Tips for Avoiding Distracted Drivers

Everyone who thinks back to learning how to drive remembers the concept of defensive driving. Basically, it’s the notion that your best form of protection on the road is operating on the assumption that everyone around you is going to do the most foolish or most reckless thing at any given moment. This spurs you to drive with caution, applying the proper level of scrutiny to every other driver on the road.

However, there are some tips for avoiding reckless driving that extend beyond this traditional and timeless idea.

Read on for some more pointers about how you can keep your car, yourself and your loved ones safe when behind the wheel:

• Keep a safe distance: When thinking of tips for reckless driving and how best to avoid it, one thing we kept coming back to was that distance can really matter on the road. Keeping distance between your car and the cars of others gives you more time to observe them and—most importantly—more time to react to whatever it is that they decide to do. If someone’s on their phone and veers into your line, it’s far better to have 200 feet in which to react rather than 75 feet.
• Avoid them altogether: This one sounds simple, but one of the best ways to reduce distracted driving and your encounters with inattentive drivers is to stay away. If you see someone fiddling with their phone or their dashboard and are worried about the safety of the situation, then don’t be shy about speeding up to pass them or changing lines to give yourself more distance.
• Don’t speed: Another time-buying technique is to slow down your speed. You can reduce your chances of distracted driving harming you if you give yourself more time to react, and slower speeds afford you that luxury. As a bonus, it’s usually better for your gas mileage, so you can save some money on this as well.
• Avoid driving in a bad mood: This one can be hard to gauge in yourself. We all have different emotions and levels of feelings, but it’s best to drive only when you’re well rested and in a positive frame of mind. This way, you can not only avoid reckless driving, but you can also more readily resist the temptation to react. Yelled words or obscene gestures can only escalate situations and make things more dangerous in many cases. It’s best to control what you can control in order to avoid such a situation.

Reducing distracted driving is the responsibility of all of us. You should never be playing around with your phone when you’re on the road. Keep your hands on the wheel, stay focused and follow these tips that we’ve provided here, and you should be in good shape on all of your future journeys. Of course, don’t hesitate to call your friends at S & R Repairs Towing & Recovery Inc. if you ever need a tow or any other auto care.

Categorised in: Safe Driving