The Role, Place, and Importance of Preventive-Defensive Driving in Avoiding Traffic Accidents

Road traffic vigilance refers to a driver’s ability to observe and remain constantly alert to everything happening around them throughout the entire journey. Preventing a traffic accident means adopting a preventive (or defensive) approach, that is, a driving style in which you anticipate dangerous situations, reduce risks, and increase safety on the road. This requires increased vigilance, respect for the rules, and the ability to respond appropriately to others’ mistakes or adverse road conditions. This scientific article presents the authors’ personal perspective on preventive-defensive driving of motor vehicles, interested readers can learn about: legislation and specialized literature in this field; the concept of “stop accidents, life has priority”; the role of defensive driving in preventive driving; some integrative concepts of preventive-defensive driving; the main rules of preventive-defensive driving; typical situations with a high risk of traffic accidents; traffic accidents and their classification; and certain aspects regarding the principles of preventive-defensive driving — 5 case studies analyzing important situations in the subject area. The conclusions regarding the topic are presented at the end of the scientific article. To conduct this scientific research, experts in defensive driving were consulted, videos were watched, books, websites, and specialized journals were reviewed.