If you’ve just gotten through with online traffic school, you’re probably feeling quite relieved. A quick course and a small fee and voila! No longer do you face the threat of points on your license. It’s time for you to get back on the road and on with your life, and you can now put traffic school behind you.
While this is certainly true—you did complete the course—it’s always wise to look at your driving habits and see how you can improve. Most states put a limit on how often you can take traffic school to waive a ticket, and if you end up with the same violation next month you might not be so lucky in getting it dismissed. That could mean points on your license for years to come.
So it’s time for a bit of a wake-up call. You can’t simply rely on online traffic school to make you a better driver!
You have to change your driving habits, too, so that you don’t run into the same issues again.
No More Phone Use
Your phone may have become an extension of your arm by this point, but it is the most alarming distraction out of all the ones you could face and it’s self-inflicted! It’s not enjoyable to quit the phone cold turkey, but don’t worry—once you get to your destination you can hop right back on.
At any given moment in the daytime in the United States, approximately 660,000 people are using their phones while driving. That’s a scary number. Cell phones not only take your mind from the road, but they require you to take your eyes off of the road as well. In a split second, it’s possible for an animal or a person to step out into the street, for a car to swerve unexpectedly, or for a light to turn yellow. If your eyes aren’t taking it all in, you could be responsible for a fatal accident all for a text message or phone call that just couldn’t wait.
Although cell phone use laws while driving vary from state to state, the best thing you can do is put the phone away or put it in airplane mode. There’s no text or phone call that is more valuable than your own life.
Use Your Turn Signals
Many people simply will switch lanes on the highway often or assume that people will know they’re turning right since they’re in the right lane. In fact, a study from the Society of Automotive Engineers showed that about half of people don’t use their turn signals.
While you may completely know your next steps on the road, your turn signals are your way of communicating what you want to do to other drivers. Just like your red brake lights let the car behind you know it’s time to slow down, a turn signal indicates your next move. It can also express your desire to get into a lane. Cars won’t slow down or let you in if they have no idea in the first place that you want to get into the lane, but if you put on your turn signal you’ll find that many drivers will happily allow you to get in front of them.
Turn signals require minimal effort on your part and keep you communicating clearly to the other drivers on the road. Your hands are already on the wheel, so remember to turn it on when you’re going left or right.
Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
Your mirrors are not just for display. Use it to scan your surroundings frequently. On average, check at least 20 to 30 seconds ahead of you. If you see a vehicle showing signs of aggressive driving, be quick on your feet before anything undesirable happens. You can choose to slow down or simply pull over to avoid it.
Also, you should never depend on other drivers. You should always make the first move to keep your own driving space safe, so look out for yourself always. For best practice, follow the 3-to-4-second rule. This rule simply means that you should keep at least three to four seconds of space between you and the car in front.
If you successfully maintain this distance as you drive, it will help you establish a safe following distance so that you’ll have enough time to brake in case the need arises. Note though that this will only work under normal traffic conditions. You’ll have to be extra careful if the weather is not that good.
Also, if you’re not in a hurry, it’s always best to keep your speed down. Simply following speed limits will always ensure the ideal driving safety conditions. Always remember that the faster you drive, the longer it will take for the car to adjust and apply the brakes, thus giving you less time to react during any unexpected road accidents and the impact of a collision at high speeds is higher than if the accident happens while you’re driving slow.
Keep Your Car in Good Shape
Not everyone can afford a brand new car that’s straight from the factory, but no matter the age of your car you can still conduct regular check-ups. Get the oil changed, switch out the wipers for new ones, and ensure that all of your lights turn on properly.
Cars are not perfect and they can sometimes run into problems or malfunction, but you can reduce these issues from happening on the road. Imagine encountering torrential rains only to find out that the rubber part on one of your windshield wipers is defective. Additionally, you can be held at fault for accidents if you don’t have working lights (aside from the fact that you got into an accident in the first place, which you don’t want either).
Cars are large and weigh thousands of pounds, so something as small as a worn-down tire can be a cause for disaster. Check with a mechanic every few months to ensure that your car won’t cause you any trouble on the road.
Make Adjustments Before You Drive
While you’re going 60 miles per hour down the highway is not the ideal time to adjust your mirrors, move your seat back an inch, or clasp your seatbelt because you forgot it. We drive our cars every day usually, so we often just hop into the driver’s seat and get going. However, mirrors can shift over time and different shoes put our feet at a different spot on the gas and brake pedal.
As many adjustments as you can make before you put the car in drive, the better. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable; for example, you might need to turn down the air conditioning a little bit into your trip or you want to roll up windows a bit in a louder part of the city. But taking ten seconds to make sure everything is in a comfortable spot before you take off can eliminate problems on the road.