A study questioned 1,000 drivers across the UK and discovered that more than half of Brits (52%) have picked up some potentially dangerous driving habits.
As you can see, many people have picked up bad driving habits over the years, whether it’s driving with one hand or forgetting to check all of our mirrors before we pull off. The problem is that bad driving habits can be dangerous and worse, lead to accidents. The good news is that there are effective ways to fix bad driving habits and return to the glory days of being a new driver following all of the important road rules.
The other problem with bad driving habits is that they can also damage your car. Something a lot of us do is wiggle the gear stick or pull the handbrake up without pressing the button in. You know you are probably guilty of this. The problem is that something as simple as that can cause a lot of damage to your car in the long run and probably cost you a lot of money!
When it comes to forming habits, it’s usually assumed that these will never go away or that they are impossible to get out of. While that can often be the case, we are sharing our top tips to help you break away from bad driving habits.
Here are the top bad driving habits we see and how to fix them!
Holding the Gearstick
This one is for our one-handed drivers – you know who you are!
We are all guilty of doing this at some point. Cruising along with one hand resting on the gearstick is convenient, right? You don’t have to keep moving your hand to change gears and it’s quite comfortable. The problem is that when you put pressure on the gearstick, you are actually damaging your transmission. It might not seem as though you are putting any pressure, but you are applying pressure to the selector fork which can cause excessive wear and tear.
Braking Last Minute
Sometimes braking at the last minute just cannot be avoided, but we should avoid doing it at all possible opportunities. Many of us have a tendency to brake late, especially at roundabouts. Most of us assume we can make it without braking and then at the last minute, we need to hit the brakes. The problem with braking at the last minute is the wear and tear it puts on your brakes, meaning you will need to change them a lot sooner.
Driving Too Fast Over Speedbumps
No one likes speedbumps. The constant slowing down and changing gears can be annoying, but they are there for a reason. Speedbumps are not there to annoy you; they are there to make you aware of your speed in built-up areas. Sometimes we might find ourselves not slowing down enough for speedbumps. The problem is that we are not only driving at a dangerous speed for the area but also causing a lot of damage to your car’s suspension.
Fixing Bad Habits
It’s never easy to stop doing something that you do every single day. Change is difficult, but in this instance, change is necessary. If you find yourself guilty of one of the bad driving habits above, try these few tips!
- Avoid distractions – you will be more aware of what you are doing
- Drive slower – we aren’t saying drive dangerously slow, but driving a little bit slower will give you more time to think and prepare
- Prepare yourself before you pull off – set your sat nav, put your phone in a safe place, and make yourself comfortable.
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