4 Bad Driving Habits You Should Change

Bad driving habits lead to collisions and injury. When we first get our driver’s license, we’re acutely aware of how to drive safely and what not to do.  As time goes by however, and driving becomes second nature, we forget what we learned in Driver’s Ed. We then  may not drive as safely as we used to.

We all know that going over the speed limit, drunk driving, and texting while driving, are dangerous and bad driving habits which could lead to a collision.

But you can also avoid the cost and hassle of car repairs by changing these four bad driving habits:

Tailgating

Tailgating drives people crazy. It’s also the cause of rear-end collisions, the most common accident on the roads.

And yet, it’s not a hard habit to change.  Keeping a safe following distance, not driving too fast or too slowly, and being considerate of other drivers should be your norm.

If you never tailgate but are guilty of angrily slamming on the brakes when someone is tailgating you, think about this: if the tailgater crashes into you, you could lose control of your car and crash into another car, or off a cliff.  You could get whiplash.

auto stiegler team photo
angry young sitting man pissed off by drivers in front of him

Rubbernecking

Why do we slow down to look at the misfortune of others involved in an accident? We don’t want to, but it’s almost as if we can’t help ourselves.

It’s a bad habit we should change because rubbernecking is estimated to be the cause of 16% of all road accidents.

Instead of slowing down to gawk at a collision, you should pay even more attention to what’s happening in front of you because it’s likely that every other driver is rubbernecking and not driving safely.

As for drivers who take a drive-by pic of the accident, think of this: they’re not looking at the road and their hands are off the steering wheel to hold a phone. They’re endangering themselves and others.

Rubbernecking is distracted driving, and so is putting on your makeup or eating while driving.  Anything that takes one or both of your hands off the wheel and your focus off the road can lead to a collision.

Turning at the Last Second

You’ve been daydreaming, or you’re unfamiliar with the road. At the last second, you realize that you have to turn; you don’t have time to use your turn signal and the car behind you has no idea that you’re about to brake and swerve. Avoiding crashing into another car or a concrete wall under these circumstances is only due to dumb luck.

If you realize at the last second that you should turn, don’t do it. Resign yourself to driving on and take the next safe turn. You may be late to where you want to go, but you will be spared injury, and your car won’t need collision repairs.

Running a Yellow Light

You have plenty of time and distance to stop, but the temptation to speed up and beat the yellow light is too strong. You power through the intersection as the light turns red.

This is the most common cause of intersection collisions. Unfortunately, intersection accidents can result in severe injuries and vehicle damage.

Next time you’re tempted to run a yellow light, remind yourself that it’s not there to encourage you to step on the gas pedal.

A yellow light is a signal to stop before the white line unless you’re so close to the white line that slamming on brakes will be a danger to the car behind you.

In Conclusion

Remind yourself how careful you were when you first got your driver’s license, and replace bad driving habits with good ones.

Keep safe.

If you are involved in an accident and need a quote for car repairs, call Orlando Auto Body at 480-418-4737.