CDL: Hazardous Drivers
Drivers Who Are Hazards, and Always Having a Plan
Not every hazard on the road is a pothole or a patch of ice — sometimes it's another person, and learning to read the clues other road users give off can buy you precious seconds of warning. This article covers the behaviors and situations that flag another driver, pedestrian, or cyclist as a potential hazard, and closes with why defensive drivers always keep a plan in mind.
Recognizing Drivers (and Others) Who Are Hazards
To protect yourself and everyone else on the road, you need to be able to recognize when another driver, pedestrian, or cyclist might be about to do something hazardous. Below are the clues to watch for.
Blocked Vision
Anyone who can't see clearly around them is a serious hazard. This includes vans, station wagons packed with cargo, and cars with obstructed rear windows. Rental trucks deserve extra caution too, since their drivers are often unfamiliar with the limited visibility those vehicles have to the sides and rear. In winter, be alert for vehicles with windows covered in frost, ice, or snow.
Vehicles can also be partially hidden behind blind intersections or alleys. If you can only see part of a vehicle — the front or rear end, but not the driver — assume the driver can't see you either. Stay alert, since that vehicle could back out or pull into your lane without warning, and always be ready to stop.
Delivery Trucks
Packages and vehicle doors often block a delivery driver's line of sight. Drivers of step vans, postal vehicles, and local delivery trucks are frequently in a hurry, and may step out suddenly or pull their vehicle into a traffic lane without much notice.
Parked Vehicles
A parked vehicle can turn into a hazard the moment someone starts to get out of it, or if it suddenly pulls into your path. Watch for movement inside the vehicle, or any outward sign — like brake lights, backup lights, or exhaust — that suggests the driver is about to move. Stopped buses deserve special caution as well, since passengers may cross in front of or behind the bus without being able to see you.
Pedestrians and Bicyclists
Walkers, joggers, and cyclists sometimes travel with their backs to traffic, which means they can't see you — and if they're wearing headphones, they may not hear you either. On rainy days, pedestrians hurrying to get out of the weather, or distracted by hats or umbrellas, may not notice traffic at all.
Distractions
A distracted person is a hazardous one. Pay attention to where someone is looking — if their attention is elsewhere, they likely haven't seen you. But don't relax just because they appear to be looking your way, either; they may simply believe they have the right of way.
Children
Children often act on impulse without checking for traffic first. Kids playing together are especially prone to darting into the road without looking, making them a serious hazard.
Talkers
Drivers or pedestrians engaged in conversation with one another may not be paying close attention to what's happening in traffic around them.
Workers
People working on or near the roadway are a hazard clue in two directions: the work itself distracts other drivers passing by, and the workers themselves may not notice an approaching vehicle.
Ice Cream Trucks
An ice cream truck is a hazard clue because children are likely nearby, and those children may not be watching for traffic.
Disabled Vehicles
Drivers changing a tire or working under the hood are often so focused on the repair that they forget how dangerous passing traffic can be to them. Jacked-up wheels or a raised hood are visual clues that a disabled vehicle is nearby.
Accidents
Crash scenes bring their own hazards. People involved may not be watching for oncoming traffic, passing drivers tend to fixate on the scene instead of the road ahead, pedestrians sometimes cross without looking, and vehicles nearby may slow or stop abruptly.
Shoppers
People in and around shopping areas are frequently focused on storefronts and window displays rather than watching for traffic.
Confused Drivers
Confused drivers tend to change direction suddenly or stop without any warning. This kind of confusion shows up often near freeway interchanges and major intersections. Tourists unfamiliar with an area can be especially unpredictable — watch for clues like car-top luggage or out-of-state plates. Other signs of confusion include stopping in the middle of a block, changing lanes without an obvious reason, backup lights suddenly switching on, or a driver who seems to be studying street signs, maps, or house numbers instead of the road.
Slow Drivers
Vehicles that fail to keep up with normal traffic speed are a hazard worth spotting early. Some vehicles are simply slow by nature — mopeds, farm equipment, construction machinery, and tractors, for example — and many display the slow-moving-vehicle symbol, a red triangle with an orange center, to warn other drivers.
Drivers Signaling a Turn
A driver signaling a turn may end up slowing more than expected, or stopping altogether. If they're attempting a tight turn into an alley or driveway, they may creep along very slowly, and if a pedestrian or another vehicle is in their way, they may have to stop right in the roadway. Left-turning vehicles, in particular, sometimes have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear.
Drivers in a Hurry
Some drivers see a large commercial vehicle as an obstacle standing between them and their destination. These drivers might pass without leaving a safe gap in oncoming traffic, cutting in closely ahead of you, or pull out in front of you from a side street to avoid getting stuck behind you — forcing you to brake. Stay alert for signs that another driver is in a hurry.
Impaired Drivers
Drivers who are drowsy, intoxicated, on drugs, or feeling ill pose a serious hazard. Warning signs include weaving or drifting across lanes, letting wheels drop onto the shoulder or bumping over a curb during a turn, stopping at unusual moments (like at a green light or lingering too long at a stop sign), an open window in cold weather, and abrupt changes in speed or driving noticeably too fast or too slow. Stay especially alert for drunk or drowsy drivers late at night.
Body Movement as a Clue
Drivers tend to look in the direction they intend to turn, and their head and body movements can tip you off to an upcoming turn even before a signal is used. A driver making repeated over-the-shoulder glances may be about to change lanes. These physical cues are often easiest to spot in motorcyclists and cyclists — get in the habit of watching other road users to anticipate what they might do next.
Conflicts
A conflict occurs any time you have to change your speed or direction to avoid another road user. Conflicts commonly arise at intersections, at merge points like turnpike on-ramps, and where lanes end and traffic is forced to shift over. Slow-moving or stalled traffic, and accident scenes, create conflicts as well. Watch for other drivers who are dealing with a conflict of their own, since their reaction to it may put them into conflict with you next.
Always Have a Plan
Learning to spot hazards is an ongoing skill — the more you drive, the sharper this instinct becomes. But recognizing a hazard is only useful if you remember why you're looking for it in the first place: a hazard can turn into a full emergency with little warning. Every time you spot one, take a moment to think through what kind of emergency could develop and how you would respond.
Between recognizing the wide range of clues that flag another road user as a potential hazard and always having a response ready, these habits form the core of defensive driving. The goal isn't to be anxious behind the wheel — it's to stay a step ahead, so that if something does go wrong, you already know what to do.