Jan 30 2011 January 30, 2011 March 5, 2017 NoComment by safedriver

What’s on your driving to-do list?

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I often make to-do lists at home and at the office. It helps me stay in control of my day. I really hate forgetting things that I need to do because it puts me behind the next day. It’s also frustrating when it was an important thing to do and I totally forgot to do it. Do you ever feel the same way when you’ve forgotten to do something? Are you a to-do list type of person as well?

As a driver I also have a to-do list. There are certain things I need to do each time I get to my vehicle. After making sure there’s nothing around my vehicle that may hinder my movement, I get into the vehicle and ensure there are no loose items laying around. Loose items can be distracting as I drive and the harder items can also become projectiles that can not only distract me, but injure either myself or my passengers. This is always on my list to-do when I enter my vehicle.

One of the things on my to-do list while driving is ensuring I always have enough gas in my vehicle. Once I get to around a quarter tank of fuel, I fill up. I make sure it’s on my to-do list so I’m no inconvenienced or, have to put my life at risk and become stranded somewhere because I forgot to stop at the gas station. Planning when and where to stop for gas is always on my to-do list.

Checking the traffic reports early in the morning is always on my to-do list. If traffic is heavy, or if the weather is bad, it always slows down the traffic and takes us longer to reach our destination. Checking the traffic reports means I can adjust my route to find a quicker way to my destination, and it also means I can leave sooner and not feel rushed. Feeling rushed means I may not be thinking clearly and for some driver, it means they’ll take chances. Keep that on your to-do list.

Driving in traffic is always risky, so I always try to have a place to escape to in case of trouble. That has always been on my to-do list that I rarely need to add it any longer. Keeping space around your vehicle should be every driver’s to-do list. If it is, they can avoid the crashes that cause thousands of lost lives each year and thousands upon thousands of injuries. Hey, the added bonus is that if you avoid these crashes, your insurance rates may drop.

I think there’s a good one to add to my to-do list; save money. Driving economically is always a good thing. I’d rather spend my money on things I like, not things I need. Saving fuel costs, maintenance cost and insurance costs can be easily done if you think logically while driving and have a plan. Learning to use gentle pressure on the pedals will help you do all of those things.

I think my to-do list is full now. How did you do with yours?