Anytime we are operating a motorised vehicle, we have a responsibility to do our part to keep the roadways safe for us, passengers, other drivers who may be affected by traffic accidents. Driving safety is important for the driver, passengers, and other road users. It is something that drivers should keep in mind at all times.
No matter how skilled a driver we are, it’s a good idea for us to reflect on the basics of traffic safety from time to time. It is important for us to do this to make sure that we are careful enough to keep ourselves, other drivers, and pedestrians as safe as possible. We need to understand that staying safe on the road is in everyone’s best interest.
If we want to increase our chances of staying safe on the road, this is a comprehensive list of safe driving tips to keep in mind next time we decide to drive:
We should obey speed limits
It is essential we stick to the given speed limit at all times. The faster we move, the longer it takes for the car to do our bidding when we apply the brakes. We should choose a speed matching the rest of the traffic as closely as possible without exceeding the speed limit.
Also, we need to know that the restrictions placed on vehicle speed limit are to maximise safety for drivers and for individuals in homes, businesses, and areas where roadways are located.
We should avoid distractions
Taking your attention off the road to fiddle with the radio, text, or dine is endangering not just yourself and passengers, but other road users too. Numerous accidents happen because drivers ignore what is happening on the road.
You should always stay alert and ensure that you have plenty of room to manoeuvre your vehicle out of a threatening situation. Also, it would help if you remember that you cannot rely on your fellow drivers to follow the rules and regulations.
Clean and Adjust Your Exterior Mirrors
Cleaning and adjusting your exterior mirrors is one of the safe driving tips. Failure to clean the mirrors and windshield will produce a distracting effect on drivers. We can avoid accidents by wiping using a microfiber towel or newspaper to wipe the mirrors of our vehicle. Wiping it with a microfiber or newspaper will help to remove the smear from the mirrors.
We shouldn’t stare at oncoming lights
When we are driving at night, our eyes get used to the road ahead and the dim glow of the dashboard, which makes it easy to be impeded by bright headlights. So, we should turn our gaze away or shield our eyes with one palm from oncoming beams, if we have to. For example, if a car behind us is a source of distraction to us, we can easily adjust our rear or side view mirror to get the reflection away from your eyes
Always remember to use the seat belt
Using the seat belt always is one of the safe driving tips. Although the seat belt might appear to be insignificant, it is an important safety device in our car. The seat belt can save the driver’s life. It helps in cutting down movement while driving on bumpy roads.
The sudden and force movement on collision can fatally injure a person (lungs, heart, and ribcage against the steering wheel or dashboard). Also, it can even fling a driver out of the car if they’re not strapped in. If we have a small child in our car, we should use a baby seat and fasten it up.
We should not drive if we are stressed or unwell
It is not safe for us to drive if we are feeling unwell or stressed. If we are stressed, unwell, or fatigue, it can affect our judgment while driving and eventually result in accidents. In addition, driving while feeling unwell or stressed can slow down our reaction time.
Being stressed, unwell, overworked, or tired increases our chances of falling asleep at the wheels. If we are going for a long drive and we feel tired, let’s pull over to the side of the road and sleep for a while. This is one of the safe driving tips.
Always exercise patience
Many accidents are caused by snappy drivers who are rushing to get from one point to another. Although time is something, we should consider when travelling, but safety is even more important. After all, if someone is involved in an accident, he or she will certainly experience more of a challenge arriving at his or her destination on time than if he or she simply exhibit patience while driving.
Proper Vehicle Maintenance
We should take care to ensure that our automobile stays in good working condition. This includes performing scheduled engine maintenance and keeping fluids topped off. Also, we should ensure that the vehicle’s exterior lights are functional at all times and make certain tires have plenty of air.
Follow traffic signals
Drivers need to obey and pay close attention to stop signs and traffic lights.
We should always slow down on wet roads and in bad weather
As a driver, the most sensible thing to do in adverse weather conditions such as fog is to slow down and heavy rainfall. We should not drive at high speeds in heavy rain as it can lead to our car aquaplaning.
In both cases-fog and heavy, slowing down is the safest option. If the fog is very thick, we should drive slowly along the road markers or divider to have a point of reference. We should not try to overtake in such conditions. This is one of the safe driving habits, that is really important to note.
We must make sure that our car tyres have the right air pressure because overinflating tyres reduces the area of contact with the road, resulting in loss of rolling friction on wet surfaces. If our car tyres are overinflated, we should release some air.
Use the brake earlier and slower
If we always remember the safe driving tips, we will have little need to risk getting rear-ended and slamming on the brakes. When we need to stop on wet roads or slow down, we should go easy on the brake pedal, earlier and smoothly than we normally do. This reduces our risk of skidding off the road or into the car ahead of us.
Don’t use the brake if your vehicle begins to hydroplane
If our vehicle begins to hydroplane, we shouldn’t panic and turn the steering or slam the break. This could worsen things and send us into a skid when driving. Rather, we should slowly ease off the gas and steer straight our vehicle regains traction with the road.
We should use headlights when needed
We should know that headlights aren’t just necessary at night. When we are driving in the fog or rain, turning on our headlights can play an important role in keeping us and those around us safe.
We should always remember to signal
Using light signals and reading are very important when driving. This is one of the safe driving tips, which we must always put in mind. Since, neither us nor the driver ahead and behind us can read minds, we must always use our blinker to communicate with other drivers.
Schedule Regular Vision And Hearing Tests
Even if your hearing and eye-sight are okay, It is recommended to visit a doctor and schedule regular hearing and vision tests as these two senses tend to decline with age. If any of these two senses are not functioning well, it will definitely affect our driving.
You should drive when you and the roads are In good condition
Driver safety is higher in good weather and during the daytime. We should consider using public transport when the area is unfamiliar, or visibility is poor. Aside from the driving conditions being optimal, we should be sure to drive only when we are sober and calm.
Turn On Your Wipers
We should consider replacing our wipers at the beginning of the rainy season. The wiper blades in our cars need to be in good condition to clear water from your screen or risk distracting us. Also, when we wipers are dirty, it distracts us. We should be liberal with the windscreen washer and avoid following large vehicles closely, so we don’t get an obstructive splash.
We should always increase our following distance
Wet roads reduce friction between asphalt and tire, thereby making our vehicle take longer to grind to a halt. It is advised, we should put up a safe following distance between our vehicle and the one ahead of us. A distance we can cover in 10-12 seconds will allow enough time to respond to and identify road hazards.
We should exercise extra caution at intersections
One of the safe driving tips is that we should always engage the brakes slowly and evenly as we approach intersections. We shouldn’t assume that we know what other drivers want to do because not every driver has the proper training to handle adverse driving conditions.
IN CONCLUSION
With the simple steps explained above, we can reduce our risk of having an accident and the accompanying repair bill. If we become concerned or others have shown their concern about our ability to drive safely, it might be best for us to stop driving. We can then consider using taking the bus, using a van service, hiring a driver, or taking advantage of other local transportation options.
Source (s)
72 safe driving tips that could save your life – carcarehunt
20 safety tips for driving – lovetoknow
