Driving seems easy enough. After you do it enough, it almost feels automatic! But easy or not, driving should not be taken lightly. All it takes is a brief lapse of concentration. You take a second to answer a text and fail to notice a car change lanes. Boom, you rear-end them… and whose fault is that? Yours! Here are seven safe driving tips that will save you from a car wreck.
1. Forget about “10-and-2.”
If you started driving before the 90’s, your driver’s ed teacher probably said something like… “Imagine your steering wheel is a clock. Keep your hands at the position of 10 and 2.”
This is outdated advice. Following that suggestion today could get you hurt in a car wreck. Why’s that? Airbags weren’t legally required until 1998. In addition, most driver’s ed teachers were born before airbags were common, so they could have given this advice after the fact.
If your hands are at “10 and 2” and an airbag deploys from your steering wheel, you might end up with a broken thumb or worse. To prevent an injury, keep your hands at “9 and 3.”
2. Be considerate of other drivers.
What in the world does that have to do with safe driving? Everything!
You’re in a rush to work, so you change lanes without checking your blind-spot.
You’re behind schedule on a road trip, so you tail-gate other drivers without mercy.
You’re ready to get home after a busy day, so you run every traffic light you come across.
Any of these behaviors could easily lead to a traffic accident. You’d be at fault in all of them. Harsh? Maybe… but it’s true!
3. Leave with plenty of time to spare.
People make dumb decisions when they’re in a rush.
Imagine you’ve got in trouble for being tardy two times at work. You’re terrified that strike #3 will get you fired. In a situation like this, who’s going to care about following the speed limit?
Here’s an easy solution: get in the habit of being ten minutes early. Your shift starts at 8? Be there by 7:50. School lets out at 3? Show up by 2:50. Got a dinner date at 6? Arrive by 5:50.
There’s absolutely no reason to speed, drive aggressively, run red lights, cut people off, or any of that stuff when you have plenty of time to reach your destination.
To make this work, consider factors like how busy the road will be. You can also websites like Navbug to make sure there aren’t any traffic jams on the Interstate.
4. Position your mirrors correctly.
If you can see your car in your rear or side mirrors, you’re doing it wrong. Here’s why…
Looking at your own car will do nothing to save you from a traffic accident. Instead, you need to look at the area surrounding your car.
There’s no good way to explain this concept without an illustration. Please note the image below to understand what I mean. Adjust your mirrors to match figures one, three, and four.
Note: I discussed this concept in an interview with Rachael Ray. Click here to watch it.
5. Remove the temptation to text and drive.
I get the excuses. “It only takes a few seconds to send a text. What can possibly go wrong?”
Plenty! What if you look down for a brief moment and fail to notice a nail sitting in the road (or, even worse, a cute critter)?
Hello, tire-blowout! I hope that text was important enough to be worth an expensive repair…
Let’s make this problem a moot point. If you’re involved in a back-and-forth text conversation, say: “Hey! I’m about to be driving, so I won’t respond for a bit.”
As soon as you press “send,” turn your phone off and stick it inside your glove compartment. You’ll be less tempted to look at your phone when it’s out of sight.
6. Please stop slamming your brakes constantly.
If you have to tap your brakes every few seconds, that’s a sure-fire sign you’re tail-gating.
Find an object in the distance. It could be a speed limit, mile marker, stop sign, or even a tree. As soon as the car in front of you passes it, start counting (slowly! – One one thousand…).
If the car passes that object before you count to five (or you have to press your brake pedal), that means you’re following too close. Give your bumper buddy some space unless you want to risk a fender bender.
Note: This is also beneficial for the drivers behind you. Driving is easier for all parties involved when you go with the flow of traffic. Every time you tap your brakes, every driver behind you has to follow suit, and it slows everybody down… so knock it off!
7. Be pessimistic about the ability of fellow drivers.
It’d be great if everyone followed safe driving practices. In reality, most people don’t.
If you operate from the mindset of, “These people are all terrible drivers,” you’ll be more vigilant.
Optimism is usually better than pessimism. In this case, it isn’t. Assume all the drivers you see are freshly graduated driver’s ed students. Want to pay more attention now? I bet you do…
Share these safe driving tips with your friends so they can protect themselves just like you.