Drivers can be their own worst enemy, whether they've been driving for five weeks or five decades. Often, drivers will develop poor driving habits early and will remain unsafe drivers for life, usually passing these bad driving habits down to their children. In today's blog post, we'll look at four common bad driving habits to avoid, and how they can put drivers, their passengers, and other vehicles in danger.
Ignoring Weather Conditions
In Houston, our weather can change at a moment's notice, with sunny weather turning into torrential downpours, or icy precipitation showing up unexpectedly. Although most Houston drivers know to use more caution when driving through inclement weather, there are many that ignore the weather conditions and continue driving at high rate of speeds. During bad weather, drivers should always reduce their speed by 10-15 miles below the posted speed limit, and should also increase the distance between their car and the vehicles ahead to account for slick roads. In addition, Houston drivers should also avoid flooded roadways or streets that flood quickly during heavy rains, or risk flooding out their vehicles.
Racing Through Yellow Signal Lights
Most drivers are usually on their way to someplace important and need to arrive by a certain time. We might be on our way to work, school, a meeting, or a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, because of our own personal delays or traffic delays, we might be tempted to break a few traffic rules in order to make it to our destination on time. One common example is the practice of speeding through yellow signal lights in order to avoid having to stop at the red light. Racing through yellow lights can be dangerous to you and your passengers, to other cars about to cross the intersection, and even nearby pedestrians. It is much safer to slow down when approaching yellow lights rather than speed through them, since you might end up running a red light and crashing your car, getting a ticket for a red light violation, or both.
Distracted Driving
Smartphones are one of the biggest threats to safe driving in the U.S. Each year, thousands of Americans are killed in car accidents because of drivers distracted by texts, phone calls, camera phones, or mobile browsing. In addition, eating in the car, applying makeup, smoking, styling hair, or adjusting the radio or CD player may also distract drivers. Distracted drivers are unsafe drivers, so it is always best to wait and answer phone calls or texts until you arrive at your destination, and avoid activities in the car that can reduce your focus or visibility.
Overlooking Safety Practices
Driver's education classes emphasize the importance of adhering to driving rules and regulations, not just from a legal standpoint, but also for safety. Individuals with poor driving habits will often ignore these driving rules and regulations by speeding, not making complete stops at intersections, failing to yield, not using turn signals, or making unsafe lane changes. It is important to always adhere to all road safety laws and rules to ensure the protection of drivers, passengers, and other drivers.
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