How to Break Bad Driving Habits Louisville

In recent years, Kentucky has been rife with accidents and other incidents related to bad driving habits. It is important to break these habits as soon as possible. Bad driving habits can lead to costly situations, injury, and death, while good driving habits will save you a great deal of cash and sometimes even gain you special rewards from your insurance company. Read on for tips on how bad driving habits can be broken.

Avoid Distraction

Attempts at multitasking are among the most common causes of wrecks in the United States. Avoid using handheld devices like smartphones or tablets while you drive. If you want to play music during your trip, program a playlist ahead of time. Install technology that allows you to interact with your onboard devices without using your hands, like voice-activated radios, GPS systems, and infotainment systems. These system upgrades are available for many vehicles at most certified dealerships, including Oxmoor Ford Lincoln in Louisville, Kentucky.

Avoid Tailgating

Keep a good distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. It is best to keep at least two to four seconds away from them, or one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half car lengths. It is the responsibility of every driver to keep their distance from those in front of them, but it is best to keep an eye on drivers behind you as well.

If the vehicle to your rear is tailgating you, it’s best to change lanes. It is both a common courtesy and an important safety measure to keep a reasonable distance from other vehicles whenever possible to reduce the possibility of collision.

Stay Awake and Aware

Never hit the road drowsy. Heading out when tired could lead to a wreck if you start to fall asleep. Try to stop and rest after every two hours or 100 miles of driving. Keep an eye on all of the areas blocked by your vehicle’s blind spots. These spots are larger on some vehicles than others, but they can always be inspected through the use of your rear or side mirrors or your onboard camera or radar systems.

Large Vehicles

When you encounter a large truck or van on the road, it is best to stay well to their rear or pass ahead of them. They tend to kick up wind and debris along their sides powerfully enough to shift the course of some cars, trucks, and SUVs. Vehicles of larger classes cannot break quickly, so avoid being in situations where they might need to. There is no way to know how long a truck has been on the road, so it is better to be cautious and distant than too close and sorry.

Avoid Heated Conversations

We’ve all been there — an argument breaks out, and you start to get irritated. It is natural to want to push through an argument until you win, but consider your surroundings and situation. Arguments divert far too much attention from driving, whether they are with someone on a device, a passenger, or another driver. Having your attention diverted at the wrong moment can lead to disaster. It’s in the best interest of every driver to keep their attention on the road, their vehicle, and the vehicles of others.

Lane Changes and Ramp Merging

Always signal with your blinkers before and during your turns, so that drivers behind you know where you plan to go. Merging wrecks are far too common in Kentucky, and many of them can be avoided through attention to this simple detail. If you can’t see in the direction of oncoming traffic, roll forward very slightly to gain line of sight. Never merge or turn into a spot or lane you can’t see clearly.

When heading up an on-ramp, increase your speed to near the highway speed limit if possible to make merging into traffic easy. If you’re moving too slowly or too quickly, you could risk a serious accident. When moving down an offramp, always keep an eye out for signs, other vehicles, and pedestrians and adjust your speed to a reasonable rate.

Be Aware of Texting Law and Statistics

Kentucky law bans all drivers from texting while driving. If you’re caught texting while driving, you will face a penalty of $50 to $100, with higher fees after the second offense. If you get a text that you must reply to, hand your phone off to a passenger and have them read the message and send your reply. Texting and driving cause 1,600,000 accidents annually, killing nine people a day within the United States on average. Wrecks are three times more likely when one or more drivers are texting.

You may think you can multitask to a point where it doesn’t really matter that you’re using devices by hand, but the human brain simply doesn’t work that way. This texting issue is particularly bad among teen drivers, who now die as a result of texting and driving more often than drinking and driving. Texting and driving simply isn’t worth the risk.

Never Drive Drunk or Hungover

It’s been said a thousand times: drinking and driving is deadly. Every day at least 30 American lives are lost to drunk drivers — around one life every 50 minutes. If you have one or two, take a few. Relax or sleep until the effects of the alcohol wear off completely. It’s also best to avoid driving while hungover. Driving attention is severely limited during hangovers, and bright lights can distract people in that condition just long enough for a serious accident to happen.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be far less likely to end up in an unpleasant situation, whether an accident, a costly ticket, or worse. It is every driver’s responsibility to hit the road aware, educated, and with respect for other drivers. Stay safe on the roads with these new driving habits courtesy of Oxmoor Ford Lincoln.