It’s one of those rites of passage in life, from the moment you have passed your test, all the way through to purchasing your first car; it’s the first step to freedom. But, while it’s the first year of your driving after passing your test where you really learn, this is where poor habits begin. Whether you’ve been driving for 30 years, or just the one, knowing that you have the ability to develop terrible habits behind the wheel is vital to ensure that you are safe on the road. We are so cocky after a while, because we can spot and instant gap in traffic, that we push it each and every time, until we get into an accident. And we’re all guilty of poor habits, but what are the most common ones that you might not even think about?
Distracted Driving
We all become so sure of our ability to drive after a while, we hardly pay attention to the road. Distracted driving, either because we’re thinking about something else, or we are entranced by all of the various features on a modern dashboard, is a recipe for disaster. Because cars nowadays have various features, from lane assist, to ABS, a lot of people who have just passed their test are more focused on what a car can do for them than what they can do for the car. Sure, a rear view camera helps when doing a parallel park move, but, all of these shiny gadgets, including your own smartphone, provide more distractions now than there ever has been! Remember, it only takes a split second for someone to step in front of your vehicle. And if the law get involved, and you were caught texting while driving, this won’t end up in your favor. On the https://www.robinettelaw.com/west-virginia/morgantown-car-accident-injury-attorney/ site, it’s stated clearly that texting is still one of the most common offences. So what’s the solution? Minimizing your distractions! Switching your phone off, having music at a modest volume, and, of course, focusing on the road!
Stressed Driving
Are you prone to anxiety? If you are someone who found learning to drive a mentally taxing task, and you still find it so, stressed driving can put you at risk of an accident. Very simply, your judgement is clouded when you are stressed. If you find yourself worked up due to various life situations, it’s important for you to calm down before you get behind the wheel. And there are some really useful tips on https://www.bewell.com/blog/10-tips-to-calm-down-and-relax-in-less-than-a-minute-flat/ showing you how to calm down quickly. As well as these, one very simple approach we can all do is to do box breathing. This is where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and have no air in your lungs for 4.
Tired Driving
Driving while tired is just as bad as driving while drunk. Now, we sleep less, and have habits that impact our ability to have a proper night’s sleep. We then get up in the morning, drive to work, get stressed and anxious during our day, and drive home. If you find yourself constantly tired, addressing your lifestyle habits is one option, but, have what is called a caffeine nap. This is where are you have a cup of coffee, then nap for 20 minutes, because the caffeine takes 20 minutes to enter your system, you wake up feeling rejuvenated due to the nap, but also due to the caffeine.
Aggressive Driving
And, last but by no means least, aggressive driving is a habit we all pick up. As we become more confident drivers, we end up tailgating people, getting frustrated if someone in front of us stopped at a red light, or even passively aggressively shout at someone because they are doing the speed limit! Aggressive driving is far too common, and this is where you really need to start looking at what you are doing behind the wheel. Something as common as tailgating can easily cause a car pile up, because of the domino effect that is being created on the road. In more than 50% of fatalities, aggressive driving has been the culprit.
So, are your driving habits dangerous? It’s very likely that you have suffered from one of these four symptoms at some point behind the wheel. So, what are you going to do about it? We all have bad habits behind the wheel, and, even if we’ve suffered an accident, we soon slip back into our old shoddy ways. So, take the initiative, and look at what you can do to make the road a safer place, not just for you, but for everyone else.
