10 Tips for Becoming a Safer Driver In Fort Worth, TX

The best way to reduce your chance of having an accident while driving is to know how to drive safely. Regardless of the time of the year or the weather conditions outside, there are always risks and hazards to encounter. This list of 10 tips will help you become a safer driver. View our extensive inventory of new Hyundai vehicles or give us a call at 817-367-4000 to learn more today!

Becoming A Safe Driver Guide in Fort Worth, TX

1. Stick to Speed Limits

Controlling your speed and sticking to the speed limit is arguably the best way to ensure safety on the road. When driving at higher than recommended speeds, you risk both your own safety and that of other drivers. Going too fast is a source of many road accidents. From losing control of your vehicle to increasing the severity of accidents to increasing the distance needed to stop the vehicle, speeding carries a lot of risks that aren’t worth getting to your destination faster.

2. Adapt to Weather Conditions

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The safest drivers maintain an awareness of the current weather conditions and adapt their driving as needed. During fog or heavy rain, regardless of the time of the day, it’s important to turn on your headlights.

Cold weather brings its own unique driving challenges. Make sure you de-ice your windows and mirrors during exceptionally cold weather. Increase the distance between your car and other cars on the road in colder weather because it takes longer to stop the vehicle during these conditions.

3. Avoid Tailgating

Tailgating occurs when you don’t leave enough distance between your vehicle and the driver in front of you. Tailgating is a common cause of many non-fatal road accidents. The most common accident is a rear-end collision, which very often results in whiplash injuries to the driver and passengers of the car that was rear-ended.

The safest driving behavior that prevents tailgating is following the three-second rule. This rule of thumb says that to avoid tailgating incidents in normal conditions, keep a distance of three seconds between your car and the car in front to give that car sufficient stopping distance. You should consider increasing from three seconds to six seconds during adverse weather conditions.

4. Stay Alert

A large number of motor accidents in the evening or night time happen when a driver becomes fatigued and loses the ability to stay alert. The driver experiences brief episodes of sleep known as microsleeps, which can last from a fraction of a second to half of a minute. During a microsleep, you fail to respond to sensory input, which is incredibly dangerous while driving.

If you ever find yourself feeling drowsy or fatigued while driving, the best advice is to find a suitable place to stop and take a 30-minute nap. Caffeinated beverages can help you maintain alertness, however, you should prioritize rest before considering a cup of coffee or a soda.

5. Turn Your Phone on Silent

Safe driving commands your full attention, and having your mobile phone constantly pinging with notifications is bound to be a distraction. Make sure you put your phone on silent mode while driving. It’s highly unlikely any notification or text message you receive is more important than safeguarding your life and the lives of other people on the road.

Better still, put your phone out of sight while driving so that the temptation to check messages while stopped at a red light doesn’t arise. Many modern smartphones even have an autoresponder feature that replies to text messages and informs your contacts that you’re currently driving.

6. Regularly Check Your Mirrors

The safest drivers know that their mirrors are invaluable tools for staying safe on the road. Mirrors are your most important visual driving aid, and you should regularly check them. The interior mirror lets you see what’s going on directly behind you. The exterior wing mirrors are useful for seeing what’s going on to the sides of your vehicle outside of your peripheral vision. Some common driving scenarios for checking mirrors include before moving off, before changing direction, and before changing speed.

7. Anticipate Mistakes

The safest drivers tend to take a pessimistic perspective about what might go wrong while on the road. You might be an optimist at heart, but when you’re driving, it’s generally wise to assume that the worst can happen at any minute. The ability to anticipate mistakes can prevent getting into accidents. The truth is that you don’t know whether other drivers are safety-conscious or knowledgeable about safe driving. You can resume your normal sense of optimism as soon as you safely get to your destination.

8. Check Tire Pressure

Underinflated tires continue to cause a large number of road accidents. Tire-related road accidents frequently happen when tires lose pressure and become underinflated. Drivers who fail to check their tire pressure can’t know about this underinflation and take action to remedy it. The danger of underinflated tires is that they reduce grip on the road, making your vehicle more likely to skid. A good rule of thumb is to check your tire pressure once per month.

9. Refresh Your Knowledge

The exact driving rules vary across different states, and it’s useful to refresh your knowledge of those rules annually. The Department of Motor Vehicles publishes an official driver’s manual for each state. If you don’t have a copy of your state’s manual, you can view it online. Some particularly useful areas to refresh your knowledge in are road signs and road markings because it’s vital to understand exactly what they mean.

10. Don’t Gamble on Amber Lights

If you’re driving and you see an amber traffic light, it can be tempting to speed up to beat the lights and avoid stopping for a red light. Every time you speed up to beat an amber light, you are taking a huge risk. It’s best to just accept the fact that you’ll have to wait a couple of minutes extra.

Apply these tips to become a safer driver, and you’ll protect yourself and other road users. Don’t forget that a big part of ensuring road safety is getting your vehicle regularly serviced. Check out our services page for more information.