The rule is as simple as it is obvious: defensive driving ensures safety and helps to prevent accidents, while offensive driving involves uncertainty and danger. But is that really always the case? Anyone who is too anxious and hesitant on the road can also confuse other road users and thus cause dangerous situations in the first place.
The basic rule is: Defensive driving makes a significant contribution to avoiding accidents on the road and increasing road safety. Therefore, paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act (StVO) makes it clear: Every road user must behave in such a way that no one else is harmed, endangered or more than is avoidable under the circumstances, hindered or bothered. It follows that anyone who does not comply with this requirement violates the StVO. In this respect, the obligation to drive defensively is already anchored, in which prudent and anticipatory behavior at the wheel is required. It also means that when in doubt, one does not insist on a right, such as the right of way, in order to defuse a tricky situation if necessary.
However, defensive driving does not mean giving up your rights as a matter of principle and always allowing others to go first. For example, anyone who drives particularly carefully at an intersection or junction, for example by trying to anticipate possible misconduct by other road users, is driving defensively. The opposite of this is a motorist who tries to force his way through or recklessly squeeze into traffic, thereby impeding or even endangering other road users. The defensive driver, on the other hand, may give up his right of way to avoid a risky situation. However, those who constantly ignore their right of way can irritate others with their behavior, with the consequence that dangerous situations are conjured up in the first place. After all, it cannot be assumed that other motorists expect overcautious drivers to generally give up their right of way – let alone understand why the driver behaves in this way.
In short: defensive driving reduces the risk of accidents for everyone involved in road traffic and can make a significant contribution to getting from A to B in a more relaxed manner. However, anyone who is unpredictably overcautious at the wheel by not comprehensibly exercising the privileges granted by the StVO contributes more to the confusion of other road users and thus unnecessarily creates the risk of accidents. The bottom line is that always forgoing your right of way can cause more problems than exercising your rights carefully and with an overview. (awm)