Happy New Year from the team at Ideal Automotive of Blaine, MN. We hope that you have had a safe and joyous holiday season. It’s the time of year for resolutions, so what do you resolve to change in 2020? What about some driving habits that are dangerous for you and your passengers?.
Dangerous Driving Behavior
People are behaving more aggressively than ever these days and it’s hard to tell why. Perhaps it’s because they have that extra-large coffee in their vehicle’s cup holder and don’t realize how much caffeine affects their moods; perhaps it’s because their stress levels are too high. No matter what the cause, aggressive driving is dangerous driving, and 94 percent of automobile accidents are caused by driver error. Of that percentage, one-third of the human errors are caused by aggression.
If you perpetually leave late each morning and speed to work, changing lanes constantly to get past slower drivers, you are driving aggressively and not in as much control of your vehicle as you may think you are. Speeding, lane weaving, tailgating, riding the brakes because you are tailgating, failing to use your turn signals, and blasting through yellow lights, red lights or stop signs are all examples of aggressive driving. Couple that with anger at other drivers and you have road rage.
Impaired or distracted driving is also dangerous driving behavior. One glass of wine with dinner does not put you above the legal limit, but it does impair your motor skills and ability to drive safely. With the advent of affordable driving services, why drink and drive anymore, even if it is just one beer? Utilizing these services ensures you aren’t the cause of an accident. Another dangerous driving habit is texting and driving. You don’t have time to react to an issue ahead if you’re eyes and hands are on your phone.
New Year’s Resolutions
So here’s where resolutions and driving go together. Does caffeine amp you? Resolve to cut back and slowly switch to decaf. You’ll be surprised how much calmer you’ll be behind the wheel. Do you leave late for work late every day? Resolve to leave early to allow for stressful commutes. Do you drink and drive or text and drive? Resolve to stop doing so because honestly, even texting hands-free distracts you, especially if your hands-free assistant keeps getting the dictated text message wrong.
Ideal Automotive wants you to have a safe and blissful 2020. We can help keep your vehicle happy with scheduled maintenance.
