Driving is a risk, but by driving safer you can minimise your risk on the road. Following are 7 tips for safer driving that can help you do just that.
- Drive to the conditions
Whether it be rain, glare from the sun, fog, driving at night or a range of other conditions, your ability to drive safely at the normal speed can be affected. If you find yourself on the road in any conditions that make it unsafe to drive at normal speeds, slow down and drive within your comfort zone. And if sticking to your comfort zone means going slower than other drivers, make sure you stick to the left lane so they can overtake.
- Keep a safe distance
Tail-gating is a very common cause of nose to tail road accidents as it doesn’t leave you enough time to stop if something happens. Leaving a 2 second gap between your vehicle and the one in front will allow you a safe distance in most scenarios, however you’ll need to leave a larger gap if you’re driving at night, are in adverse weather or there are other conditions that will impact your stopping or reaction time.
- Indicate and make decisions early
Generally you should indicate 30 metres before you make a turn so that you can give drivers around you enough time to react to your actions. Making decisions early can also help to keep you in better control of your vehicle, as late decisions can lead you to doing things like turning too quickly or cutting in front of other drivers.
- Avoid distractions
There’s a near endless list of things that can distract you while you’re driving – just a few of these include your mobile phone, changing music and trying to figure out where you’re going. It only takes a split second of in-attentiveness for an accident to happen, so eliminate anything that can take your focus off the road.
- Remain aware and expect the un-expected
Even if you’re not being distracted by something directly, you still need to be conscious of remaining aware of your surroundings – if you’re not fully aware it’s much more likely for things to seemingly ‘come out of nowhere’. As well as remaining alert and aware, focussing your line of sight parallel to the road rather than looking down close to you can help you to see further ahead and give you more time to react to the un-expected.
- Steer clear of road rage
Being a courteous driver is one of the best ways to avoid road rage happening in the first place – just a few of the things you can do to be a courteous driver include not preventing other vehicles from overtaking you, avoiding cutting other drivers off and not following the vehicle in front of you too closely. If you come across another driver who isn’t courteous and may have done something to annoy you, remain calm and don’t retaliate.
- Overtake safely
Overtaking can be one of the most dangerous things you’ll need to do on the roads. When you are overtaking, make sure you allow plenty of time to safely pass the vehicle in front of you and get back to the left without cutting the other driver off.
