What You Should Know About the Worst Driving Habits
Everyone has bad habits, and some of them are worse than others – biting finger nails, smoking – the list can go on and on. However, some individuals have bad driving habits that, although they may seem harmless, can actually be very dangerous and may even cause an accident, injury, or death. Here, we will discuss some of the worst habits drivers can have while on the road and why you should avoid them.
Speeding through Yellow Lights
We have all heard someone, or said ourselves, “yellow means hurry up!” when it comes to traffic signals. While it may be an instinct to speed up at a yellow light to make it through an intersection, it is important to know this can be very dangerous. Should you not quite make it through the light, it is possible to hold up other drivers who have been signaled green to go – additionally, it is very possible to miss the yellow light completely and cause a collision in the middle of a busy intersection, made especially more dangerous by your increased speed.
Merging Improperly
How often have we found ourselves on an on-ramp to the highway stuck behind someone who has no idea how to merge or who stops when merging into the road? This is not only dangerous for that driver, but it can also cause a traffic backup on the on-ramp, which can be dangerous for others as well. Make sure to follow the proper procedures when merging by easing into highway traffic and not stopping – chances are, even if the highway is busy, cars will move to the left hand lane in order to allow merging cars in.
Tailgating
There is a reason we see signs on the road that state “do not tailgate” – while we might think getting close to another vehicle makes them speed up and go faster, especially if we are in a hurry, chances are doing so will do more harm than good. Not only is the driver tailgating getting annoyed, but the driver being tailgated is getting annoyed as well. This can lead to the tailgating driver accidentally hitting the driver in front of him or her or the other driving performing a sudden stop or “break check” to get the driver off his tail – either way, it causes an accident.
Not Using Blinkers or Turn Signals
Turn signals or blinkers are meant to help alert other drivers of your intentions while on the road, such as when you’re making a turn or changing lanes. If you don’t tell people what you are planning to do, how are they supposed to know? Making a turn or changing lanes without using a turn signal can throw off drivers around you and could potentially lead to a serious accident.
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