Six skills you need when driving

It's unfortunate that most of us learn to drive when we are young and don't need to recertify throughout our lives. It might actually help to diminish some of the collisions on our roads today.

If you are a driver who wants to drive safer, here are six skills that you should work on improving:

1. Use your full field of vision: Look all around you (including blindspots) and sweep your eyes around your field of vision frequently to take everything in. Also, pay attention to your peripheral vision (most people don't) and make sure that what goes on in your periphery registers in your mind.
2. Speed of response: Good driving is all about responding to what is going on around you. The faster you respond, the better. Unfortunately, most of us get complacent as we drive (a combination of fatigue, age, and habit) but we can push through and speed up our response.
3. Learn to make quick decisions: A fast response (above) is only as good as your ability to respond in the right way. Work to improve your decision-making speed. You can do this by following the next step.
4. Know all of your options: Driving in your current lane at the current speed and assuming that no one else wants to occupy the same physical space as you is dangerous! You have several lanes to choose from, you have several speeds to choose from, and there are plenty of other drivers on the road who are not as skilled at driving as you are. Smart drivers know that they have several options at all times.
5. Anticipate: Try to figure out what other drivers are likely to do. Is there an intersection ahead? The car you're following could turn left, turn right, drive straight through, or brake. All of those options will change how you have to drive. That is anticipation.
6. Courtesy: Courtesy is a skill that needs to be honed. After years of driving and seeing the nonsense that goes on around us, it's easy for us to become less courteous. However, a courteous driver gives people plenty of space, doesn't provoke other people, and doesn't respond when provoked.

Driving with these six skills will make you a safer driver, they'll help to make your travels more enjoyable, and if we all work at improving these six skills in ourselves, our roads will be that much safer.

Unfortunately, you might come in contact with a driver who has missed out on some of these six skills. When that happens, your car pays the price. If you are in a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for fast, safe repairs to get you back on the road. The six skills are things you'll have to work on yourself but we can help to make sure the car you're driving is the best it can be.