Driving while you’re on vacation sounds simple. All you need to do is pick up your rental car, follow your GPS, and start exploring. In reality, driving in an unfamiliar area can be much more stressful than driving at home. For instance, you’ll have to deal with different traffic laws, unfamiliar road layouts, distracted tourists, and possibly intoxicated drivers during a holiday.
With defensive driving skills, you’ll be able to react more effectively to unexpected situations and avoid preventable accidents.
Defensive driving helps you handle unfamiliar roads
When you drive on vacation, you’ll encounter unfamiliar roads that have quirks like abrupt lane changes or that lead into one-way streets. Confusing intersections, roundabouts, and unfamiliar traffic patterns will increase stress and reduce your reaction time. This puts you at risk for being involved in a car accident. Defensive driving teaches you to stay alert, anticipate potential hazards, and maintain safe distances, which are all essential in unfamiliar areas.
Unexpected road layouts can throw you off
Many vacationers discover that their destination has unfamiliar road designs like confusing multi-lane intersections or narrow mountain roads. When you learn defensive driving skills, you’ll be in the habit of reducing your speed and maintaining extra space between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. Doing this gives you more time to see what’s going on ahead. Developing good scanning habits can also help you identify changing traffic conditions, road hazards, and other potential problems before they require a sudden reaction.
A huge mistake many people make is missing a turn and then braking hard while attempting a last-minute lane change. Defensive drivers accept that they’ll miss some turns and will allow their GPS to reroute them while staying calm.
It’s critical to observe and match local driving habits
The way people drive in certain regions can vary dramatically. Some cities have aggressive drivers while others mostly rely on merging and yielding. While it’s important to obey traffic laws, you also want to match the way locals drive. Only drive aggressively in areas where it’s the norm.
For example, driving in San Francisco requires aggressive driving or you’ll never get out of your current lane, while small rural towns tend to be relaxed.
Your rental car will handle differently
Unless you’re renting a make and model you’re used to driving, you can expect to feel awkward while you get used to your rental car. If you’re in another country, the controls might be completely different. For instance, some European manual transmissions won’t shift into reverse unless you push down or pull up on the gear shifter.
Before heading out on the road, learn your vehicle controls. Know the location of your headlights, high beams, windshield wipers, fog lights, parking brake, and any digital system you need to use. Adjust your mirrors before you leave the rental lot and get familiar with your dashboard indicators. Test your braking and acceleration to take note of how your rental car responds. Doing this before you drive off will prevent you from getting distracted on the road.
Driving on the opposite side of the road can be scary
If you’re brave enough to attempt driving on the opposite side of the road, you’ll definitely need defensive driving skills. You’ll be disoriented at first and may struggle with simple things like turning into the nearest lane. Driving through a roundabout going in the opposite direction will be even more confusing. This is where slowing down, yielding, and observing traffic patterns comes into play.
Tourist areas are full of distracted drivers
Any vacation destination will be full of visitors who are more focused on sightseeing than watching the road. This makes drivers in a tourist city unpredictable. You can count on other drivers looking at their phones for navigation and stopping in random spots to take photos. That’s why you need to maintain extra following distance and expect sudden braking.
Busy tourist spots also tend to have a lot of pedestrians crossing the roads outside of sidewalks, especially in residential areas. You’ll need to constantly scan sidewalks and the road to make sure it’s clear.
Holidays increase the risk of impaired drivers
It’s not just tourists you need to watch out for. If you’re traveling during a holiday, there’s an increased chance of intoxicated locals on the road. Holiday periods typically see a spike in alcohol-related crashes, especially on New Year’s Eve. When you’re on the road, stay alert and watch for erratic driving. If you see anyone drifting lanes or driving unsafely, keep your distance and report the driver by calling 911.
Defensive driving makes traveling safer
If you’re going to drive on vacation, be on alert and don’t get too comfortable on the road. Use defensive driving skills to reduce your risk of accidents so you can fully enjoy your vacation.
Last Updated on September 16, 2026
