Safe Driving Practices and Defensive Driving
This domain tests hazard perception and the habits that create a safety margin: following distance, observation, speed choice, and managing distraction and fatigue. The questions reward the driver who anticipates a problem rather than the one who reacts late.
Observation and the system of car control
- Use mirrors, signal, manoeuvre in that order.
- Scan far ahead, not just the bonnet of the car in front.
- Check mirrors every few seconds and before braking.
- Cover the brake when a hazard is developing.
Following distance
- In dry conditions use at least a two-second gap.
- In rain, at night, or behind a large vehicle, increase it to four seconds or more.
- Grenada's wet-season roads, shaded patches and potholes reduce grip and lengthen stopping distance.
Overtaking and speed
- Overtake only when the road is clear, the line permits it, and you can see far enough to complete it.
- Return to the left promptly.
- Drive to the conditions, not just the posted limit.
Distraction and fitness
- Handheld phone use is an offence and a major hazard.
- Alcohol, drugs and fatigue slow reaction and judgement.
- Keep music at a level that lets you hear horns and sirens.
Worked example
You are following a truck downhill on a wet road. Spray limits your view and the truck brakes for a pothole. If you were two seconds behind, you would have little time to react. Drop back to four seconds or more, keep left, and do not overtake unless you can see a long clear stretch. The extra gap gives you time to stop and protects you from the truck's spray.
Traps that cost marks
- Counting a two-second gap but not increasing it in rain.
- Overtaking on a bend because the road looks clear.
- Using a phone while stationary at a red light; it is still an offence.
- Driving with main beam in fog or heavy rain, which reflects glare back at you.