Five Dangerous Driving Habits to Break

Driving, as we all know, has its dangers. Keep yourself, your loved ones, and the drivers around you safe by avoiding these five dangerous driving habits.

1. Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol

This one goes without saying, and yet, it still needs to be said, as drunk driving is the source of thousands of traffic-related deaths each year. Not only does being under the influence impair your judgment, it impairs your ability to react to what is going on around you. Combining poor judgment and an inhibited ability to react is a recipe for disaster. If you’ve had some drinks, don’t get behind the wheel.

 

2. Driving While Distracted

It’s often easy to forget that when we are driving, we are literally sitting inside metal machines that weigh thousands of pounds, and are moving at rapid speeds alongside similar, equally heavy and rapidly moving machines. When phrased like that, it sounds complete nonsensical to operate a vehicle while being distracted. Whether it’s texting, talking on the phone, applying makeup, or focusing on someone in the backseat, it’s to be avoided at all costs. Put away the phone, stop worrying about what radio station you’re listening to, and pay attention to the road.

 

3. Driving Tired

No matter how skilled you are at driving, or how many years you’ve been behind the wheel, being drowsy will hamper your ability to properly operate your vehicle. Don’t do it! Tiredness will impair your reaction time, your judgment, your coordination, and your ability to process and remember information. In many ways, being tired has similar effects to driving under the influence. No matter what your rationale is or where you need to be, climbing behind the wheel when you are tired endangers lives – both your own and the lives of those around you.

 

4. Failure to Yield Right-of-Way

We’ve all seen the drivers in front of us slam on their brakes in order to let a car pull out of a driveway or to let a pedestrian cross the street. Seems like a nice thing to do, right? It’s not. There are other people on the road, other drivers, who are not expecting you to behave outside of the established and accepted rules of the road. By ignoring your right of way, you are breaking the rules of the road, and causing those around you to instantly react. Many accidents are caused this way. Follow the rules of the road – they are in place for a reason.

 

5. Minimizing the Importance of Weather Conditions

This is another habit that we, as drivers, are quick to dismiss. “I’ve driven in rain and snow more times than I can count, and it’s never been a problem.” The truth is, no matter how skilled you are as a driver or how perfect your driving record may be, certain weather conditions make the road dangerous. Rain, snow, and ice change the friction on the road, making skids more common. Fog, wind, and precipitation can hinder your ability to see the road and other drivers. So no matter what Mother Nature throws at us, make sure you drive carefully in adverse weather, and recognize the dangers that they present.

 

Do you have these dangerous habits while driving? It’s time to break them and get safe. Leave your comments and let us know what other bad driving habits you know and you hate. We’d love to hear your story.

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