Florida Driver's Handbook 2011

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5. Driving Safety

• 5.1. Distracted Drivers
• 5.2. Getting Ready to Drive
• 5.3. Defensive Driving
• 5.4. When You Back Up
• 5.5. Avoiding Rear-end Collisions
• 5.6. Basic Driver Improvement
• 5.7. Safety Belts
• 5.8. Protecting Children
• 5.9. Speed Limits
• 5.10. Following Officer's and Fireman's Instructions
• 5.11. Crossing Intersections
• 5.12. Right-of-Way
• 5.13. Stop Signs
• 5.14. Open Intersections
• 5.15. Roundabouts
• 5.16. Pedestrians
• 5.17. Bicyclists
• 5.18. Motorcycle Awareness
• 5.19. School Buses
• 5.20. Public Transit
• 5.21. Funeral Processions
• 5.22. Driveways
• 5.23. Emergency Vehicles
• 5.24. Making Turns
• 5.25. Turnabout (Three-Point Turn)
• 5.26. Turn Signals and Emergency Signals
• 5.27. Traffic Lanes
• 5.28. Blind Spots
• 5.29. Passing
• 5.30. Minimum Safe Following Distances
• 5.31. Parking
• 5.32. Expressway Driving
• 5.33. Night Driving
• 5.34. Animals
• 5.35. Reduced Visibility
• 5.36. Handling Emergencies
• 5.37. Sharing the Road with a Truck
• 5.38. First Aid Information

Listen to this chapter: Listen

Many crashes happen because one vehicle runs into the back of another one. Here are some things you can do to lower the risk of someone running into the rear of your vehicle.

• Check your brake lights often to make sure they are clean and working properly.
• Know what is going on around you. Use your rearview mirrors.
• Signal well in advance for turns, stops and lane changes.
• Slow down gradually. Avoid any sudden actions.
• Drive with the flow of traffic (within the speed limit). Driving too slowly can be as dangerous as driving too fast.
• To avoid striking the vehicle in the front of you, keep at least two seconds following distance. This is accomplished by using the two-second rule. Information for the two-second rule is found under the section, Minimum Safe Following Distances.

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