[Heel n Toe]

We should all be taking some methods from the "offensive" column and some from the "defensive" column.

Everything said about the offensive/anticipatory method is good because the anticipatory angle is an intelligent monitoring of "what ifs."

For instance if you're on a two-or-three-lanes-each-direction 40 MPH city street and you're passing someone on their right, you need to be aware they might not see you and be ready to react if they move into your lane. That might be a tap on your horn if you see it as it begins... or a move slightly to the right and brake while you tap the horn if you didn't catch it soon enough.

Some might call all that purely defensive, but it's a blend of the two. With the sheer numbers of people messin' with their phones while driving, one has to have their spidey sense tuned for each situation.

Looking at the purely offensive driving method, there's a weakness if you don't account for others' screwups. For instance if you're charging down a 30 MPH two lane residential street, if you're not ready for someone backing out of their driveway not looking, some would say blow your horn insistently and don't change your speed. But if they're crankin' some Creedence on the stereo, they might not hear you.

And then you've got to plow out through someone's yard to miss them or if they get out in front of you before you get the chance, BOOM. Same with a kid on a bicycle.

If you're canyon carving (or any kind of carving) and going around a blind corner and you don't leave yourself room to stop if there's a boulder, car, tree limb, etc. in your lane just out of your view... same thing. If you're following someone at two to four car lengths at 70 MPH... more of the same.

It's always a blend of the two. One should never see defensive driving skills as waiting for something to happen and/or just puttering around below the speed limit... that's a mischaracterization... it's intelligent anticipation, IMO.