Of course, we’d all like to think that we’re great drivers – but have you fallen into bad habits without even noticing?
Here are a few reminders on making sure you’re totally road ready.
1. Don’t allow yourself to get wound up
The inconsiderate actions of other drivers can easily get to you. Whether they’re going too slow or cutting in front, we have to cope with incompetence every day on the road. But don’t let it affect you – seeing red can inhibit your ability to make good decisions and even lead you into danger.
2. Get to know what your car’s capable of
Knowing how your car performs under difficult conditions will mean you can cope better with them. Next time it’s wet outside, head to an empty car park and spend some time putting it to the test. Try out breaking distances and manoeuvrability to boost your confidence.
3. Put your mobile phone on silent (and out of reach)
We all know that we should leave our mobile phone well along when we’re driving. But the beep of a text message can be hard to resist… Remove temptation by switching your phone to silent and putting it away safely somewhere like the glove compartment. Oh by the way, it’s also against the law.
4. Stay alert and focussed at all times
Let your attention wander from the road for even a second and you could run into trouble. If you’re on a long journey and notice that you’re starting to feel lethargic, crack a window, crank up the radio – or even better, take a break!
5. Signal in plenty of time
Reminder: your fellow road users aren’t psychic. Your signals are designed to give them plenty of warning about what you plan to do next, so use them, and use them right.
6. Keep your distance
If you can see the lights are about to change or the driver in front is just going frustratingly slow, you might feel like getting up close to try and speed things up. But this is a dangerous game that can go really wrong. Instead, keep your cool and keep your distance.
7. Do a good deed
Think positive: be courteous to other drivers and you could start a chain reaction that means we’ll soon all be better road users. OK, this might be wishful thinking, but doing a good deed occasionally will put you in a better mood at the very least. So let another car pull into traffic in front on you or let the other driver take that parking space to give yourself a dose of feel-good factor.
8. Remind yourself what you learned for the driving test
As the years go by, a lot of the stuff we learned for our driving test slowly gets forgotten. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to go back and refresh your memory on what being a good driver’s all about.
9. Just drive more!
Practise really does make perfect: the more you’re out on the roads testing and stretching your skills, the better driver you’ll become.
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