Sadly, there are about 1.4 million people killed in car crashes all across the world every year. There are also millions of others who are injured in car crashes.
If you want to avoid becoming a part of these kinds of sobering statistics, you should take steps to keep yourself safe when you’re driving around in your car. One way of doing it is by trying to transform yourself into a defensive driver.
There are all kinds of defensive driving tips that you can put to good use when you’re out on the road. They’re designed to keep people safe from the second that they pass their driving test and begin to use their car on a regular basis.
Want to start using some of these defensive driving tips to your advantage? Check out seven of them below and utilize them from now on to maintain your safety when you’re behind the wheel of a car.
1. Make Safe Driving a Priority From the Moment You Climb Into Your Car
In recent years, studies have shown that the average person spends about one hour each day driving around in their car. As a result, it’s very easy for people to get complacent when it comes to safe driving.
You might not think twice about staying safe when you’re driving your car. But it’s very important for you to remember that you could potentially be involved in a life-altering or even life-ending accident at any second.
With this in mind, you should make safe driving your top priority each and every time that you climb into your car. You might want to go as far as to hang up some kind of sign about safe driving so that safety is something that is always at the forefront of your brain.
It’ll be easy to become a defensive driver when you’re someone who doesn’t take safety for granted while driving. Of all the defensive driving tips listed here, this might be the one that’s the most important to commit to memory.
2. Get Into the Habit of Being Aware of Your Surroundings While Driving Your Car
When you’re driving around in your car, there are inevitably going to be a million and one things happening around you all the time. It can make it difficult for you to focus on your surroundings.
You need to get yourself into the habit of staying in tune with what’s going on around you at any given moment. If you lose your focus for even just a second or two, it could result in you getting into an accident.
For this reason, you should check your mirrors each time you climb into your car to ensure that you can see what’s happening around you from every angle. You should also use your mirrors and keep your eyes moving all over the place while you drive.
At first, constantly scanning everything around you while you drive can feel overwhelming to you. But your brain is strong enough to handle it and will eventually be able to process things that are going on quickly so that you’re able to keep yourself out of any trouble.
3. Avoid Relying on Other Drivers to Keep You Safe While You’re Out on the Road
When you make a strong push to practice safe driving, it might lead you to believing that others are doing the same thing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everyone else who is out on road is doing what they can to show off their defensive driving skills.
But as anyone who has driven for more than just a few months knows, this is so often not the case! There are lots of people who don’t give defensive driving a second thought when they’re driving around in their vehicles.
Because of this, you shouldn’t ever rely on others to keep you safe in your car. You should always acknowledge the fact that someone else might cut you off at a moment’s notice or do something else that could put you right into harm’s way.
It stinks that it has to be this way, but you should essentially prepare for the worst at pretty much all times when you’re driving around in your car. It’s going to be the only surefire way to stay safe as you drive.
4. Try to Leave Space Between Your Car and Other Cars at All Times
If someone were to slam on their brakes while driving in front of you, it would take you at least a second or two to process this and slam on your brakes so that you don’t run right into the back of them. But you’re not going to have a second or two if you’re driving your car directly behind theirs and not leaving much space.
This is why it’s always a good idea for drivers to leave as much space as they can between their cars and the other cars out of the road. As a general rule of thumb, you should try to leave enough space to give yourself three to four seconds to stop in the event that another car stops suddenly.
You should also leave more space than usual when it’s dark outside, when there is fog on the road, or when it’s raining. You’re going to need as much space as you can get to reduce your chances of being involved in an accident.
5. Steer Clear of Speeding When You’re Driving in Your Car
Everyone seems to be in such a big rush these days. It often leads to people driving well over the speed limit when they’re trying to make their way from point A to point B.
If you’re one of the many people who speeds in your car on an almost daily basis, you should make it your mission to slow down. You obviously shouldn’t drive too slow and put others at risk in that way. But you should attempt to drive as close to the speed limit as you can.
This will put you in a position to slow down or even stop completely when you have to do it. It’ll also make it much easier for you to process the things that are happening around you when you’re driving your car at a reasonable speed.
6. Cut Down on the Distractions That You Might Face as You Drive Your Car
Distracted driving is responsible for about 10% of all the car accidents that occur each year. It’s so easy for people to get distracted when they’re driving and lose sight of what’s right in front of them.
Cell phones are one of the biggest distractions that drivers face. If you use your cell phone when you’re driving, you should stop doing it immediately. You should lock your cell phone up in your glove compartment when you get into your car so that you’re not tempted to use it.
You should also consider doing away with any other distractions that might hinder your ability to practice good defensive driving skills. Everything from your car radio to your passengers can serve as distractions. You should set out to stop these kinds of things from putting you into situations that could prove to be dangerous.
7. Go Back and Take a Practice Driving Test Every So Often
It’s kind of amazing that most people take a driving test once when they first get their driver’s license and then don’t ever have to take a driving test again. It sometimes leads to people forgetting about even the most basic driving laws and safe driving tips.
If it’s been a while since you passed a driving test, you might want to go back and retake the test to see how well you’re able to do on it. If you don’t do great, that should serve as a sign letting you know that you need to make safe driving a bigger priority in your life.
You should also study hard if you’re someone who is preparing to take a driving test. It’ll make it possible for you to be a defensive driver right from the very beginning.
Visit https://www.drivingtest.autos/driving-test-qld/ to take a driving test that will turn you into a safer driver. You can utilize the test to learn so much about driving laws and safe driving tips.
Using These Defensive Driving Tips Can Make You a Better Driver and Ensure Your Safety
Most people aren’t naturally defensive drivers. A lot of people drive around like they don’t have a care in the world and are then surprised when they’re involved in accidents.
You don’t want to be like this, do you? Of course not! You’ll be putting yourself and other drivers at risk if you don’t do everything that you can to stay safe while driving.
Use the defensive driving tips found here to become a defensive driver over time. You’ll be better off for it and will feel more confident while you’re out on the road.
Get your hands on more defensive driving tips and tricks by reading through the other informative articles found on our blog.