Defensive Driving: The 3 Steps To Becoming A Better Driver

One of the best ways to save money when owning a car is to be a better driver. So many things end up costing less as a result of your better driving habits. It pays in terms of money and in peace of mind to become a defensive driver. Even having the best car insurance won’t help much if you are a bad driver.

As a bonus, you stay much safer on the road as you are able to avoid accidents even when they aren’t your fault. It doesn’t happen overnight, however. If you have bad driving habits they can be tough to break.

In this article, we will go over several ways that you can improve your driving by using some defensive driving techniques.

Get rid of distractions

People tend to feel insulated in their car and feel immune to what is happening outside of it. Which leads them to do things that are not going to elp them drive better. Often, these distractions will either cause an accident or not allow them to be avoided.

For instance, texting and driving is becoming as dangerous as drunk driving due to how prevelent it is. It takes your eyes off the road for seconds at a time which doesn’t seem like much. It is sufficient to run off the road and hit a building or pedestrian and increases the chances that you will rear end a car in front of you.

Take the time to pull off the road if the text is an emergency and needs to be responded to right away. Otherwise, just wait until you get to your destination to check your texts.

Eating while driving is also a bad habit that can cause an accident. When you have food in your hand it blocks you from being able to react in time to stop or avoid an accident. Both hands need to be free to take the wheel. Drinking a coffee has the same effect.

If you are hungry then make sure to get up early to be able to eat enough before your commute for example.

Take it slow

Make sure to respect the speed limit and not speed excessively. The faster you travel, the longer it takes to brake to a stop. If you are speeding and a car enters the intersection then you can’t do much to avoid it.

Even when not speeding, don’t be in a rush to get to where you’re going and stop fully at a stop sign. Rolling through is a sure way to cause an accident so make sure you stop and look before proceeding.

Look ahead

Anticipating what will happen is the best way to avoid an accident. When you drive, look ahead a few cars length to see what is happening ahead of you. You may see somebody about to run a red light, or that a car ahead gets cut off by another driver and needs to stop quickly. This allows you time to react and avoid the accident.