Everyone likes to think of themselves as safe drivers. But if you fit people’s cars with cameras and actually watch what they do while they’re motoring around, it’s a different story. In truth, most spend their time distracted, more interested in what’s happening on their phone screens than the road in front of them.
However, you might be the exception to the rule. Perhaps you really are a much safer driver than your friends. Here are some telltale signs you’re driving differently from them.
You Know How To Merge
Merging with highway traffic is terrifying the first time you do it. But as you get more experienced, it ceases to be such a stomach-churning task.
Weirdly, though, many drivers never get the hang of it. Even late into their driving careers, they still find it hard to time their insertion into moving traffic already in-lane.
If you find merging easy, it usually means that you have good anticipations skills. You know precisely how fast you need to go and what the other traffic on the highway is likely to do as you approach.
You Eliminate Distractions
All sorts of things can distract you as you drive. Screaming kids, cell phones, the radio – you name it.
However, the best drivers shut out all this noise. As soon as they get behind the wheel, they undergo a miraculous transformation, becoming bona fide Zen buddhists the moment they turn the key in the ignition. During normal life, their minds wander like everyone else’s. But when they get behind the wheel, things change. A calmness comes over them that lets them deal with anything that they face on the road.
Are you a distracted driver? Or do you go through a spiritual metamorphosis when you get behind the wheel?
You Use Turn Signals, Even When No One’s Around
If you’re the sort of person who uses turn signals, even when no one’s around, you’re almost certainly a much safer driver than your friends. When most people think the road is empty, they stop using their turn signals altogether and just palm the steering wheel around.
But safe drivers understand that this approach could lead to a crash. Many unsuspecting pedestrians receive injuries as a result of a car failing to use its turn signals every year.
The trick here is to understand that you don’t have a full 360-degree view of the road situation. Drivers might think that the coast is clear, but they can’t be sure. Safe drivers don’t take the risk.
You Only Cruise In The Cruise Lane
Cruising in the passing lane is a bad habit and something that really irritates other road users. The passing lane is for overtaking slow vehicles, such as tractors. It is not just another lane on the highway for people to get to work.
Bad drivers regularly cruise in the passing and middle lanes. This leads to tailbacks and makes it hard for the road to process traffic efficiently. What’s more, it is sometimes dangerous.
If you only cruise in the cruise lane, you’re a rare breed indeed. Most drivers don’t.
You Obey Chevrons
Chevrons tell you how much distance you should maintain between you and the car in front of you. Most drivers ignore them, putting themselves at a higher risk of a rear shunt accident.
If you follow chevron rules, you’re a much safer driver than most. When you do, you always have enough stopping distance, no matter what happens in front of you on the road.
You Drive Slower Than Normal
Practically all drivers drive right up to the speed limit (and sometimes beyond), no matter the zone or hazards. But safe drivers understand that just because they can go fast, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should.
In many situations, driving slower than normal is the only safe approach. For instance, passing a row of parked cars or driving past a school. Safe drivers take their foot off the gas, while regular drivers plow through without any consideration.
You Always Wear Your Seatbelt
Even with seatbelt laws, you’d be surprised just how many people still don’t wear them.
Seatbelts are life-savers, and can even protect you during sharp braking (not even a crash).
You Don’t Talk And Drive
Talking and driving can create distractions. If you’re discussing deep philosophical issues with your spouse or shouting at your kids, you’re not paying attention to the road ahead of you.
Safe drivers, remain silent. Again, they only speak if absolutely necessary, just like Zen monks.
