What Makes a Safe Driver? The RAD Habits Every Teen Driver Should Learn

I want all my students, and the other drivers in their families, to be safe drivers. But that word - safe - is really too broad of a term. What exactly does it mean to be a safe driver?

After more than 20 years of teaching teens to drive, I’ve found that safe driving comes down to three important habits: being Responsible, Aware, and Defensive.

Or, to make it a little easier to remember, being RAD.

• Responsible

• Aware

• Defensive

A safe driver takes responsibility for their choices behind the wheel, stays aware of what is happening around the vehicle, and is prepared to respond defensively when another driver, changing road conditions, or something unexpected creates a risk.

These three words break down the meaning of safe and give my students a mental checklist to gauge how they are doing. Once I teach students what it means to be responsible, aware, and defensive in their driving, they can track those elements on their own.

I have to thank my student from Upper Dublin High School, Zach Dall, for giving me the idea to create an acronym for safe driving. I just love how the word RAD is a callback to my own teenage years when all the best things were, in fact, rad.

RAD Drivers Are Responsible

What does it mean to be responsible as a driver?

First and foremost, being a responsible driver means that we understand that we are in command of a machine that has the power to be extremely useful or extremely dangerous.

An irresponsible driver acts selfishly, only concerned about their own vehicle, timing, destination, and priorities. These drivers make the roads less safe because they ignore the danger they pose.

A responsible driver accepts the social and legal responsibility to act in the best interest of other people and property while operating a car. Their own desire to get somewhere safely and on time manifests by driving in a manner that benefits everyone. Responsible driving means making a conscious effort to prevent dangerous situations.

For a teen driver, responsible driving includes things like:

• Following speed limits and traffic laws

• Putting the phone away and keeping attention on driving

• Wearing a seat belt and making sure passengers are buckled

• Never driving impaired

• Avoiding driving when too tired to safely focus

• Taking responsibility for mistakes instead of blaming another driver

These aren't just rules parents and driving instructors made up to make driving less fun. NHTSA identifies speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, inconsistent seat belt use, and passenger-related distractions among the major risks facing teen drivers.

Being a responsible driver means recognizing that your decisions behind the wheel affect everyone around you.

RAD Drivers Are Aware

Awareness in driving means we know we are not alone on the road.

We are behind the wheel of one car in an environment full of other cars, pedestrians, cyclists, buildings, traffic signals, intersections, and other infrastructure. When we make ourselves aware of what else is going on around us, we can take better responsibility - see how these all work together? - for how we navigate the task of driving.

Unaware drivers exist in a vacuum. They don't think beyond their own car, destination, or priorities. They get lost in their thoughts and forget that they are in charge of safely controlling a very large, very heavy vehicle. They don't pay attention to how their actions behind the wheel affect others.

An aware driver recognizes that there is a lot going on around them and pays attention to it. They know that they are one of many people trying to get somewhere, and they keep both their eyes and ears open for what others are doing.

For a new driver, that can mean learning to:

• Look well ahead instead of focusing only on the car directly in front of you

• Check mirrors regularly

• Know what is happening beside and behind the vehicle

• Watch for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, and other road users

• Notice changing traffic lights, signs, construction, and road conditions

• Keep the phone and other distractions from taking attention away from the road

An aware driver is vigilant for anything that requires a response and is able to react in a timely and safe way.

This is especially important for inexperienced drivers because distraction isn't limited to texting. Passengers, food, the radio, something happening on the side of the road, or searching for an object in the car can all pull attention away from driving. PennDOT defines distracted driving broadly as anything that takes your attention away from driving, your eyes off the road, or your hands off the wheel.

RAD Drivers Are Defensive

Defensive drivers understand that sometimes they have to compensate for someone else's lack of responsibility or awareness.

They know that even when other drivers are not being safe - or when road conditions are unsafe for other reasons - they still have a duty to do the safe thing.

A reactionary driver often overcorrects in response to a tricky situation. An aggressive driver takes advantage of the chaos to get themselves where they want to go. Both of these kinds of non-defensive drivers make unsafe decisions that put other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in harm's way.

Driving defensively means responding to real-time conditions with a level head and averting a crisis with skills that have become second nature.

A defensive teen driver learns to:

• Leave enough following distance to react safely

• Anticipate that another driver may make a mistake

• Avoid lingering in another vehicle's blind spot

• Adjust speed and following distance for rain, darkness, traffic, or construction

• Leave themselves room to maneuver when possible

• Stay calm instead of reacting aggressively when another driver does something stupid

And, yes, eventually another driver will do something stupid. Probably before you make it out of the neighborhood.

Truly, the only way to be a defensive driver is to stay aware of what is going on around the car and accept responsibility for your own safety and the safety of others.

A Simple RAD Safe Driving Checklist

One reason I like the RAD approach is that it gives teen drivers something simple to remember.

During or after a practice drive, you can use these questions as a quick mental checklist:

Responsible

• Am I following traffic laws and speed limits?

• Is my attention fully on driving?

• Am I making safe, predictable decisions?

• Am I taking responsibility for my choices?

Aware

• Am I looking far enough ahead?

• Do I know what is happening beside and behind me?

• Have I noticed pedestrians, cyclists, traffic signals, and changing road conditions?

• Am I identifying potential problems before they become emergencies?

Defensive

• Am I leaving enough space between vehicles?

• Am I prepared for another driver's mistake?

• Do I have room to safely respond if something changes?

• Am I staying calm and making deliberate decisions rather than reacting emotionally?

A parent can ask these questions after a practice drive, but the real goal is for the teen driver to eventually ask them without being prompted.

That's when RAD starts becoming a habit.

How Parents Can Help Teens Become Safer Drivers

Something I really work to impress upon my teen driving students is that safe driving - or RAD driving - is not about fear.

Especially with young and inexperienced drivers, it's easy to let fear take over when trying to implement safe driving skills. The problem is that fear can create tunnel vision and reduce a driver's ability to be responsible, aware, or defensive.

RAD driving is all about staying calm, practicing skills until they become second nature, and developing confidence that comes from knowing what to do.

Parents play a huge role in that process. NHTSA notes that parents are an important influence on teen driving behavior and recommends that parents model safe habits, establish clear rules, and remain involved as teens gain experience.

Here are a few things I recommend when you're practicing with your teen:

Focus on one or two skills at a time

If you point out everything your teen is doing wrong at once, they're probably not going to improve at any of it. Pick a skill to concentrate on during a particular drive - following distance, scanning intersections, speed control, lane position, or another specific behavior.

Ask questions instead of constantly giving answers

Rather than immediately saying, "Watch that car," you might ask, "What do you see happening up ahead?"

You want your teen to learn how to identify problems independently. Eventually, you won't be sitting in the passenger seat.

Talk through mistakes after the immediate danger has passed

If something happens that requires an immediate correction, safety comes first. But once the situation is under control, talk about what happened and what your teen could do differently next time.

The goal isn't to make them afraid of making another mistake. It's to help them recognize the situation earlier the next time it happens.

Practice until good decisions become habits

New drivers have to think consciously about things experienced drivers often do automatically. That's why practice matters.

A teen who has repeatedly practiced scanning intersections, maintaining following distance, checking mirrors, and responding to changing conditions is better prepared when those skills are needed unexpectedly.

Helping Your Teen Become a RAD Driver

Learning to drive isn't just about passing the road test. The goal is to develop the habits your teen will need every time they get behind the wheel for years to come.

That's why I teach students to think beyond simply being a "safe driver."

Be Responsible.

Be Aware.

Be Defensive.

Be RAD.

If you're a parent teaching your teen to drive and would like more guidance through the process, The Parent’s Guide to Teen Driving walks parents through the skills, practice, and coaching strategies that can help a new driver build confidence and become safer behind the wheel.

For families in Montgomery County, PA, Safe Driving Coach also offers professional behind-the-wheel driving lessons. Our professionally trained driving instructors work directly with teens to build the real-world skills and habits they need to become responsible, aware, and defensive drivers.

Every teen driver is capable of becoming RAD.