In the United States alone, there are hundreds of millions of cars driving on the roads nearly every day. While most of us are confident in our driving abilities, many of us actually think we’re better drivers than we are and overestimate our talents.
The fact is, plenty of us are actually pretty lousy drivers and could definitely use some improvements. Some people drive too fast, some too slow, some don’t know the rules and on top of these, there are dozens of other reasons why many of us are bad drivers.This article is going to look at a few common bad driving habits that you need to make sure to stop doing.
Not Changing Your Driving Based on Road Conditions
While many of us know how to drive correctly in perfect weather conditions, things can get a little bit dicey if the weather is bad. Anything from snow, to fog, to ice and even rain or wind make the driving conditions worse. However, some people don’t get the memo and continue to drive the same way, which ups the risk of an accident or crash taking place.
In general, you should slow down and be more cautious of those around you when driving in storms or other types of bad weather. The internet is full of resources, such as the Driving Guide, that can help you learn about driving in different types of poor weather. So be sure you are able to handle whatever kind of inclement weather your city might have to deal with.
Driving When You’re Distracted
Unfortunately, with the fact that nearly everyone has a cell phone on them nowadays, distracted driving has become a much more common occurrence. It can make you much more susceptible to hurting yourself or others by how little attention you are paying to the road.
However, cell phones aren’t the only thing that can distract drivers. Fiddling with the radio, looking for something in the back seat or driving with people who are distracting you are all common things that people do, when they shouldn’t.
Not Using Your Signal Lights
Whether the traffic you’re in is heavy or not, you should make it a point to always use your turning signal lights when changing into a different lane or making a turn. Other drivers around you are not mind readers, so you need to let them know where you plan on going, and a signal light is a great way to do that.
It takes only a second to hit the turn signal, yet so few people seem to do it. Making lane changes and turning without signalling is a good way to find yourself either getting in an accident or getting honked at.
Tailgating Other Drivers
While we all have places to be and want to get there in a timely manner, the last thing you should do is tailgate other drivers. It is annoying for both the driver in front and the driver in the back. It is something that should never take place. If you’re not familiar, tailgating is where a driver follows the car in front of them too closely.
However, tailgating isn’t always an aggressive act and can sometimes happen when a trailing driver isn’t paying enough attention. Whether you purposely or accidentally tailgating, it can easily lead to an accident.
We hope that this article has been able to help you identify the bad driving habits that you might be guilty of doing. They can put both you and those around you in danger so should be watched out for.
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