124,000 collisions is a huge number and at Boyd Autobody & Glass, we believe it's a number that can easily be reduced through careful driving. So in 2012, we are promoting 12 safe driving skills – one each month – to help Canadian drivers keep our roads safe.
In July, the safe driving skill we're promoting is "Be Predictable". One reason that collisions occur is that one driver doesn't know what another driver is about to do. This can result from a number of things but the biggest factors are…
- Lack of signalling
- Inconsistent driving (erratic speeds, swerving, etc.)
- Lack of control
When two cars are going down the road and one car does something unexpected, the other car is forced to react. It could be simple (such as tapping the brakes to slow down) but sometimes the reaction needs to be more dramatic. And if the unpredictable driver is near several cars (i.e. if there are several cars on the road and all of those cars need to brake and/or swerve), the potential for a collision increases.
When you drive, your goal should be: To be the most predictable driver on the road and to make sure that every other driver around you can read your mind and know exactly what you are going to do, long before you actually do it.
Fortunately, predictable driving is such an easy skill to improve upon. Here are some ways you can improve upon your predictability:
- Signal before you change lanes or turn. Check your blind spots, too!
- Focus on the road and turn down the music and put away your cell phone.
- Keep both of your hands on the wheel.
- Maintain a consistent speed and direction while driving. An easy way to do this is to decide your speed and keep an eye on it (periodically) while driving. Stay in your lane. Watch your mirrors.
Practice this on an open highway when no one else is around. If you're on a long journey along the highway, this is a great time to work hard at staying in one lane and maintaining a constant speed. (Check periodically to see if you tend to speed up or slow down). However, the place where you will benefit the most from this is when you are on a crowded road, especially in rush hour.
And if you do get into a collision – either because you've been unpredictable or someone else was unpredictable around you – bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll get your car fixed up and back out on the road quickly and safely.
