If you’ve picked up some bad habits behind the wheel, not only could you wind up paying for them in the way of tickets for moving or parking violations, but they could also put you in danger of getting into some serious car accidents as well. And while being on the road is inherently dangerous, participating in reckless driving makes it even more so.
If you’re ready to start breaking some of your bad habits, here are three tips for overcoming some of the most common bad habits people take on while driving.
Take Your Cell Phone Out Of The Equation
One of the biggest problems that many people have when driving is getting distracted. In recent years, the biggest distraction that drivers have to fight against is their cell phones.
With calls, text, social media, GPS, email, music and more coming through your phone while you drive, it’s no wonder so many people are getting distracted. So to keep these distractions away from you, E.B. Solomont, a contributor to Women’s Day, recommends that you start hanging up your phone completely when you’re behind the wheel. What this means is that rather than keeping your phone on you or easily within arm’s reach, consider putting it somewhere where you won’t be able to reach it even if you wanted to.
By taking your cell phone out of the equation completely, you should be able to keep it from becoming a distraction.
Pretend You’re Driving For Someone Else
When you get too comfortable behind the wheel, you might start making some mistakes or forgetting about safety precautions that you otherwise would be doing.
One thing you can do to keep yourself from becoming lazy or sloppy while driving, according to Aaron Miller, a contributor to Thrillist.com, is to pretend that you’re driving someone else, like in a limo. If you’re able to change your mindset in this way, you’ll be more likely to drive defensively, brake more smoothly, and avoid dangerous maneuvers.
Remember The Two-Second Rule
Another bad habit that many people have is following other drivers too closely. While you might not think that you’re tailgating people all the time, keeping too close of a following distance could put yourself and others in physical danger.
To avoid this, iDriveSafely.com recommends that you commit to always following the two-second rule. With the two-second rule, you should be keeping at least two second’s worth of time between you and the car in front of you in all situations, regardless of the circumstances.
If you’re ready to start breaking some of the bad habits you’ve developed while driving, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that and keep yourself and others safe while on the road.
