Take It Down A Gear… The Stupidest Things We Do As Drivers
We think we’re perfect sometimes when we’re behind the wheel. We feel like we are unstoppable, that we have the right of way, but the fact is we are just getting worse as time goes on. The older we get, the more confident we get behind the wheel, which means that there is a point where we become too confident. This means that every time we venture out in the car, we may be the cause of a near miss, but we are quick to blame someone else for it. We can do a lot of stupid things as drivers, and, while some are blatantly obvious, here are some choice picks of the stupidest things we do as drivers.
Stupidity In The Car
Probably the stupidest thing we do in the modern world is that we drive distracted a lot of the time. Remember, your car weighs two tons, is made of heavy metal, and you are travelling at very high speeds. So, surely it makes a lot of sense to pay attention? And, the big thing now that we’re all guilty of is that we take our phones in the car with us. Remember, regardless of whether we are actively using our phones or not, that sort of pressure we have now to replying to a text can mean we are driving distracted even though we are physically looking at the road. And, even now, you see people talking on their phones while driving! Remember, by operating your phone while driving, it’s twice as likely to cause an accident as when you are drink driving! And you wouldn’t drink drive, would you? We think we are doing something as safely as possible, but even if it’s something as illegal as using your phone while driving, do you actually think you can do this safely? There’s a reason it’s illegal!
And on the topic of distracted driving, while it’s not illegal to eat while driving, depending on the country (it’s illegal in Cyprus, and can land you a €85 fine), this is probably one of the biggest methods of distracting a driver. Yes, while eating drive-thru food is very tasty, going overboard while trying to drive the same time is very dangerous. If you’re that hungry, why don’t you pull over at a service station instead? But, the thing is, as we see more people doing it, we tend to think that it’s alright.
Because we pick up bad habits as drivers, a lot of them stick, if you were to take your driving test today, do you think you would pass it? It’s very likely that one of the main culprits that would contribute to your failure would be a lack of signaling. We all remember the golden rule of mirror, signal, maneuver, but so few of us do that anymore. No doubt there have been plenty of times when you’ve been driving on a freeway or motorway that people randomly pull out in front of you, and your quick reactions prevented an accident. But, now with busier roads, it tends to be every driver for themselves. This means that we are getting more aggressive as drivers, and be more single-minded in how we drive. This means ignoring these little things that waste precious time, such as signaling. It’s common courtesy, and on the other end of the spectrum, you leaving them on can be just as dangerous, for the very obvious reason that you are signaling to your other drivers on the road and that you are going somewhere.
The Stupidest Mechanical Mistakes!
Although we know very little about the mechanics nowadays, preferring to leave it to the mechanics themselves, there are things we can do to look after our cars and make them easier to run. And it’s easier than you think! And it also helps you save a bit of money here and there, the first thing is not to cut back on your routine maintenance. The common issues that you get during a car service, such as changing the air filter, the brake fluid, or the oil, it all makes your car work better. In addition to this, if you don’t replace the important parts of the car when you need to, such as the brake pads or the tires, this could put you in a lot of danger. Luckily, there are plenty of suppliers, like TelleTire.com that know their essentials when it comes to fitting tires. You can’t skirt around the essentials, so why should you even bother? And especially with the tires, something like under-inflation can cause additional tread wear on the outer edges of the tire and therefore reduce the gas mileage. The best way to check tire wear is to make sure you do it every 3000 miles and do the penny test. This is where you put a penny into the tread. Put the penny into the tread with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you. If you can see the whole head, it’s time to replace the tires. Unfortunately this only works in America!
Have you ever seen the emergency lights come up, and think to yourself “it’ll be fine,” and carry on regardless? If you ignore the dashboard warning lights, even if the car appears to be running ok, it could lead to a lot of internal damage, or you could be putting yourself and your passengers in danger. And, as much as we like to save money, if the warning light for low fuel pops up, it’s recommended that you fill up before it gets to this point. As well as running out of gas, the fuel pump can face a lot of stress if you consistently drive a fuel injected engine on a low tank. But if you are really trying to put the stresses on your car, and you really need to know how much you can drive until your car completely runs out of gas, TankOnEmpty.com can help you solve the mystery. The stupidest thing, we do ourselves, is to ignore the general upkeep of our cars. The one part of our car where we waste a lot of money is by getting mechanics to do simple tasks that we could easily learn ourselves. Things like replacing the wiper blades or bulbs, or even fixing the air filters and fuses, these little tasks will save you so much money, that when it comes to an actual issue on the car that you need a mechanic to do, you have some spare money to pay for it.
Day To Day Stupid Mistakes
We always encounter some sort of idiot on the road, but there are things that we all do on a daily basis that aren’t just stupid but are downright infuriating…
Exhibit 1, improper parking! We’ve all experienced the annoyance of parking outside a busy supermarket, especially during the Christmas season, but there are some that don’t park within the lines, which makes your job for more difficult, especially as you have to park outside of the lines, which makes you look like the culprit! In addition to this, if you’ve got one of those expensive cars that you feel takes pride of place across two spaces, the most common sense solution is to park at the very end of the parking lot! This will cause everyone a lot less grief when they’re trying to squeeze in next to you without trying to damage your car!
Exhibit 2, not acknowledging making a mistake. Or, reacting inappropriately to an honest mistake. Courtesy on the road these days is nonexistent. So, if you make a mistake, hold your hands up (not literally, of course) and do your best to try and apologize before it turns into road wars. Likewise, if that person has made a mistake and has apologized, it’s not fair for you to give them the finger! Common courtesy seems to be lacking a little on the road these days. It seems that the roads aren’t as humane as they once were.
Exhibit 3, speeding! Come on, we’ve all been guilty of this. And, where there we’ve gone a few miles over the speed limit by accident or we are just in a rush to get home, we are not just putting her own lives in danger, but everybody else is on the road. If you’re driving on a freeway, and the speed limit has been reduced, then go that limit! It’s amazing how many drivers refuse to acknowledge this reduction in speeds. It’s been put in place because there’s a problem on the roads that could cause accidents. So if you ignore the speed limit that has been put in place because, for example, there is ice on the road, if you skid out of control, and it’s you that’s going to cause the pile up.
Not all drivers are stupid, but we are all prone to making silly little mistakes. These are some of the stupidest things that we do as drivers. And look at them; are you guilty of one of these? If so, maybe it’s time to do a little reassessing of what makes you a good, and a bad, driver.