Motorists can normally only drive around on public roads if they have passed their driving tests and been given a driving licence (unless you are Queen Elizabeth II; she is the only person in the UK legally allowed to drive in public without a driving licence).
As a driver, you have a number of responsibilities that you must adhere to even before you get behind the wheel, such as ensuring that your car is taxed, roadworthy and suitably insured. But when you are out on the road, it can become all too easy to pick up “bad habits”. If you are concerned that you might have done so too, follow these top expert tips to become a safer driver.
Consider taking an advanced driving course
Passing a driving test doesn’t mean that you are going to always demonstrate perfect driving, and, as I mentioned a moment ago, it’s easy to pick up bad driving habits during the course of your years on the road.
One way to stop any bad habits from becoming a regular occurrence is to take part in an advanced driving course, such as Pass Plus in the UK or an “advanced driver improvement” course in the United States.
Buy a better car
Although a lot of people won’t admit it, the cars they drive are totally unsuitable for their level of driving skill and experience. For example, driving a Range Rover Sport through narrow congested inner city streets can be challenging at the best of times, but if you lack confidence in your driving abilities or you just aren’t used to driving such a big car, this could spell the recipe for disaster!
There are plenty of car dealers out there such as motorlinedirect.co.uk that can help you to choose a more-suitable car for your needs, and subsequently improve your driving.
Don’t drink and drive
It is a sad statistic that a growing number of people have at least one alcoholic drink before getting behind the wheel.
Although there are rules about how much you can legally drink before being arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence [of alcohol]), every person’s body is different and some people will get “drunk” even if they have consumed fewer units of alcohol that others might still be legally safe to drive a car with.
My advice to you is simple: if you are driving, don’t have anything alcoholic to drink at all.
Plan your journey beforehand
I know there are some situations in life where you cannot plan or prepare for a journey in the car beforehand, such as in emergencies, but most of the time everyone is perfectly capable of planning their journeys before they go out on the road.
Planning and preparation essentially means ensuring that you leave enough time to travel to your destination without exceeding the speed limit, and taking into account things like traffic and roadworks.
If you are going on a long journey, make sure that your car is in a good roadworthy condition, that you have snacks and drinks with you for when you need to make a rest stop and that your mobile phone battery is fully charged before you go.