(Newswire.net — March 7, 2017) — Driving a motor vehicle takes responsibility and awareness. Too often people don’t have these qualities when they are behind the wheel and bad things happen. Avoid the following behaviors at all cost when you are behind the wheel to keep you and others on the road safe:
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is thought to contribute to more than 15% of all traffic accidents today and is the fastest growing cause of auto accidents in the US. NHTSA estimates that there are 660,000 distracted drivers on the road most of the time. The numbers might actually be much higher because often people will not admit that they were doing other things in their car besides paying attention to their driving, so many of these types of accidents get recorded as other things.
The biggest cause of these accidents is cell phones, video players, tablet computers or other technology designed to steal and keep your attention. They cause drivers to take their eyes away from the road and focus on other less important things. Perhaps the biggest culprit is texting while driving and a surprising statistic is that adults rather than teenagers are the biggest texting-while-driving problem in the US. Almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving in a survey by AT&T, compared with 43% of teenagers. More than 98% of adults admit they know it’s wrong. Six in 10 say they weren’t doing it three years ago. Stop texting. Turn off all devices when you are on your car and focus on the road in order to ensure your safety and that of other drivers.
Drafting Tractor Trailers
The old adage that driving closely behind a tractor trailer can increase your gas mileage is true. But what is also true is that it will dramatically increase your odds of having an accident. Following closer than 150 feet behind a truck is tailgating and really dangerous. At highway speeds, that gives a driver less than two seconds to react if the trucker suddenly slams on the brakes. In cars, a driver can see all of the other vehicles around him because they are at the same height or slightly higher. With a tractor trailer, often the driver cannot see lower vehicles or the truck has large blind spots where cars and motorcycles can hide. So in spite of the cool factor and saving a few pennies on gas, the practice of drafting trucks is not a good one and can cause terrible accidents. So avoid it at any cost.
Driving Too Fast – Speeding, Reckless Driving, Driving Too Fast for the Conditions
Perhaps the number one reason for most car accidents is driving too fast. To be clear, this does not always mean that the person was speeding, accidents occur when a person is well under the speed limit but either driving recklessly, or too fast for either the road conditions or the weather.
Speed limits are posted for a good reason and they represent the maximum speed someone is allowed to drive on that road, but the rules of the road also states that each driver needs to adjust his speed and driving characteristics based on mitigating factors. Weather and road conditions and even your current physical or mental state might mean you need to slow down or even get off the road to avoid creating a dangerous situation for yourself and others.
Driving recklessly is another factor that can cause accidents even if you are under the speed limit. Reckless driving can include driving too fast and many young people engage in street races and other types of reckless behaviors leading to serious car accidents. These situations are totally avoidable and should not be engaged in under any circumstances.
To prevent any of these situations from happening is simple. If weather conditions are not good either make the trip later or proceed cautiously. Often ice on the road is invisible to the naked eye, and your car will be sliding on the ice, way before you can react. Do not drive too aggressively or in a way that is reckless. Remember although you might have superior driving skills, you are also at the mercy of other drivers who may not be able to react in the way you want to your driving dynamics. So drive responsibly. And, if you are tired, before you drive, rest first.