Top 6 Safe Driving Tips

Driving is something that most people do on a daily basis. It can also be one of the most challenging and hazardous things that you will ever do in your lifetime. It's somewhat amazing that most people get nervous whenever they get on an aircraft, yet they don't think twice about getting inside an automobile and driving in congested traffic. The truth is, you're a lot more likely to have an accident in a car than you are in an airplane. When you think about all the vehicles on the road, it's easier to understand why it's imperative that you take a few safe driving tips to heart.

[ photo: en.wikipedia.org ]

With that being said, you can minimize the chances of an accident if you follow these six tips for safe driving:

1. Make Good Use of Modern-Day Safety Features

If you're driving a modern automobile, you should be a lot less likely to have an accident in the first place. Today’s cars don't just come equipped with side curtain airbags, crush zones and anti-lock braking systems. They also come with more advanced things like obstacle detection. This can make a big difference when it comes to avoiding an accident.

Cars with obstacle detection are typically able to detect that something is in the roadway and then apply the brakes long before you can even react by pushing on the brake pedal. The result is that it can prevent you from having an otherwise serious accident.

2. Use Caution When Towing

If you have the technology available, utilize the haulage safety feature on the automobile to make it safer anytime you're towing a trailer. It's equally important to remember that you should never hook up a trailer and assume that you can tow it if you don't have any experience. It takes time to learn how to drive with a trailer attached, so it's important to pay attention to factors such as these.

3. Check Your Tires

Nothing is more dangerous than driving a car with bald tires or even with tires that are either over or under-inflated. It is especially true in hot temperatures or otherwise adverse driving conditions. Make it a habit to check your tires on a regular basis and address any potential issues you find right away.

4. Keep Up with Routine Maintenance

If you don't want to break down on the side of the road, the best way to ensure that doesn't happen is to keep up with routine maintenance. Any machine that is well-maintained is less likely to experience a problem at a critical moment than one that is used and abused.

5. Drive According to Surrounding Conditions

In other words, be careful how you drive, especially in bad weather. Don't tailgate somebody else just because they’re not going as fast as you want to go. You have to slow down and mitigate your driving to meet the surrounding conditions. It's a lot better to get wherever you're going a few minutes late than it is to be involved in an accident because you're rushing.

6. Pay Attention

One of the leading causes of accidents is drivers that are doing virtually everything but driving. When you're behind the wheel of a car, this is not the time to text your friends, read your email, update your Facebook status, or apply makeup.

The only thing you need to be worrying about is driving the car. Anything that might distract you from that task can wait. It's easy to get distracted when you're driving because you do it so much, but it's of paramount importance that you don't allow this to happen because that's when most accidents occur.

One of the reasons that people don't think more about keeping themselves out of an automobile accident is because people are used to riding in cars from their earliest memories. Therefore, it's easy to become complacent. If you follow these six tips, you're a lot less likely to find yourself on the business end of an accident, and that's always a good thing.