4 Common Driving Mistakes You Should Keep An Eye On
As a driver, there are many mistakes you are prone to make which endangers your life and that of other road users.
Driving when stressed or frustrated leads to more mistakes. Every driver knows that it’s unsafe and illegal to drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol but that doesn’t mean that a single mistake of Driving under the influence should ruin your life, make sure to hire a lawyer from Geman DUI Defense to help you out. Impaired driving causes 1.2 million arrests in the US and over 10,000 crash fatalities.
If you take a keen look at the traffic safety, you will realize that crashes and traffic tickets largely result from common driving mistakes that drivers often make every day, without even knowing how dangerous these mistakes really are in their life and other road users.
In most cases, motorists want to get to their destination comfortably, and as efficiently as possible. A speeding ticket or accident can ruin your day. Therefore, it’s best to minimize the dangerous and costly mistakes that can disrupt your journey. Obviously, you should always remember to stop when you get to a stop sign and give way to emergency vehicles. Pay more attention when driving if you want to avoid common driving mistakes.
Most drivers already know that it’s illegal to disregard a stop sign or driving under influence. There are other factors discussed below that contribute to more collisions and drivers don’t pay them much attention. The ranking of the common mistakes is based on accident fatalities.
1. Failing to control your speed
This common mistake includes everything from driving through a bend, curve, going too fast, driving through a fog or driving downhill even if you are well below the speed limit. You could be driving at a speed that is unsafe for the current road condition due to weather or lighting conditions which makes it difficult to steer clear of a hazard or stop safely. This results in you losing control of the vehicle.
It doesn’t only mean that you are driving too fast, but you could also be driving too slow, which is illegal and dangerous. When you are driving below the accepted speed limit or you are driving slower than the surrounding traffic, you are forcing other drivers to slow down or pass you. The more other vehicles pass each other, the higher the chances of a collision. As a driver, don’t disrupt the traffic flow as it’s unsafe.
2. Not paying attention when driving
You need your mind on the drive, eyes on the road, and hands-on the wheel when driving. Being inattentive by engaging in other activities or tasks while driving is wrong and risky. Emergencies can happen and often without warning, you need to be ready to respond immediately. As a driver, you should respond with precision and thoughtfulness. Therefore, you can’t drive while texting or holding your sandwich on one hand.
3. Unsafe lane change
To change a lane when driving involves taking important steps. You must activate the vital turn signal, check your mirrors, and don’t do it in a blind spot as other vehicles won’t see you. You must find an acceptable gap and adjust your speed before steering smoothly into the next lane. Look out for motorcycles as they can be hidden in your blind spot and riders are normally vulnerable in collisions. If you read more on this post, you would know that improper lane change lane can easily result in an accident. You can cause a collision if you are unlucky. It doesn’t matter if it’s unintentional or due to inattention. Confusion in road marking or making unskilled maneuvers while changing lanes is risky. Always strive to remain within your lane.
4. Following the next vehicle too closely
Most drivers make the mistake of following other vehicles too closely. This behavior is referred to as tailgating. You can do it unknowingly. When driving at 30mph, you should maintain a following distance of 80ft, and if it’s 60mph, the same distance is 275ft. The best way of knowing this is by waiting until the car ahead passes a fixed point ahead of you on the road and counts to three. If you count to three before reaching that point, know that you are driving too close. The following distance should be more on bad weather or when driving at night. It also should increase when you are driving behind a large truck or a motorcycle.
Some drivers make faulty evasive actions that endanger other road users and motorists. Always be attentive and observe traffic rules when driving. Don’t drive when fatigued as you need to be in full control of the vehicle which may not be possible. Observe the mentioned common mistakes and correct your driving for better road safety.
