3 common driving habits that increase crash risk

The vast majority of motor vehicle collisions occur due to poor choices made by individual drivers. In some cases, people make obviously unsafe decisions, such as posting to social media while driving or driving home after drinking quite a bit at a party.

Other times, the decisions that lead to collisions are smaller and may not seem particularly dangerous. Habits that people develop over years of driving without incident may cause a preventable collision. Which driving habits have a strong likelihood of increasing collision risk?

1. Regularly speeding

Speed limits technically represent the fastest that vehicles should travel on a road when conditions are favorable. Many people treat the speed limit as the minimum speed on a road.

They may exceed the speed limit whenever they drive, even during times of inclement weather. Higher speeds make it harder for people to stop and maneuver when road conditions are unfavorable or when something abruptly changes ahead of them in traffic. Excess speed can also increase the severity of the crash that occurs.

2. Eating and drinking while driving

Most people understand that texting or using social media while driving is dangerous. They avoid those behaviors or at least try to minimize them. Other forms of distraction may not seem as risky to motorists.

People often think they can enjoy their morning cup of coffee on their way to work or a fast-food lunch on the way to a client meeting. Eating and drinking force people to take at least one hand off of the wheel. They have to split their visual attention and mental focus. A cup of coffee or a cheeseburger can be as dangerous as a text message for someone driving a motor vehicle.

3. Turning without a signal

Turn signals are mandatory designer features in all modern vehicles for a reason. Drivers need to be able to communicate with one another and to accurately predict what other people intend to do in traffic.

It is relatively common for drivers to forego turn signal use, especially at intersections that they pass through regularly. Unfortunately, communication issues can easily result in preventable collisions. Drivers who don’t know that someone else intends to turn can make the wrong decision about their own conduct in traffic.

Identifying seemingly minor choices that can turn into dangerous habits may help people optimize their safety on the road. Those involved in motor vehicle collisions may need to hold others accountable for the behaviors that contributed to the crash. Lawsuits and insurance claims may be viable options when drivers don’t follow best practices on the road.

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