These 6 things make you a bad driver

Quick summary

Let’s say that you’re an angel on the road. You go the speed the limit, your driving record is blank, and you never ever text and drive. No one can deny that you’re a good driver. But there are still some things that you probably do to make you a bad driver. Here’s a list of six things that makes a good person a bad driver. We bet you’ve done at least one!

1. Driving with a cold

You shouldn’t be driving with a cold or flu. You’re not in the best physical or mental condition to begin with. Even worse, you probably aren’t getting enough sleep. These things will have a negative effect on your ability to drive safely. Feeling sluggish on the road means that your reaction time is a lot slower to certain obstacles, such as pedestrians crossing or children playing outside. Driving requires your full attention. If you have a cold and you need transportation, then you should ask for a ride or take Uber/Lyft. Don’t be a bad driver!

2. Taking the same route to school or work every day

Okay, we’re guilty of this as well. Aren’t we all? It just doesn’t make sense to change our route. We chose our route on purpose probably because it’s the fastest way to get to our destination. So, why change? Well… your usual route has become a driving habit. You’re so used to it that you barely have to think as much when you take the same way every day. We call this going on “autopilot,” which is actually very risky. Because you think less of where you have to go, your awareness of your surroundings becomes dampened. If you’re not fully aware when you’re driving, you’re a bad driver. Try switching it up and taking a different route tomorrow morning!

3. Daydreaming to unwind from the day

A lot of people get off work only to drive home in bad traffic. You don’t want to think about how much it stinks to be stuck in a pool of cars, so your mind starts to wander. It might be a relaxing way to unwind from the day, but not when you’re driving. Even though many traffic collisions happen because of external distractions, like cell phones, internal distractions also contribute. A study found that driver inattention is also a major cause of accidents. Daydreaming can be dangerous and make you a bad driver.

4. Forgetting that your signal is on

Hopefully you already know that not using your signal in any situation is bad. After all, we use them to communicate to other drivers that we’re turning or switching lanes. This is why it’s also important to remember to turn off your blinkers. Since we communicate with other drivers using our signals, you don’t want to make them mad by giving them false information. Even though you didn’t mean to leave your blinkers on, it’ll frustrate other drivers. They’ll think you’re about to switch lanes and hit their brakes while waiting for you to get over. You might get honked at, which takes us to our next point.

5. Honking drivers bother you

You have the right to be bothered when someone honks at you, of course. But you can’t let it affect the way you drive. This is especially true if you have other passengers in the car. You need to be able to handle honking horns, even if they’re not directed at you. Some people get so shocked and shaken up by the sound of a horn. Others can’t keep their hands off of it. It might just be that they’re from a city where honking is normal, like New York City, for example.

6. Driving a car that doesn’t fit you

Driving a car that’s too big or too small for you isn’t safe. If your car is too big for you, your odds of parking like a champ every time are shot, especially parallel parking. In a world where we now rely on backup cameras to park, we still cannot rely on them to help us drive correctly. You might have a lot of blind spots if you can’t fit comfortably in your own vehicle. If your car is too small for you, then you’ll be uncomfortable which will affect your driving.

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