What Tips Are The Best For Safe Driving?
Introduction
When it comes to driving, we know that not everybody on the road is as safe in their driving style and technique as we probably think they are!
There are millions of cars on UK roads every single day. The drivers of these cars can range from brand new drivers who have just passed their test to those veteran drivers who didn’t even have to take a test to get their license.
Everyone develops their own driving style once they are seated independently from a driving instructor, so it is important to remember that not everybody’s driving styles will complement each other when out on UK roads. This can sometimes cause accidents, incidents, etc., as well as disagreements.
Of course, you always get the drivers who are incredibly unsafe for whatever reason. Still, these people (apart from potentially harming themselves) are actually those people that cause more accidents than they are in themselves on UK roads, simply because of their driving safety disregard.
With so much traffic on the roads these days, driving safety is absolutely essential. We need to make sure that we are doing all of the right things to ensure that our driving experience when going from A to B, wherever that may be, is a safe as possible.
So what can we do ourselves to limit our incidents is and accidents on the roads today?
Here are 5 tips for safer driving in 2021
Increased Awareness
Driving a vehicle is a skill, and it is a skill that is taught professionally for a reason. It is to make sure that you are competent, safe, and knowledgeable enough to hold a UK driving license.
Driving on UK roads has so many legal elements. To possess a driving license demonstrates that you have shown that you have met the required standards to be awarded a UK driving license.
When we are driving, it takes a fantastic amount of concentration to get the car’s functionality correct, which sometimes impedes our 360ﾟ awareness around us.
Increasing your awareness when driving, not just for the road in front of us, but also to the left, the right, and behind us, can reduce the instances of incidents and accidents that we may be involved in, either unintentionally or as a result of a natural occurrence such as an animal running in the road.
By remembering that your awareness when driving stretches not just to you and the car you are driving but to other road users and immediate surroundings will serve you well to become the safest driver, you can be.
Dash Cams
An in-car camera called a dashcam has become the most popular way to monitor your vehicle, the surroundings, other road users, and even the weather when you are in your car.
These cameras can be situated in your vehicle and set up to view the front, the back, the sides, and even the interior of your car to make sure that you are fully aware and have complete visibility of everything that is happening around you when driving.
Dashcams have the clever ability to see the things that you may overlook when you are concentrating on the road ahead. Still, they can also be a great asset to any accident claims and incidents that may occur where there is a fault liability.
These small and unassuming cameras are unobtrusive and have few adverse effects on your driving safety, and can actually increase awareness of things that are happening out of your line of vision.
Dash Cams are also essential pieces of equipment to catch any incidents and accidents that happen on video as part of insurance claims for third parties, so you can actually help other people too!
Limit Any Distractions
We all know of the accidents and incidents that have occurred because the driver has been distracted while in control of a vehicle.
Limiting in-car distractions is something we have complete control over so we can make sure that the driver is as focused on the driving task as possible for the reasons of safety of yourself and other road users.
You can intentionally limit any in-car distractions quite simply, and some of these ways can include:
- Removing clutter and rubbish
- Eliminating anything that can move around the vehicle posted motion
- Keeping any passengers entertained with media
- Removing any in-car hazards such as loose shopping
- Make sure the car driving position is set up perfectly for you before driving
An in-car distraction is anything that could potentially alter your concentration when driving the car. By removing any potential distractions, we can concentrate on the job at hand.
Advanced Driver Courses
Some courses are available to drivers that enable them to advance their driving skills in the form of advanced driver courses.
Some of these courses that give you skills and tuition above and beyond the standard UK licensing requirements are often offered as part of specific employment sectors, such as rapid response and blue light driving. Still, there are courses available to standard drivers that allow them to advance their skills to make them safer drivers.
You can find independent courses such as Pass Plus, Advanced driving courses, and intense courses freely on the internet, and you can purchase these for your own advancements and safety.
Vehicle Condition and Cleanliness
You may not think that the condition and cleanliness of your vehicle have anything to do with safer driving. Still, it’s the psychology around the actual vehicle that may affect the way you drive it.
For instance, if you have a brand new car delivered with 0 miles on the clock, you are more likely to drive that care with the utmost due care and attention to every move you make.
Similarly, suppose you have a vehicle that is considered vintage or rare. In that case, you will do your absolute best to drive it in a way that does not damage or harm the vehicle due it its monetary or sentimental value.
The same theory applies if you were to drive a car with bits missing, does not drive well, or is dirty or rusty. You may not think this car is not worth much in either monetary or sentiment. This may be reflected in your driving style, potentially making the lack of care turn into an unsafe driving experience.
Always look after and maintain your vehicle as if you will never own another one again. This may positively affect your driving style, potentially making you a safer driver with more care and attention.
Conclusion
As you can see from this snapshot, being a safer driver is more about your frame of mind and perceptions of safe driving more than the actual skill of the action of driving.
You can include different things in your safer driving experience to make it just that; safe. These elements include using the all-seeing-eye of dashcams to enhance your visibility, removing any in-car distractions such as litter and potential hazards, and you can also make your driving safer by taking additional steps to enhance your driving awareness.
All in all, we can conclude that we have overall responsibility for our own driving style, which should always be the most sensible and safest it can be to make sure we protect ourselves from road incidents and accidents and protect other road users too.
