Each day millions of drivers fail to follow the rules of the road, putting their own and other’s lives at stake.
Texting while driving, failing to follow the speed limit, and driving without a seatbelt on are among the top offenses committed by drivers. Many of these traffic violations lead to unnecessary accidents or injuries each day.
Breaking the law isn’t the only way that you can determine if you’re a lousy driver. Knowing the rules of the road can help you avoid terrible accidents or misunderstandings.
1. Lend Other Vehicles Space
If you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic and following the car ahead of you merely a millisecond away, there’s no way that you won’t collide into their backend if they have to stop. Drive Safe Online suggests that you need around 20 feet between you and the car in front of you to react to an incident, and another 20 feet to come to a complete stop. To avoid an unexpected collision, try to follow behind the car at least three seconds, using the median lines to help you count the time between you both.
2. Don’t Oversteer Out of Danger
What happens when a vehicle is traveling at speeds over 50 mph and tries to steer around a potential accident? The back tires start to lose friction, and the driver either completely loses control of the vehicle or fails to avoid the accident. Oversteering and understeering can both be dangerous, and the best thing you can do is reduce speed and keep your steering wheel from turning. If you see danger coming in from the right or left and you’re far enough ahead to avoid the accident, speed up rather than slow down.
3. Give the Right-of-Way
When you’re at a four-way stop, and you come to a complete stop at the same time as the driver to the right of you, you should always let the driver on the right go first. It’s a universal act of courtesy and helps promote safe traffic direction without any misconceptions. If you stop at the same time as a car straight ahead of you and you’re both going to turn in the same direction, the one turning right should always go first, and the other driver would yield.
4. Merge With Caution
Before you decide to zip into another lane on the freeway or come onto the road through an offramp, you should always slow down until you have space to merge. If the other drivers have no room to move over, you’ll have to wait for your chance to get in. Otherwise, you could end up causing a collision or disrupt the flow of traffic. Check all of your blind spots and mirrors, and remember to use your blinkers.
5. Use Your Brakes Wisely
Many drivers don’t consider that each of the lights on their vehicle is important to avoid accidents, not just the blinkers. You can use your brake lights to warn the drivers behind you that there’s trouble up ahead by tapping your brake peddle a few times. However, if you’re going to come to a complete stop, do it gradually, so the driver behind you doesn’t end up rear-ending you.
Stay Cautious of Other Drivers
Nobody is a perfect driver, and most of us are trying to get to our destinations while we’re running late. Reckless driving doesn’t turn back the hands of time, and there’s a chance each day that you could be the one behind the wheel of a terrible accident. That’s why auto insurance exists. USAA offers discounts and savings to new members in 2020, with a special emphasis put on keeping military personnel and their families protected.
If you keep these road rules, you’re more likely to avoid trouble — no matter how unsafe other drivers are on the road.
