Defensive driving — Idaho Permit Test

Be prepared to react promptly to emergencies by driving with both hands placed on opposite sides of the steering wheel at approximately the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions.

Hands opposite each other can turn the wheel a long way in one movement, which is what an emergency needs.

driving with both hands placed on opposite sides of the steering wheel at approximately the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions

Good drivers keep an eye on what is happening about ten to 15 seconds ahead, which is about a block in city driving.

Looking that far forward is what lets a driver slow gently instead of braking at the last moment.

Good drivers keep an eye on what's happening about ten to 15 seconds ahead

Looking that far ahead lets you avoid the last minute lane changes, turns and stops that often cause crashes.

Most sudden movements are a driver reacting to something they should have seen much earlier.

you'll avoid the kind of last minute lane changes, turns, and stops that often cause crashes

Scanning means keeping your eyes moving and learning to read the road, rather than holding a fixed straight-ahead stare.

A fixed stare stops registering what it sees, which is how a driver looks straight at a hazard and misses it.

Avoid a fixed, straight-ahead stare that may let you drift off in daydreams. Keep your eyes moving and learn to read the road

As you approach any place where other cars, people or animals may cross your path, look to both sides, and do not rely on traffic lights or stop signs.

A green light does not stop the driver who is going to run the red one.

Don’t rely on traffic lights or stop signs

Check the traffic behind you frequently, several times a minute, so you know if somebody is tailgating, coming up too fast or trying to pass.

Most rear-end collisions come from behind, and the mirror is the only warning of one.

Check the traffic behind you frequently (several times a minute) so you’ll know if somebody is tailgating, coming up too fast or trying to pass.

Most rear-end collisions are caused by vehicles following too closely.

The gap is the whole of the defense, because the driver behind decides everything else.

Most rear-end collisions are caused by vehicles following too closely

Blind spots are areas near the left and right rear corners of your vehicle that are not visible in your mirrors, and if the vehicle has no right-side mirror the right blind spot is larger than the left.

The mirrors cover most of the road behind and none of the two corners where a car passing you actually sits.

These are areas near the left and right rear corners of your vehicle that are not visible in your mirrors

Never rely on your mirrors alone. Before you make any move to the side, quickly turn your head to see whether your blind spot is clear.

The mirror shows an empty lane and the blind spot holds the car that is in it.

Before you make any move to the side, quickly turn your head to see if your blind spot is clear

Avoid driving in someone else's blind spot, because it is as important for other drivers to see you as for you to see them.

Sitting where a driver cannot see you means being included in none of their decisions.

Also, avoid driving in someone else's blind spot

The crash prevention formula is to identify a hazard, predict what will happen, decide what to do, and execute the decision smoothly and predictably in time to avoid a crash.

Deciding in advance is what makes the response quick enough, because the decision itself is the slow part.

Execute: The final step is to execute your decision in a smooth, predictable manner in time to avoid a crash

After spotting a potential hazard, predict what will happen, and it is safest to predict the worst.

If you plan for the child running out and they do not, nothing is lost. The other way round, everything is.

Predict: After spotting a potential hazard, predict what will happen; it's safest to predict the worst

The key to defensive driving is making a sound decision ahead of time rather than reacting to danger at the last second.

A decision made at the last second is a reflex, and a reflex is usually the wrong move.

Decide What To Do: The key to defensive driving is making a sound decision ahead of time rather than reacting to danger at the last second

Where should a driver's hands be on the steering wheel?

At approximately nine o'clock and three o'clock. Hands opposite each other can turn the wheel a long way in one movement, which is what an emergency needs. July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.89: “driving with both hands placed on opposite sides of the steering wheel at approximately the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions”