It is not always easy to maintain a safe distance behind your vehicle. However, you can help keep the driver behind you a safe distance away from your vehicle by maintaining a steady speed and signaling turns, lane changes, and deceleration in advance.

Drivers of trucks, buses, vans, and any vehicles pulling campers or trailers may not be able to see you if you are driving directly behind them. Increase your following distance when driving behind one of these vehicles. Additionally, large vehicles can block your view of the road, so increase your following distance to look around the sides of the vehicle and see the road ahead.

Every 0.02 percent increase in blood alcohol concentration nearly doubles a driver's risk of being in a fatal crash.

Slow down and proceed with caution if you see animals that are standing near the roadway. They may unexpectedly bolt or change direction at the last moment. Some animals travel in packs, so there may be more animals just out of sight that are also near the road.

As you enter a work zone, signs and message boards will warn you of workers, slow-moving equipment, and/or closed lanes ahead. You should reduce your speed and be prepared to slow down or stop.

You may not know what is on the other side of a hill or just around a curve, even if you have driven the road many times. If a vehicle is stalled just out of sight on the roadway, you must be able to stop. Whenever you come to a hill or curve, adjust your speed so you can stop if necessary.

When passing another vehicle, move back into your original lane only when you can see the passed vehicle’s headlights in your rearview mirror. This ensures that you will have enough room to safely pull back in front of the other vehicle.

This sign warns of a winding road ahead.

When parking downhill, turn your front wheels toward the curb or edge of the road. When parking uphill on a road without a curb, turn your wheels toward the edge of the road. When parking uphill on a road with a curb, you must turn your front wheels away from the curb.

Because large commercial vehicles have large blind spots on each side, you should avoid driving beside them for long periods of time.

You must drive more slowly than usual when there is heavy traffic or bad weather. However, if you block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic by driving too slowly, you may be cited.

A diamond-shaped yellow sign warns of possible danger ahead. Orange signs, which are mostly diamond-shaped, are used to warn of possible dangers in or near work areas.

Treat a flashing red light the same as a stop sign. Come to a complete stop at the stop line or, if there is no stop line, prior to the crosswalk and before entering the intersection. Yield to all other traffic and pedestrians.

This sign prohibits right turns. You cannot make a right turn at an intersection where this sign is posted.

Signs with a red circle and diagonal line over a black symbol indicate the the action represented by the symbol is prohibited. In this case, the sign indicates that right turns are prohibited.

While airbags provide supplemental protection for adults in the event of a crash, they pose a severe safety risk for children. Anyone age 12 or under should sit in the back seat of a vehicle with airbags.

You must yield the right-of-way to any emergency vehicle that is using its siren and flashing lights. Do this by driving to the right edge of the road and stopping, taking care not to stop in an intersection. You may move again after the emergency vehicle has passed.

This sign alerts you to the possibility of traffic merging into the main stream of travel. After checking to your side and rear, you should move into another lane, if possible, to allow merging motorists a clear path.

Driving at night is more hazardous than daytime driving because the lowered visibility makes it difficult to judge speed, distances, and other potential hazards. Increase your following distance to help prevent a potential collision if the vehicle in front of you should stop abruptly. Use your headlights when driving at night, following the rules for proper usage of high beams and low beams.

Where there are both solid and dashed yellow lines between lanes of traffic, only traffic directly next to the dashed line may cross the centerline to pass. Drivers next to the solid line may not pass.

Regulatory signs provide notice to road users of traffic laws and must be obeyed. Where this sign is posted, making a right turn is prohibited.

A single broken line indicates that drivers may cross from either lane to change lanes. Dashed yellow lines alongside solid yellow lines indicate that passing is permitted from the lane next to the broken line, but not from the lane next to the solid line. Only change lanes when it is safe to do so.

In foggy or misty conditions, you should not use your headlights on their high beam setting because the light will be reflected back into your eyes.

After your seat is properly adjusted and you are seated in an upright position, adjust the left side view mirror to see the left edge of the vehicle and adjust the right side view mirror to see the right edge of the vehicle. This is a traditional mirror setting that may be most appropriately used by drivers of trucks, vans, and SUVs when towing or backing in tight areas.

Driving defensively means anticipating potential errors made by others and preparing to compensate for their mistakes.