?
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
WHY OUR ARTICLES/REVIEWS DO NOT HAVE AFFILIATE LINKS
Affiliate links create a financial incentive for writers to promote certain products, which can lead to biased recommendations. This blurs the line between genuine advice and marketing, reducing trust in the content.
