Today we will continue our look at dangerous driving habits. In our last post, we illustrated the importance of driving the speed limit and properly maintaining your tires. Staying safe on the road is all about reducing risk factors. You want to do everything in your power to create as safe an environment as possible for you and the other drivers on the road. Let’s learn about a few more dangerous driving habits you should be avoiding at all costs.
Yes, those yellow triangular yield signs are there for a reason. They are there to keep you safe! Make sure you know all the rules associated with yielding the right of way. Drivers who fail to yield during highway mergers create very dangerous situations given the high speeds that are typically involved. You must also be aware when driving on surface streets and around stops signs. Through traffic always has the right of way. At a four-way stop, the person who arrives first has the right of way. When in doubt – yield. Always err on the side of caution.
In a safety study which tracked the effectiveness of seatbelts between 2004 and 2008, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration concluded that seatbelts had saved more than 75,000 lives! Wear a seatbelt is a simple safety precaution that can make the difference between life and death. It is an essential part of vehicle safety.
Reckless or aggressive driving may entail passing on the right, extreme acceleration, sudden braking, swerving or weaving in and out of traffic. Essentially, reckless driving is driving in an erratic and difficult to predict manner. Driving recklessly WILL increase your likelihood of being involved in an accident.