Nobody is perfect, especially while driving. Even if you are the best and most careful driver in the world, you might be guilty of committing some driving mistakes quite repeatedly. Of all the worst driving habits among people today, 10 of the most common are described here.
Keep reading, and you will know which ones you are most guilty of committing. This list gives you a chance to understand where you are going wrong often and change that habit as quickly as possible to be safe on the road.
- Using the mobile while you are driving
It is quite shocking to know that this is the most common worst driving habit among drivers across the globe today. Yes, technology has improved considerably, but it has also resulted in a drastic drop in our patience levels. When you hear your phone ringing while you are driving, you have to ensure that you park your car at a safe location before you pick up to answer it.
Never make the mistake of answering the call or texting anyone while you are driving, because these can take your focus off the road. Focus is everything in driving, and when that is compromised, it can result in serious problems for yourself and others in the car.
- Trying to overtake other cars
This is yet another bad driving habit that most of us commit. We try to cut off the cars in front of us, because we are in a hurry always. However, it is very important to take note of three parameters when you decide to cut off other cars – your speed, the speed of the vehicle in front of you and the speed of the vehicle at the back of you.
When you don’t think about all these, you are most likely to get sandwiched between the two vehicles, inflicting serious damages to yourself, your loved ones and your vehicle as well.
- Over-speeding
One of the most common reasons for accidents today is over-speeding. In every country, there is a maximum speed limit that has to be followed for every type of lane. As the person at the wheel, it is our duty to follow this speed limit at all times. Breaching this can result in a fine or jail term or both in different countries, based on their rules & regulations.
Nevertheless, beyond these types of penalties, you run the risk of losing your life or injuring yourself severely when you don’t follow the speed limits while driving.
- Not signaling while turning
We all do get offended when the vehicle before us slows down suddenly and turns right or left without switching on the indicators, don’t we? This sudden movement causes us to adjust our speed and control our driving accordingly so that there are no accidents.
Hence, it is only natural that we return the favor to our fellow-drivers and switch on our turning signals, when we decide to turn. This way, we can give them enough time to keep a safe distance from us and prevent accidents.
- Tailgating
This is not only one of the most irritating driving habits, but it is also one of the most dangerous ones, because it can cause a lot of damage. Tailgating is when you drive close behind the vehicle in front of you without leaving enough space. When that vehicle stops suddenly, it will not only impact him but you as well.
You should follow the 2-second rule always while driving. This means, you should stay at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you to prevent collisions.
- Not being aware of the blind spots
This habit is quite commonly observed among people who are new to driving. When you are driving or switching lanes, you should always be watchful of the area around your vehicle to save yourself from accidents. Most of the time, when switching lanes, people don’t watch out for these blind spots. Therefore, they collide into another vehicle, causing serious accidents.
We need to look carefully at the rear-view and side-view mirrors before making any driving decision on the road. It also helps to look above your shoulder to be sure before you make a lane-switching choice.
- Speeding through a yellow light
Each traffic light has a particular significance. However, not many of us seem to appreciate this fact. Most of us make the daring mistake of speeding through a yellow light, which can put other drivers (who have the green signal) at great trouble in moving forward, thereby leading to accidents.
When the light turns yellow, it should ring an alarm bell in our minds to slow down and give enough room for other vehicles in the front and back to plan their distance.
- Not giving importance to traffic signals
It is similar to the point that we mentioned above. However, this one involves ignoring all traffic signals. In most of the countries, people tend to skip the red light when there are no cops around. The red light indicates that a pedestrian can cross through; therefore, you may end up causing severe injuries to the pedestrian and yourself when you skip signals.
- Incorrect merging
While this is not exactly a driving mistake, it isn’t a good practice, either. On a freeway, when you are held up in between cars, you should know how to merge at the right time, leaving a safe distance between the vehicle in front and at the back of you. While allowing other cars to move by can slow down the traffic for vehicles behind you, zooming past other vehicles in a hurry, can also cause issues on a freeway. So, it would help if you had proper control over your vehicle to merge properly.
- Parking in the places where you shouldn’t
Most of us make the mistake of parking at an area that is “convenient” for us and not in a place where parking is “allowed.” We quickly stop by at a shop and think it is alright to park wherever we want because it is for a short time. By doing this, we are blocking the path for pedestrians. Also, when the authorities spot our illegal parking, they tow our vehicle, and we have to pay hefty fines to get it released later.
Parking in restricted spots, in places designated for others, in front of schools, red zones, and any other place that is not defined by the law should be avoided to save yourself from embarrassment and huge fines later on.
Now, let’s all be mindful of these mistakes while we are driving, so that we don’t cause any harm to ourselves and others.