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Defensive & Winter Driving: hazards and bad weather

Step 6 of 7 in The Workshop

Next in your path: 12.1.4 Culinary Mentor: cook for groups and teach

What you'll be able to do
  • Explain the three ideas behind defensive driving (visibility, space, communication) and use them on every drive.
  • Share the road safely with large trucks, cyclists, slow vehicles, animals and emergency vehicles.
  • Spot and manage tiredness, distraction and road rage before they cause a crash.
  • Drive at night and in rain and fog using the handbook's rules for lights, speed and space.
  • Prepare a vehicle and a trip for winter, and handle snow, black ice, whiteouts, skids and snow plows.
  • Know what to do in a vehicle emergency or a collision, step by step.

Before this course: G2 & the Road Test: skills and test preparation (course 12.5.2). You already know the road test tasks, the cockpit routine, turns, lane changes, parking and highway merging. This Advanced course goes one step deeper: hazards, bad weather and emergencies. It uses only the Official MTO Driver's Handbook and other ontario.ca pages. Every number below is shown with the year it was checked (2026). The handbook's online contents page was last updated in August 2022 and the ontario.ca Winter driving page in December 2022, so check the current pages before you rely on a number. This is education only: practise new skills with a qualified driving instructor, and in a real emergency call 911.

Words in this course 32
Business insuranceDemerit pointsDiscountDistracted drivingDriverElectric currentFeedbackFillFollowing distanceG2 licenceHTTPSLetLicenceLiftMajor and minorMeanModeProjectProject (Claude)Ready positionReleaseRestRiskRoad testShow, tell, trySMART goalSMART goalsTable (spreadsheet)TakeThrottle, yaw, pitch and rollWeather and climateWHERE
Open the Vocabulary Hall
01

Defensive driving: see, space, signal

In simple words

Before this course: G2 & the Road Test (course 12.5.2). Defensive driving is like being a good goalkeeper. You watch the whole field, you stand where you have room to move, and you shout so your team knows what you will do.

Key facts
  • The handbook calls it "defensive or strategic driving": seeing danger early and acting in time to prevent a crash.
  • It rests on three ideas (MTO handbook, checked 2026):
IdeaWhat it means on the road
VisibilityKnow what is in front, behind and beside you. Make sure others can see you, for example by signalling.
SpaceKeep a cushion of space on every side, so you have somewhere to go if something goes wrong.
CommunicationMake eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and drivers at intersections, signal early, and use the horn when you need someone's attention.
  • The handbook says the greatest risk of a collision is in front of you, so stay well back from the vehicle ahead.
  • Mirrors: check them about every 5 seconds (MTO handbook, checked 2026).
  • Following distance: at least 2 seconds in ideal conditions; that is a minimum, not a target. Leave more in bad weather, behind motorcycles or large trucks, or with a heavy load (MTO handbook, checked 2026).
  • Attitude matters: be predictable and courteous. Even when another road user makes a mistake, you may be held responsible if you could have avoided the collision.
  • The handbook names breaking the "rules of the road" as the major cause of collisions.
Step by step
  1. Before you drive, say the three words out loud: "see, space, signal".
  2. As you drive, keep your eyes moving: far ahead, to the sides, then a mirror, about every 5 seconds.
  3. Use the 2-second count behind the car ahead. Add more time if the road is wet or you are behind a truck.
  4. Look at the space beside you. If a car sits in your blind spot, change your speed a little so you are not side by side.
  5. At every intersection, look for a face: try to make eye contact with the pedestrian or driver before you go.
  6. Signal early so others know your plan.
  7. Check: after the drive, your supervising driver can name one time you made extra space and one time you made eye contact.
Watch on YouTube
How to keep a space cushion around your vehicleDefensive Driving · YouTube · youtube.com
Scanning the road zone by zoneAt Your Pace Online · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01Defensive driving: see, space, signal
LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00
Read the video script
[Host] "Defensive driving fits in three words: see, space, signal."
[Screen: driver's eyes moving from road to mirror] "See: keep your eyes moving and check a mirror about every five seconds."
[Text on screen: 2 seconds is the minimum] "Space: at least two seconds behind the car ahead, and more when it is wet or icy."
[Screen: driver nodding to a pedestrian at a crosswalk] "Signal: make eye contact and show your plan early."
[Host] "The biggest risk is in front of you. Give it room."
Try it now

On your next practice drive, your supervising driver keeps a tally: mirror checks, 2-second counts and eye contacts. Aim to raise each number on the next drive.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Defensive & Winter Driving: hazards and bad weather" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Defensive driving: see, space, signal".

What the lesson teaches:
- The handbook calls it "defensive or strategic driving": seeing danger early and acting in time to prevent a crash.
- It rests on three ideas (MTO handbook, checked 2026):
- Idea - What it means on the road
- Visibility - Know what is in front, behind and beside you. Make sure others can see you, for example by signalling.
- Space - Keep a cushion of space on every side, so you have somewhere to go if something goes wrong.
- Communication - Make eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and drivers at intersections, signal early, and use the horn when you need someone's attention.
- The handbook says the greatest risk of a collision is in front of you, so stay well back from the vehicle ahead.

The exercise I'm working on:
On your next practice drive, your supervising driver keeps a tally: mirror checks, 2-second counts and eye contacts. Aim to raise each number on the next drive.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Defensive driving: see, space, signal" from the course "Defensive & Winter Driving: hazards and bad weather".

Here's what the lesson says:
Before this course: G2 & the Road Test (course 12.5.2). Defensive driving is like being a good goalkeeper. You watch the whole field, you stand where you have room to move, and you shout so your team knows what you will do.

The activity:
On your next practice drive, your supervising driver keeps a tally: mirror checks, 2-second counts and eye contacts. Aim to raise each number on the next drive.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Open Claude
Sources
My notes
02

Sharing the road: trucks, bikes, animals and emergency vehicles

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

03

Tired, distracted or angry: the hazards inside the car

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

04

Night, rain and fog

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

05

Getting ready for winter

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

06

Snow, ice, skids and snow plows

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

07

Emergencies and collisions

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

++

Final project

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

??

Quiz

  1. What three ideas does defensive driving rest on?

  2. Where is the greatest risk of a collision?

  3. How can you tell if a truck driver can see you?

  4. How much space must you leave when passing a cyclist, where practical?

  5. When are drowsy-driving crashes most common?

  6. What fixes drowsiness?

  7. When must you switch to low beams?

  8. Which lights should you use in fog?

  9. What symbol shows a tire is a winter tire?

  10. What do you do in a skid?

  11. Does ABS shorten your stopping distance?

  12. When must police be told about a collision?

EX

Final exam

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

CE

Certificate

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.