Driving a car is only as safe as you make it. It can be extremely dangerous even though you feel protected and insulated while driving. But, to truly stay safe behind the wheel you have to make sure that you are an active driver and trying to be safe instead of taking it for granted that you will be. There are several things that people do while driving that puts them and everybody else on the road in danger.
Unfortunately, there are many things that people do while driving that they shouldn’t. If you are making some of these mistakes then you will likely end up in an accident at some point. If you don’t do them you will stay safe and end up paying the cheapest car insurance Georgia has to offer. In this article, we will go over several of the things you should never do while driving.
1 – Texting while driving
There is no good reason to check your text messages while driving and even less of a reason to actually respond. Some people think that they are great multitaskers and can drive and text at the same time. What they don’t realize is that when you read a text and then respond you are taking your eyes off of the road for up to eight seconds at a time.
During those precious seconds, anything can happen. A car can stop in front of you leaving you no time to react. Or, a pedestrian can cross the road. You can even veer off of the road and end up striking a person or some property. The results are almost always catastrophic.
Texting while driving is quickly catching up to drunk driving as a dangerous cause of many accidents. If you receive a text while you are driving then wait until you arrive to check it. If it feels important then pull off of the road to somewhere safe and then you can read it and respond.
2 – Eating
Eating seems innocent enough to do while you are driving. You can still watch the road and you aren’t being distracted. The problem with eating and driving is that you have a hand occupied that should be on the wheel and ready to respond.
A good driver is one that is able to react quickly since you never know what could happen when you are driving. When your hand is not ready then you can’t react in time which means you may not be able to avoid an accident.
3 – Ignore what’s happening around you
Part of being a good driver and a safe one is the ability to observe what is happening all around your car. This means that you should be checking your mirrors every few seconds to make sure there is nothing going on that could cause an accident.
You should also be paying attention to signs and warnings. For instance, you could encounter a detour sign and miss it if you are distracted by other things. This can lead to an accident so it is good to be paying attention to everything as you drive.