Most people assume that they’re pretty safe when they’re driving out on the road. After all, you know what you’re doing right? If something goes wrong when you’re driving it’s down to other people’s stupidity or just plain old bad luck! Well, that may or may not be the case. The truth is that a lot of people are often far more at fault when it comes to something that happens when they’re driving than they realize.
The last thing you want is to reach a point where something really bad happens that could have been avoiding if you’d just made the effort to change your behavior behind the wheel. With that in mind, here are just a few reasons why you might not be the safe driver you think you are.
DISTRACTIONS
We live in the age of distractions. There are so many things in the modern world vying for our attention. Your phone alone can have a terrible impact on how you drive. After all, between text messages, social media profiles, reminders, and everything else coming out of that little screen, the temptation to check it even when you shouldn’t is pretty severe. But it only takes looking away from the road for a split second for something bad to happen. The best thing that you can do is to put your phone away in the glovebox until you reach your destination.
ROAD RAGE
One of the dangerous things about assuming that any issues on the road are always someone else’s fault is that it makes it incredibly easy to get angry at the other drivers instead of thinking about what you could be doing. Road rage might be something of a joke to a lot of people but it can have seriously dangerous consequences.
Anger clouds your judgments, causes you to make rash decisions and take risks that you shouldn’t. When you do that you put not only yourself but other people in danger as well. Taking a moment to calm down not only makes your life easier but could save your life and others as well.
OVERCONFIDENCE
Around 80% of people think of themselves as being “above average” when it comes to their driving skill. Let that sink in for a minute. Most of us simply have no idea how to gauge how good a driver we are. Being overconfident invariably leads to sloppiness and a lack of focus when driving, two things that can be extremely dangerous.
You need to remember that there are always risks involved in getting into a car and being aware of them is part of what keeps you safe. You’re not invincible and you’re certainly not the best driver on the road. The last thing you want is to be hurt in a wreck because you assumed that nothing could hurt you. Remembering those things is essential for your safety and the safety of others.
Of course, none of this means that there won’t be moments where other people are driving dangerously or something truly unlucky happens. However, by focusing on your own driving abilities and making sure that you’re being as safe and responsible behind the wheel as possible, you massively reduce the chances of anything bad happening when you’re out on the road.
Photo Credit: Copyright 2019 Angel Mosqueda / Car Fanatics Blog
