With a yearly average of 6 million car accidents in America, it’s never been more important to brush up on your driving safety knowledge. We all want to stay away from those kinds of statistics.
Even if you’ve been driving for years, it’s never good to take safety for granted.
Keeping yourself armed with daily driving tips is one of the best ways to stay safe on the road. Listed down below are the top tips that every single driver should always follow.
1. Go Back to Basics
It’s easy to fall into some lazy habits as we get more comfortable driving. As teenagers, we keep all of the instructions in mind but then tend to slack off as the years continue.
There’s no push to re-learn all of those basic lessons after you complete your driving test. To maintain a safe driving style, you need to know all of those lessons like the back of your hand.
If it’s been several years since you’ve cracked open a driver’s instructional booklet, now’s the time to do it. An hour or so of studying makes a big difference in your driving habits.
2. Keep Your Distance
We all know that we need to stay a fair distance from the car in front of us, but are you giving the right amount of space? Four seconds of distance is a great way to ensure that you’ll have enough time to react if something happens in front of you.
Pick a spot ahead of you and watch as the car in front of you passes it. Then, count how long it takes you to cross the same spot and adjust your distance if you’re too close. Make similar checks throughout your entire trip to give yourself a safety buffer.
3. Drive Free From Distractions
It’s impossible to rid yourself of every distraction, even more so if you have kids. Despite this, there are still many precautions you can take to ensure a smooth and safe trip. You want to do as much as you can before you put the key into the ignition.
Good precautions include: turn your phone on silent, don’t listen to loud music, and keep your dashboard empty of non-essential items. These few steps keep you focused on your surroundings, the other drivers, and allows you to drive much safer.
4. Slow Down to Avoid Mistakes
So many accidents are the direct result of a person going over the speed limit. Lots of drivers tend to go faster on roads that they’re more familiar with, but it’s never a good idea to get complacent when driving. Make sure you keep an eye on that speedometer.
Even if you’ve driven on the same road hundreds of times before, it’s still important to remain vigilant.
One of the best traffic safety tips is to slow down. This is even more important when you’re in a situation that makes you uncertain or uncomfortable. The designated speed limit gives you the right amount of time to react to all kinds of situations, so always watch your speedometer.
5. Understand How to Operate Your Vehicle
This advice is an important one for anyone who has a newer car with a lot of different features. Always take the time to learn everything about how your car functions. You never want to be caught in a situation where you put yourself at risk because you can’t figure something out.
It’s better to figure out the car’s features in the comfort of your driveway than to do so driving down the road. Don’t forget to keep up with maintaining your vehicle at the same time!
6. Never Speed Past a Yellow Light
When you see that light turn yellow in front of you, it’s a learned instinct to race straight for it. No one likes getting stuck behind a red light when freedom is so close. Sometimes we go for that freedom without thinking about the consequences of speeding up in a dangerous area.
This is an unsafe habit that puts you and your passengers at risk every single time. Instead, start slowing down when you see that yellow light. It might be a slight inconvenience now to wait for it to turn green again, but it’ll keep you safe and that’s more important.
7. Take in the Whole Picture
As a driver, you have to keep tabs on many different things at once. It’s sometimes hard to keep all of those important details straight, but there’s a simple trick to help keep you on task.
Instead of going from one detail to another and trying to prepare yourself for each eventuality, try to take in the whole picture in front of you. You should still try to keep in mind ideas for just-in-case circumstances, but don’t get bogged down by the distracting details.
Seeing the overall picture gives you a clearer idea about what’s going on around you, and you’ll be able to prepare better for any potential problems.
8. Never Forget to Buckle Up
This is the same kind of daily driving advice we’ve all heard a hundred times, but it’s something we all need to hear a hundred more times. It’s such a simple safety measure that protects you when you need help the most.
Even if you’re heading down the street a few blocks, it’s important to put on your seatbelt. It takes only a few seconds and it could be the difference between life and death.
If there’s one tip you take away from this list, let it be this one.
Use These Daily Driving Tips Every Time You Get Behind the Wheel
Even if you feel that you’re a safe driver, it’s never a bad thing to be extra cautious. Keep these daily driving tips in mind no matter where you’re going or how often you drive. They could be what makes a tricky situation come out fine in the end.
Make sure to come back to this list every once in a while to brush up on all the best traffic safety tips.
Keeping informed is another great way to stay safe, so don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog to stay up-to-date!