road and not just staring at the line between lanes. You should also be monitoring the rear
view mirrors to know what is happening behind your car. By keeping yourself aware of your
surroundings you can avoid any sudden breaking or movement due to last minute surprises.
When driving always leave yourself an out if any danger appears. For example if you are
driving down the highway in the center lane right behind a car and there are cars to your
left and to your right, if the car in front of you breaks you left yourself no out. If you
don’t have an emergency out than you are relying on other drivers to drive safely and that
is never guaranteed. Never assume another driver will do something. Leaving plenty of
distance between yourself and the car in front of you will help give you more time to make
any maneuvers if necessary. Never assume other drivers are aware of you, stay out of peoples
blind spots by either slowing down or speeding up till they are able to see you. The use of
turning signals is very important in alerting other drivers of your intentions.
Speed, in all probability, is the most important of all the safe driving tips. Reckless
driving and exceeding the speed limit endangers not only yourself but everyone else on
around you on the road. Maintaining a speed near the legal limit allows you the optimum
control of the vehicle if you need to avoid anything or make any sudden maneuvers. You
should be at average traffic speed when you enter a highway and be at average speed when you
approach the exit ramp.
Before rushing up a freeway entrance ramp, look back and gauge the average speed. When you
see other cars on the entrance ramp trying to enter the highway it is common courtesy to
change lanes safely if possible to allow them to merge.
Remember to always buckle up. The seatbelt is there to keep you safe and remember it’s
against taw to not buckle up. Having said all of that, one of the most important things to
remember is to never get behind the wheel if you are fully awake, fresh, and sober. Do not
drive under the influence of anything that will slow down your reaction time and decision
making skills. A great place to learn a lot more skills and driving tips is by taking a
defensive driving course.
