We've all been there. We've all been ashamed at accelerating at the wrong light, making the turn without signalling, texting while driving and getting called out for it by other drivers- it's not something that we as drivers would like to go through again.
And it's not even the shame that's the big problem about this- it's that for a moment, you've endangered yourself, your passengers (if you have any), and your fellow motorists on the road. Safety should be your #1 priority whenever you drive and if you missed that, it's time to do better, and permanently, next time.
Here are some of our most common driving mistakes that we think some of you have gone through, or might go through in the future, and how you can fix them quickly AND immediately to improve your driving (and to get honked at less often, hopefully never again).
1. Stop fiddling with your phone
We've all done it. Whether it was an emergency or you were just looking up something on your social networks, or maybe even looking up some directions on your phone's GPS app, don't ever, ever have a phone on one hand while you're driving.
Whatever the reason, don't ever use your mobile phone while driving. We've mentioned it before so many times, but the average text message where you have your eyes glued on your phone, on average, will have you driving blind for a few seconds.
if you really need to get in touch with someone, park your car before putting all your attention on your phone.
The quick fix: Put your phone in the glove compartment. If not, get yourself a car phone holder so that you're not keeping your eyes on your phone, but you have it on the road where it matters.
2. Driving with under-inflated/over-inflated tires
You might have heard about someone saying that driving with over-inflated tires help you make the most out of your gas; and you might have heard that driving under-inflated gives you the best traction possible.
We're here to say that that myth has been busted already so many different times, with experiments to boot. A quick search online should show you some compelling results to never do any of both, as it'll just end up costing you more in the future
The quick fix: Just stop doing it, and like we said, do a quick search about it to educate yourself. While you're at it, get a TPMS, or a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System. It's relatively cheap, and lets you know just how well your tyres are inflated, and how hot you're running them (which, to point out, temperature is a factor for your tyre's inflation too).
3. Driving with broken LED tail lights
You might not have noticed it, or it might have messed up in the middle of your drive; but signalling while driving is incredibly important and it prevents accidents. Without it, you're turning right and left and braking without any proper notification to the driver behind you.
Without these LED tail lights, we're sure to have lots more accidents on the road, and nobody wants that.
The quick fix: Get it fixed as soon as you can. Get it replaced with something brand new, like a new LED tail light. Looking for one? Get your brand new LED tail light here today.
4. Driving without insurance
It's basically illegal to drive around without insurance in AU, but our recommendation- get a higher coverage for insurance. Anything can happen out on the road, and having insurance covers a lot of problems that you could come across. If you're driving around without it, you're risking both life, limb and finances and it is not highly recommended.
The quick fix: Get yourself some insurace. And just in case- get a dash cam for your vehicle. It doesn't matter what kind of dash cam- just get one for yourself, if you don't have one yet.
Looking for a great dash cam? We've got tons of them right here at Elinz. Get yours here today.
5. Not having a reversing camera
You might think that you have backing up covered competely, but you should know that a car has about 1.8 m of a blind spot- almost as huge as the car. Like we said before, anything can fit into that aforementioned 1.8m blind spot. It can be a small animal, it can be a kid, it can be an obstacle like a fire hydrant or a concrete barrier- it can be anything!
And judging what you bump into, there could be massive repercussions, both financially and physically.
The quick fix: Get a reversing camera for yourself. Even mainstream car manufacturers are wisening up- they're starting to manufacture reversing camera for newer cars. If you're not buying a new car anytime soon or if you really like your current vehicle right now
6. Driving without getting enough sleep or rest
Plenty of us drive around tired and that is normal- but if you're driving on zero sleep for the last 24 hours and you do that occasionally, it's time to stop. For proper context, and just to scare you all a little straight- being awake for 17 hours and driving around is comparable to being tipsy with 0.5 blood alcohol level; a few points off actually being drunk (which 0.8-0.10) according to the Australian Center for Sleep Research and the NSW Centre For Road Safety.
Driving through this will lull you to sleep even further, so you'll need all the focus you can get.
The quick fix: Get plenty of rest before driving. If not, then you're better off getting a cab- that cab fare is a lot less expensive than the thousands you'll probably spend in the hospital after a car crash, and thousands more to get a new car or repair the one you might crash with if you continue to drive around sleep-deprived.
Another thing that should scare you straight- a dual dash cam that can record what's happening inside your car too.
7. Occasionally speeding
Just because a certain area allows you to speed up to a certain speed, doesn't mean you should push those limits. If you feel that you're speeding up too often, it's time to get a little bit of control over your driving.
Now this is harder to actually recognize on your own, so here's a solid tip from us..
The quick fix: A dash cam should also help fix this problem. Go for a regular drive, and make sure that your dash cam is recording your daily driving routine. You should be able to see how you drive, and the footage should show you if you're driving recklessly, and if you need to make a change.
There you go folks- we hope to do more of these in the future to help keep you safe out there on the road. If you have any suggestions on what we should include next, send us a quick message via our Facebook page or let us know here via our website.
All items mentioned above are available via the links, and make sure to get yours today and stay safe out there on the road!
