Driving a motorized vehicle is inherently dangerous; more than 38,000 people die yearly of automobile accidents.
Even the smallest accidents can carry heavy consequences in the form of repairs and lawsuits.
There are plenty of common activities that people must avoid while driving in order to remain safe and free of the risk of being at fault for even a fender bender.
Multitasking
Eating, smoking, putting on makeup or lotions, and changing the music are all common ways people distract themselves while driving.
On their own, these small distractions typically aren’t dangerous.
However, when something comes up and you’re zipping along with one hand on the wheel, a reduced reaction time can be fatal.
Avoiding road hazards or takin0g a defensive position in your lane might need to happen in split-seconds, not in the time it takes to takes to extinguish a cigarette butt or put a CD back in its case.
It should also go without saying in 2021 that texting or using a phone while driving is dangerous, illegal in many cases, and something people should be ashamed to take part in.
Using Headphones
Driving with two earbuds is illegal in many states, and even using one can be dangerous.
As technology like AirPods becomes cheaper and more advanced, the convenience of playing music or having a phone call over a headset is appealing.
Unfortunately, many high-quality earbuds will completely block out other sounds, leaving you incapable of hearing oncoming threats or communication among drivers like horns honking or emergency sirens.
Driving Tired
The CDC has determined that what they call “drowsy driving” is essentially the same limitation as drunk driving.
If you’ve been awake for more than 24 hours and choose to drive, that is the equivalent of being over the legal limit for alcohol consumption.
The cognitive impairment from fatigue compounds with actual alcohol consumption, making these two a deadly duo for people who choose to drive home after a night out.
Speeding
Speeding is against the law, which means proof of speeding is all it takes to establish negligence in a car accident lawsuit.
Exceeding the set speed limits shows a clear disregard for the rules of the road and other motorists.
Police officers also ticket speeding a ton, and even misdemeanors will add up to serious consequences.
So many people speed, but it’s best to break the habit now. Then, you won’t be the reason for an accident.
Driving Aggressively
Aggressive driving techniques are responsible for many car accidents every year.
Pushing to gain a slight advantage in the flow of traffic is unnecessarily aggressive.
These techniques are usually either outright illegal or exist in a moral and legal grey area.
An example of an aggressive driver is someone who rolls through stop signs.
Even if the intersection is perceived to be empty, this is an unnecessary risk and endangers others.
Speeding through yellow lights before they change to red is another common aggressive driving incident, and it causes some terrible accidents when two aggressive drivers intersect.
While cutting in front of other drivers is sometimes unavoidable, doing so without signaling and communicating to the best of your ability is aggressive.
A lot of road rage incidents are connected to aggression on the road, like exchanging profanity or the classic hand signals that show frustration.
Tailgating Other Vehicles
Driving closer than suggested to the car in front of you doesn’t seem too dangerous, but tailgating is a tricky balancing act that often ends poorly.
By limiting your own reaction time in the event of an immediate stop, you are actually being negligent.
Many states have laws that flat out make the person who rear-ended another vehicle the party at fault.
Tailgating is frustrating for many people who have to worry about other vehicles in their blind spot, especially at high speeds.
It’s not uncommon for the driver in front to “brake check” the tailgater, to buy themselves space, or to punish them with an accident that is the tailgater’s fault.