Drive Carefully Signage

Even though the novelty of driving has long worn off for most of us, the truth is, driving is an incredible feat of science. You can hop in a vehicle and travel at high speeds with very little energy or effort on your part. With the touch of your foot or the tap of a button, your car will basically drive itself.

While driving provides invaluable convenience to our fast-paced world, it can also be quite dangerous. In 2019, there were 38,800 deaths in America due to automobile accidents. While not all accidents on the road can be avoided, practicing driver safety tips is key to reducing your chances of ending up injured or worse. 

Driver Safety Tips

Staying safe behind the wheel means implementing self-discipline. You can’t allow your friends to distract you, you shouldn’t be on your phone, and you have to pay attention to your surroundings at all times. You can’t control other drivers, but you can control how you react to them.

1. Use Your Turn Signals

Some people have become so lazy in their driving habits that they can no longer be bothered to use their turn signal to let other drivers know their intentions. Unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of accidents. The entire point of the turn signal is to give other drivers a heads up before you turn out in front of them.

2. Wear Your Seatbelt

Sadly, due to comfort, laziness, or a certain rebellious nature, some drivers decide not to wear their seatbelts. While most vehicles have an audible tone to remind people to buckle up, the warning isn’t always heeded.

Wearing your seatbelt is one of the most important driver safety tips. The simple act of buckling up can prevent nearly 50% of all automobile deaths.

3. Bring Sunglasses

If you’ve ever driven into the sunrise or sunset, you know how blinding the glaring light can be on your windshield. Not having sunglasses can make the problem even worse. Not being able to see your surroundings is a good way to get in an accident or hit a pedestrian.

4. Don’t Follow Too Closely

We live in a fast-paced society, everyone’s in a rush. However, following too closely to the car in front of you is a good way to get into an accident. Safe driving means maintaining an appropriate following distance to ensure you have time to stop should the driver ahead of you slam on the breaks, turn, swerve to avoid an animal, etc.

Even a minor fender-bender can cause excessive damage to your car. If that’s the case, you need to check out CSI Collision Specialist, especially if your frame was damaged.

5. Distractions

Distracted driving is at an all-time high with the overwhelming majority of people owning smartphones. Whether they’re talking on the phone, changing the music, or sending out a quick text, their phone could potentially cost them their life. Don’t allow passengers, phones, pets, music, or anything else distract you while you’re behind the wheel.

6. Don’t Drive Offensively

Finally, one of the most common driver safety tips encourages people to drive defensively, not offensively.

Offensive drivers are those who tailgate when the person ahead of them is “going to slow.” They’ll speed, change lanes rapidly, cut off other drivers, etc. In general, they want to get wherever they’re going as fast as possible.

Defensive drivers, on the other hand, drive according to both the legal and unspoken rules of the road. They follow the speed limit, signal when changing lanes or turning, and do their best to respect other drivers. Most importantly, defensive drivers stay alert and remain ready to react to other drivers (not with road rage).

Want More?

If you’re looking for more information, news, or advice about cars and driving, be sure to check out some of our other articles before you go. And remember to stay safe out there, driver safety tips are there to protect everyone’s lives, not just yours.