Every day there are over 100 car accidents, a surprising number of those resulting in fatalities. With so many car accidents we need to take the time to become safer drivers. Today we are going to take a look at some of the top tips to be a safer driver.
Take a Safer Drivers Course
A safer drivers course can help you to become a safer driver without too much work. You spend a day or two at a course and you will learn some of the best ways to become a safer driver. Some courses will even take you to the road and help you to learn practical tips. The best part about it? These classes do not cost a lot of money and can be found from a variety of companies.
Learn Relaxation Techniques
While not all accidents are the result of road rage, a good portion of them are. Learning techniques to help yourself relax behind the wheel can be invaluable. One of the most common and easy to master techniques is deep breathing. You can also listen to music but be careful about your choice as some music can trigger upset moods.
Pulling over and taking a moment to focus on calming down is a great idea but most of us don’t have the time to pull over. We are trying to get somewhere and get there fast.
Drive The Speed Limit or Just Over
Driving too fast is one of the most unsafe things you can do. Streets and other roadways have speed limits to help keep us safe. Typically speed limits aren’t picked for an arbitrary reason, instead, they pick them due to the shape of the road, the number of lanes, and other features. The best thing to do is to keep to the speed limit or just over it.
When weather conditions get bad, reduce your speed according to traffic and the conditions. Remember that your stopping time more than doubles when the road is wet.
Put Your Phone in Driving Mode
Almost all phones now have a mode for driving that is optimized to keep your attention away from the phone. In most cases, this means that the phone has bigger text for directions and utilizes voice recognition features so that you do not have to touch your phone. Unless you are using your phone to navigate you somewhere, keep your phone somewhere that won’t distract you.
Other technology in the car should be handled the same way, including the stereo system.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road
Going along with the above tip, you want to find techniques to help you pay attention to the road. For some people it is singing along with the music, others remind themselves to check their mirrors regularly to help focus them on the road. No matter what technique you use, it is important to utilize one as it will make your driving much safer and help to prevent you from dozing off.
Perform a Walk of Your Vehicle
Before driving anywhere you want to take a moment to walk around your vehicle and look around the inside of your vehicle. This will help to ensure that nothing about your vehicle has changed since you last drove it. That includes checking for working lights, inflated tires, damage, and other potential issues. In driving school, this is something that they teach most students to do anyway.
Taking a moment to look after your safety on the road is a big deal, it will help us to reduce the number of accidents around the world. But you aren’t just looking after your own safety, you are looking after the safety of everyone else on the road. The last thing you want to happen is to get in an accident and have anyone get hurt, especially if it was avoidable.
Laila Azzahra is a professional writer and blogger that loves to write about technology, business, entertainment, science, and health.