Sometimes sharing the road with other drivers is a matter of life and death. Fatal motor vehicle accidents have led to thousands of funerals each year in the state of Pennsylvania. Drivers of various ages and experience levels share the road with only an obligation to follow the rules of the road. However, many drivers disregard the rules or simply do not know what to do in certain situations.
Have you ever been called a “bad” driver or told someone they were? What’s the real difference between a “good” and “bad” driver? “Good” drivers generally follow the rules, while “bad” drivers break the rules. Here are some examples of how someone might get labeled a “bad” driver:
- Not adjusting to the speed limit – Bad drivers usually disregard the speed limit and carry on with their preferred speed despite highways or school-zones. A person might decide to drive at 50 mph all throughout the city. These drivers will tailgate in slower traffic areas and cause backups in faster moving areas.
- Driving tired, drunk or high– Driving drunk, tired or high are all extremely dangerous to those around you. This behavior is a choice and when a person chooses to drive impaired their reaction time is minimal if at all. Drivers usually have double vision and cannot distinguish what is going on around them with the lights and movement of other cars.
- Impatience – Impatient drivers tend to be extreme in their behavior. They tend to honk their horns, creep up closely behind another vehicle, speed, and weave recklessly through lanes. Impatience is usually easy to spot on the road whenever a driver is being erratic.
- Distracted – Distracted drivers are simply bad drivers. Distracted drivers will not go when the light turns green, miss their exit/turn, swerve out of their lanes trying to send a text, brake hard, and more. Distractions
Thankfully, these bad habits are changeable. If you recognize yourself committing any of these “bad” driver habits, stop yourself immediately. You can break your habits and start re-training yourself to go on auto-pilot with safer driving behavior. You don’t have to be a victim or a contributor of a motor vehicle accident. There are ways to change your habits and encourage the same in your loved ones.