We all think we’re good drivers. We don’t get tickets, we haven’t had wrecks…so we must be good drivers, right? Wrong! Just because you haven’t been caught “doing something wrong” when driving, doesn’t mean you aren’t picking up bad habits and turning yourself into a bad driver. Keep it up and you could hurt more than just your pride. Below are 10 signs you might be a bad driver.
- You might be a bad driver if you haven’t washed your windshield in a year. You can’t see clearly through a dirty windshield. The next time you’re filling up at the gas station, wash the windshield! The back one too!
- You might be a bad driver if you’re lazy with your blinker. Cars have blinkers for a reason. Blinkers indicate where you’re going. If you don’t use your blinker then others can’t anticipate what you might do next.
- You might be a bad driver if you keep your phone right next to you when driving. This makes it super tempting to check that text that just came through, or to text your friend something funny you just thought of. There’s a reason why texting and driving is illegal: it’s dangerous! Put the phone out of reach and wait until you park the car to get it out.
- You might be a bad driver if you often miss your turn. Missing your turn or forgetting to turn means you’re distracted, and if you’re distracted then you probably aren’t a good driver. Focus on the road and on the traffic around you and put all other thoughts, except “Oh I should turn here” out of your mind.
- You speed up to get through yellow lights. Come on, we’ve all done this, sure, but we all know we shouldn’t. The yellow light means, “Hey this light is about to turn red so you should probably slow down.” It gives you a moment to slow down and stop; if the light just suddenly went from green to red, we’d all be slamming on our brakes!
- You have no idea when you last changed the oil. The little sticker from the dealership fell off and now you have no idea when you last had any maintenance done on your car. What’s that? Yes, your car needs maintenance and you should know when to get it!
- You don’t know whether or not your car has a blind spot. If you don’t know, that means you never check your side mirrors before changing lanes and that’s super dangerous! If you do have a blind spot, you need to actually glance behind you before changing lanes. Otherwise you’re asking for an accident.
- People leave notes on your car about your parking ability…and they’re not congratulating you. Parking can be tough, especially in a crowded parking lot. But it’s important to become a good parker so that you don’t end up with dented doors from parking too close. You also don’t want to anger anyone around you because you’ve parked so close to them that they can’t get in their car. Don’t be that person.
- You drink and drive. You know driving under the influence is against the law and could cause harm to you or someone else, but you still think you’re fine to drive. If you’ve had more than one drink there’s a chance you’re not fine at all. Best to play it safe and either drink at home or call an Uber.
- Whenever you offer to drive, people say, “No, that’s ok…I like driving!” Clearly people don’t want to ride with you and there’s a reason. If your friends and family refuse to let you drive, you’d better ask them why. They may be able to spare you a car accident or a rude gesture from another driver one day.