Here at A Grade Driving School, we’ve seen more than a few bad driving habits when out on the roads. However with that said, in our experience learner drivers are often not the ones most responsible for the bulk of bad driving habits. Instead it’s experienced drivers who have had more time to form these habits and are some of the biggest culprits of our top five worst driving habits. Since helping drivers to form good driving habits is one of our top priorities here we’d like to share bad driving behaviours that learners can be aware of and avoid when on the roads.
1) Tailgating
One of the most common aggravating and aggressive behaviours on the roads is also one of the most dangerous. Following too closely behind a vehicle can easily cause accidents if the driver in front needs to stop suddenly. While most of us experience tailgating at some point (learners included) drivers can minimise the chance by sticking to the speed limit and keeping in the left lane while on open roads. Those who tailgate remember – patience is a virtue and it might save you and your car too.
2) Accelerating through Orange Lights
You might think you’re being clever by putting the foot down and rushing through a busy intersection, but this is a recipe for disaster since people often misjudge the time it takes to get through an orange light especially on wider intersections. Do yourself and others a favour on the road – if the light turns yellow use the brake pedal instead of the accelerator. If you have enough time to speed up, you also have enough time to slow down.
3) Sloppy and Inconsistent Indicating and Signalling
Forgetting to signal or signalling too late is a pet peeve for many on the road and represents a bad driving habit. Drivers should form habits of indicating at EVERY turn or lane change. This is as a courtesy to other drivers but also helps to prevent rear ending accidents occurring.
4) Speed up, Slow Down, Speed Up Again
Many drivers don’t realise this habit and that changing speeds is aggravating to other drivers and can cause accidents. Speeding up then slowing down (whether intentional or not) affects the flow of traffic and can cause people to make dangerous manoeuvres out of frustration. Stay at a constant speed and stick to it since frequently changing speeds represents erratic driving behaviour.
5) Texting While Driving
This tops our list as the ultimate driving no-no. Despite extensive media coverage, heavy fines and documented cases of accidents caused by mobile phones, this is still one of the most common bad habits of drivers. While all handheld phone use while driving is dangerous, texting is even more so as it diverts your eyes away from the road for frequent and extended periods. If you’re addicted to your phone get a hand free device and talk – NOT TEXT.
How many of these behaviours have you done on the roads? Are they frequent enough that they are becoming a habit without you even realising? Here at A-Grade Driving School we aim to form good driving habits in our driving lessons and eliminate the bad. Don’t let bad habits define your driving in the learning stage. Let us help you stay safe on the roads. Call us today on 1300 885 585.