Safe Driving Practices and Defensive Driving (Nepal DOTM Category B)
Defensive driving assumes the other road user will make a mistake, and that you already have the room and time to absorb it. Questions here describe ordinary Nepali scenes - buses stopping without warning, cattle on the highway, schoolchildren at the kerb, motorbikes filtering - and ask what a careful driver does next.
The routine you should be able to recite
Mirrors, signal, position, speed, gear, accelerate. Every manoeuvre - overtaking, turning, changing lane, joining traffic - follows that order rather than being improvised.
Space and sight
The minimum gap to the vehicle ahead is two seconds; double it in rain, at night or on gravel. Always keep an escape route and some room to the side. Cover the brake when a hazard is developing, so your foot is already over the pedal.
Impairment and distraction
A phone call, a tired driver and a single drink all lengthen reaction time in the same way. Seat belts are compulsory for the driver and front passenger. Fatigue is the quiet one - on long hill routes, stop and rest rather than push on.
Vulnerable road users
Expect pedestrians to appear from in front of a stopped bus, cyclists to swerve around potholes, motorcyclists to sit in your blind spot, and animals to move unpredictably. Children near schools and elderly pedestrians need the largest margins.
Worked example
A bus stops ahead on your side of the road. Correct action: reduce speed, check your mirror before moving out, and be ready to stop for passengers crossing in front of the bus. Reasoning: the bus hides pedestrians, and overtaking it at speed removes your stopping distance.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming a horn gives you priority. Tailgating a truck on a descent. Treating a green light as proof the way is clear. Believing that being legally right prevents a crash.