The owner/operator of a commercial driving school presents an impassioned argument for defensive driving (awareness versus distraction) each and every time the reader gets behind the wheel of any motor vehicle. Openly discussing incidents in his life and of his family in which automobile accidents left family members and strangers alike severely injured, Dziadik’s stated hope is that readers might be spared a possible future wreck. Deftly combining such personal experiences with well-researched and brilliantly rendered specific data points which have proven to lessen incidents of roadway accidents, the author has crafted a master plan with a proactive approach. Ten benchmark items, which he terms “Steve’s Theorems,” are presented and explored in depth.

“Remember, you get no do-overs when driving!” repeats Dziadik throughout, placing a fine point on his detailed arguments. One drives to get from point A to point B safely and intact, in a manner affecting no other drivers (or pedestrians, cyclists) with whom one shares the road, he explains. One does not drive for the sake of cell phone conversations, nor to do one’s makeup, last-minute shaving routine, or to dine while using the steering wheel as a makeshift table. The author pinpoints the primary culprit in nearly all accidents (including so-called “near misses”) as a distraction of one form or another. “The driver is intentionally or subconsciously allowing his or her attention to be diverted away from where it should be,” he writes. As such, mindful driving is front and center throughout.

Dziadik has done a rather remarkable job in combining his vast personal experiences behind the wheel (the good, the bad, and the medically injurious). He has used his decades-long observational study of others on the road—and even appropriately placed bits of humor—to create an informed, well-crafted plea to all who share the road to do so safely and appropriately.

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