Bad Driving Habits and Unsafe Driving

Bad Driving Habits and Unsafe Driving

We were recently invited by Road Cover to attend a day of Defensive Driving at BMW and as we drove into town the driver instructor asked us to do a “running commentary” on seeing and characteristic all the hazards on the road.

He wrote down many points whereas it used to be driving, and that i should admit this alerted Pine Tree State to some unhealthy driving habits i could have picked up over the years.

We were recently invited by Road Cover to attend a day of Defensive Driving at BMW and as we drove into town the driver instructor asked us to do a “running commentary” on seeing and identifying all the hazards on the road.

He wrote down several points while I was driving, and I must admit this alerted me to some bad driving habits I may have picked up over the years.

·        How would you describe or outline what's a “Bad Driving Habit”?

It's any driving technique which is illegal or not in line with international best practice.

Something one will that doesn't “gel” with what a defensive driver usually practices.

It is any regular activity which will and can hurt your safety once driving. Most of the time these habits are present without the driver even knowing about them.

A bad driving habit can be defined as any driving practice that is inherently unsafe, increases fuel consumption and/or places greater strain on a vehicle’s components leading to greater operational costs.

Most of the everyday unhealthy driving habits arise from disobeying the law. Examples of such lawlessness (illegal driving in one way or another) include rolling through stop streets, not stopping at traffic lights and speeding.

·        Are unhealthy driving habits “illegal” or just poor driving?

It is important to recognize that most crashes are the result of illegal, thoughtless and reckless driving.

There square measure a vanishingly little variety of unhealthy driving habits that don't seem to be truly amerceable.

Crashes caused by illegal actions are rare and improbable and since most drivers routinely display dozens of bad habits which break at least one traffic law, they should receive more of our attention.

For example, inadequate following distance is the direct cause of 30% of South Africa's crashes and is indirectly implicated in another 10%, including some head-on crashes and same-direction crashes which have a lack-of-visibility aspect.

But it's illegal to follow too closely! One of the 18 general duties of the driver (which every motorist is required to know prior to sitting the Learner's License Test) says that a driver: "...may not follow another vehicle additional closely than is affordable or prudent..." (NRTA Reg 308 1(b)).

·        Is it honest to mention that unhealthy habits begin even before beginning the ignition by incorrect positioning of the seat? What are the bad habits we display when sitting behind the wheel?

Most drivers tend to forget that the Rules of the Road also include stipulations as to the position behind the steering wheel.

Note the general duties of the driver which stipulate that a driver may not: "...occupy such a position that he or she does not have complete control over the vehicle or doesn't have a full read of the road and therefore the traffic previous such vehicle..." (Reg 308 1(c).

It is up to each driver to ensure they comply with the legal requirement, and they should be able to if they were paying attention while learning for their Learner's License Test.

An incorrect mindset is probably the biggest failing in before you step into the vehicle.