You might think you’re a safe driver. But to make sure, you should know the following three things.
1) You Should Never Drive While Distracted
Thousands of people are injured every year due to drivers driving while distracted.
Do you ever engage in distracted driving? If you answer no, take a closer look at yourself. It’s possible that you like to think you never drive while distracted but actually you sometimes do.
Driving while distracted can involve using your cell phone, eating snacks, changing the music, putting on makeup, and talking to passengers so much that you’re not fully focused on the road.
Indeed, whenever you’re distracted while driving, it means you can’t be fully alert and focused on the road and other vehicles. And that’s when accidents happen.
If you drive while distracted, you’re putting not only your own life at risk. You’re also potentially endangering other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
2) You Should Never Drive While Fatigued
Another common thing that drivers who think they’re safe drivers do is drive while tired.
If you drive while feeling fatigued, you significantly increase your chances of being in a road accident, as you won’t be fully alert.
So, if you find yourself feeling sleepy while behind the wheel of the car, you should always pull over and take a power nap.
If you feel fatigued before getting into your car, don’t get into your car. Postpone your journey until you know you’re fully awake and alert and are therefore able to be a completely safe driver.
3) You Should Never Drive While Under the Influence of Marijuana or Any Other Drugs
If you use marijuana, legally or not, it’s absolutely crucial that you don’t drive while under the influence.
We all know how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of alcohol. Driving while under the influence of drugs is no different.
While it may be more dangerous to drive while on drugs like amphetamines, driving under the influence of marijuana is still dangerous.
Many people who drive under the influence of marijuana make excuses, which they may even believe themselves, like reaction times are actually better when they are “high” on marijuana. But that simply isn’t true.
Having any drug in your system can negatively affect things like your reaction time, your alertness, your coordination, and your judgement.
And, in fact, people with marijuana in their systems face the same risk of being in a fatal crash as a driver who has a blood alcohol concentration of up to 0.15, which is three times over the legal limit.
So, never drive while under the influence of marijuana, or any other drugs. If you do, you could end up in a serious accident.
Not only could you injure yourself and others. You could also be involved with a personal injury lawsuit in which the victims pursue compensation. You should visit Dolman Law Group’s site to find out more.
Also, if you’re involved in an accident while driving under the influence of marijuana or other drugs, you could face a hefty fine, have your licence revoked, and potentially serve time in jail.
Summing Up
Being a safe driver means always driving in the way you were taught during your driving lessons and always abiding by the rules of the road.
That includes wearing your seatbelt, following the speed limit, keeping the right distance from other vehicles, merging lanes safely, giving way at intersections, and so on.
But you also need to remember to:
- Never drive while distracted.
- Never drive while feeling fatigued.
- Never drive while under the influence of drugs.
