TOP 10 SAFE DRIVING TIPS 25.03.2013
Today, we drive safer cars on safer roads; decades of advertisements and public information campaigns have made most of us safer drivers. Improvements in technology will continue to help bring those numbers down, but the bottom line remains that most car accidents are the result of human error. The best way to reduce the risk of being involved in an accident is to practice safe driving behaviors. Whether you’re just learning to drive or you’ve been behind the wheel for decades, it’s a good idea to review some basic rules for safe driving.
Here are 10 driving tips that will help bring you and your passengers home unharmed.
- Don’t Drive Drunk – It’s easy to avoid driving drunk. If you’ve been drinking, ask a sober friend for a ride or call a cab.
- Don’t Speed – “Speed kills.” Research has shown that for every mile per hour you drive, the likelihood of your being in an accident increases by 4 to 5 %. At higher speeds, the risk increases much more quickly.
- Avoid Distractions – If you think that talking and texting while driving isn’t a big deal, consider this: One researcher compared the reaction time of a 20-year-old driver talking on a cell phone to that of a 70-year-old driver.
- Don’t Drive Drowsy – You might think a few yawns are nothing to worry about, but just being a little drowsy is enough to increase your risk of getting in an accident. Responses can range from dozing off for a few seconds at a time to simply “zoning out” and losing all focus on the road. At highway speeds, one or two seconds of inattention can lead to disaster.
- Wear Your Seat Belt – Seat belts save lives. Worn properly, they prevent you from being thrown around the inside of a crashing vehicle or, worse, thrown through the windshield and flung completely out of the vehicle. NHTSA statistics reveal that more than half of all accident fatalities were people who weren’t using seat belts. The numbers are much scarier for young drivers and passengers: A staggering 70 percent of fatal crash victims between the ages of 13 and 15 weren’t wearing seat belts.
- Be Extra Careful in Bad Weather – If you’re driving through fog, heavy rain or on icy roads, be extra cautious. Take all of the other tips presented here and make full use of them: Drive below the speed limit if necessary, maintain extra space between you and the car ahead, and be especially careful around curves.
- Don’t Follow Too Closely – Safe driving guidelines advise drivers to keep a safe distance between themselves and the car ahead. Drivers need enough time to react if that car makes a sudden turn or stop. It can be too difficult to estimate the recommended distances while driving and the exact distance would have to be adjusted for speed, so most experts recommend a “three-second rule.”
- Watch Out for the Other Guy – Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how safely you drive. You could be driving the speed limit and obeying all traffic rules and someone else can crash into you. One good rule of thumb to use is, “Assume everyone else on the road is an idiot.” In other words, be prepared for unpredictable lane changes, sudden stops, unsignaled turns, swerving, tailgating and every other bad driving behavior imaginable. Chances are, you’ll eventually encounter someone like this and it pays to be ready when you do.
- Practice Defensive Driving – This tip is pretty simple to understand if we just put the proverbial shoe on the other foot. Remember that one time when that jerk came flying down the street out of nowhere, totally cut you off and almost caused a huge accident? Don’t be that jerk.
- Keep Your Vehicle Safe – Vehicle maintenance isn’t just an important way to extent your car’s life, it’s a major safety issue. Many maintenance issues are addressed by vehicle inspections. If your car is unsafe, the inspecting mechanic will let you know what you need to do to fix it. However, there could be a year or more between inspections, so car owners need to be aware of any potential safety issues and get them repaired before they lead to an accident.
