Road Safety: Driving Habits and Defensive Driving-A Comprehensive Analysis

https://doi.org/10.46610/JoTS.2026.v011i03.002

Abstract

Road traffic fatalities remain a critical socio-economic crisis, driven by individual behavioral failures and inadequate driver perception rather than a lack of statutory regulations. Conventional enforcement models intervene post-licensing, failing to restructure embedded, subconscious reflexes formed during early development. This paper establishes a holistic road safety model integrating human ethics, spatial mechanics, and institutional curriculum reform. "Observe, Monitor, Predict" (OMP) cognitive model for defensive driving, which trains drivers to continuously evaluate environmental variables, eliminate blind-spot risks, and project a 100-foot visual target path to mitigate panic braking. Furthermore, the proposal demonstrates how personal ethical traits, such as capacity awareness, situational yielding, and payload responsibility, directly mirror vehicle control mechanics. To turn these principles into lifelong reflexes, this policy proposal advocates for mandatory bicycle-based traffic education across Grades 1 to 8, utilizing "Children’s Traffic Parks" supervised by certified Physical Education Teachers. By aligning school-level practical training with statutory licensing standards (8th-standard qualification at age 18), this strategy transforms road safety from a reactive legal mandate into an internalized cultural responsibility, safeguarding human lives and national productivity.