Nobody likes to admit that they are a bad driver. There are, however, plenty of instances every day where experienced and considerate drivers slip up and make mistakes. Sometimes this is purely accidental, a momentary distraction or reacting too slowly. Other times it can be down to carelessness, or bad driving habits.
When we’re learning to drive, we get assessed on our skills and abilities as a driver. Everything is geared around safety. Even driver etiquette is underlined by the need to stay safe on the road. But over time, these safe habits that you are taught as a learner slip by the way.
You may have been lucky so far. By pure fluke, you may never have been in a crash because of these habits. However, if you want to avoid ever being in one, or having the need to hire a traffic defense lawyer, then you should look at brushing up your driving skills.
Smartphones
One of the biggest areas of concern on the roads these days comes in the form of the smartphone. Everyone has them, and so many of us are constantly distracted by them. You may find that you can’t go ten minutes without checking your notifications, messages, or even visiting the feed on your favorite social media app. For some people, driving does not get in the way of them doing these things. But, even spending three seconds with your head down looking at your phone screen is enough to cause a fatal accident.
If you are someone who does this, stop immediately. If you need to use your phone while you are driving for navigation, music, or taking calls, get yourself a cradle to attach it to your windscreen or dashboard. Connect your device via BlueTooth to the stereo. If your car does not have BlueTooth, you can be adapters that can help. Use your phone’s AI voice commands if you need to send a message, or even reroute your maps. There is no reason why you should even need to touch your phone when you are driving.
Indicators
Using your indicators is not about being polite to other road users. It is not a courtesy, it is a matter of safety. You are telling other drivers your intentions ahead of you doing something. If someone knows that you are about to turn onto a side road, then they will realize that you will slow immediately before the turn. Telling them that you are planning on making that turn will make the difference between you being able to do it, or having another car crash into your back end because they were not expecting you to slow.
Driving Calmly
Angry, erratic, or impatient driving costs lives. If you are someone that feels as though your needs are greater than other road users and you are willing to tailgate to make them move faster, you are setting yourself up for disaster. This kind of risky behavior can be intimating and will inevitably cause a crash one day.
