The Safe Driver

5 things drivers think they’re good at, but generally aren’t

There’s no question that driving a vehicle is dangerous thing to do. It seems that many drivers ignore the risks of driving and take chances that jeopardize their safety and the safety of those around them. It seems that a lot of it is a false sense of competence. They think they’re good at specific skills when in fact, they aren’t. Is it pride that’s holding them back from really being a good driver or are some people naïve to what a good driver really needs? Here are 5 things drivers think they’re good at, but generally aren’t.

Multi-tasking while driving

Shortly after the invention of the modern automobile, there seemed to be some form of distraction the driver would have to face. It’s gotten so bad that governments had to make it a law to stop drivers from performing some form of distraction while operating the vehicle. However, there are so many drivers out there who feel they can drive just as well distracted as they can without being distracted. Maybe they just don’t fully understand the risks.

Taking your eyes off the driving environment for 5 seconds to read a short text message is all it takes to become involved in a collision. Yes, sometimes another vehicle comes into your lane and you may feel that you have to blame them, but if you were paying attention, you would have been able to make simple adjustments to avoid them. If you were asked to close your eyes for 5 seconds while driving I’m pretty certain you would not want to do that. What’s the difference between not looking at the driving environment because your eyes were close or because you were looking at your phone? Nothing. Put your phone away.

Following the rules of the road

Yes, while learning to drive everyone had to learn the rules of the road and follow them during their driving test. But for some reason, drivers feel they no longer have to do that. Rolling stops and speeding seem to be the big ones that many drivers get upset about if they get caught by the police and ticketed. No one is above the law, including the driving laws. If you did actually stop your vehicle, you wouldn’t get a ticket and if you left early enough you most likely wouldn’t feel compelled to speed to try to ‘make up lost time’ to get where you’re going. By the way, that never really happens.

For some drivers, they may actually think they’ve stopped, but their brain has played tricks on them. If you think about it, there is actually an order when you come to a stop sign or a red light when you want to turn right on red. First you stop, then you check to see if it’s clear, and if it’s clear, you go. Simple. If you check to see if the intersection is clear before coming to a stop, it can fool your mind. Your mind tells you it’s clear to go, so you go. You’ve skipped past the first step of ensuring you’ve fully stopped, but without realizing it.

To make sure you’re making a complete stop, you want to feel the weight of the vehicle come to a stop. Once that has happened, that’s when you can check the intersection to see if the way is clear of all vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. That’s how you really know that you’ve stopped. If you just feel you want to roll through the stop, you’re part of the problem, not the solution.

Following distance and reaction time

I’ve been involved professionally with road safety for 35 years and driving vehicle for over 40 years and even back when I started, following distance was not measured in car lengths. It’s based on time, yet drivers follow too closely thinking they can stop in time when the driver ahead of them hits their brakes quickly and firmly. They can’t. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rear crashes are the type of crashes that occur the most frequently. These types of collisions are responsible for about 29 percent of all car collisions nationwide.

In order to stop when the vehicle in front of you is stopping, you must first see the need to brake (perception time), then take your foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal and push (reaction time). The last step is getting your vehicle stopped in time (stopping time). This is all based on time, not car lengths. Would it be fair to say that it takes you longer to stop when you’re going faster? Then why do drivers feel that 2 car lengths is fine at city speeds and at highway/freeway speeds? It’s not.

Controlling their speed

Yes, during your driving test you had to show how well you control your speed. However, once people get their driver’s license, they feel that exceeding the speed limit is ok. For many, speeding has become the normal. But if you think about it, many people will speed…toward a red light mostly. Most others will also speed toward slower traffic. If you think about it, you’re catching up to other vehicles so you can brake and slow down. Doesn’t really make sense now does it?

It’s much understanding the fact that the faster you drive, the longer stopping distance you have. It also means that drivers who have not judged your increased speed may still pull out directly in front of you. That could easily cause a collision. To say you have control of your vehicle while speeding is reckless considering you also share the road with many other road users.

Consider this; speeding is more than just breaking the law. The consequences of speeding include greater potential for loss of vehicle control, a reduced effectiveness of the occupant protection equipment, an increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger, an increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries, and an increased fuel consumption and cost. After all of this, you still think speeding is a good driving choice?

Taking chances in poor weather conditions

When the weather gets bad, adjusting to the conditions makes sense and that includes slowing down. For the drivers who say they have full control of their vehicle, let me remind you of physics. With slippering conditions, sometimes even the best winter tires won’t help you maintain your traction. Slowing is what the responsible driver does. Unfortunately, not everyone gets that. Also, having an all-wheel drive vehicle isn’t an excuse for driving fast in bad weather.

Having confidence is a good thing, but it can also lead to over-confidence. Stay within your abilities. Sometimes our own knowledge and lack of knowledge fuels us for taking risks. We may not realize just how bad a driver we are. It’s okay to change your ways. Take the courage to admit you may not be as good as you think. That’s the first step to improve.