We all have bad habits. We also know they are hard to break, but they can be broken if we think about them, make a concerted effort to avoid them, and eventually break them.
You might think that other people have more bad habit than you do whenever you get into your car to go for a ride or go to work. The truth is that everyone suffers from so many different bad driving habits that you probably have a few yourself, and you don’t even know it.
Here are some of the worst driving habits that people – including you and me – have:
Shifting into drive or reverse while your vehicle is moving:
You want to back into a parking space or you are backing out of a parking spot. You pull forward or back out and just before you come to a complete stop, you shift into drive or reverse so that you can drive away or complete your parking routine.
A lot of people do this, but it could be ruining your transmission. It might not destroy it on the spot, but it’s a small thing that could cause damage little by little. Whether you have an automatic or manual transmission, make sure to stop the vehicle completely before you start to move in the opposite direction.
Stopping at a yield sign:
On and off ramps are designed to allow you to get your vehicle up to speed so you can safely merge onto a highway. Not merging at the appropriate speed will make it harder for you to merge and will cause a huge safety risk to yourself and others.
This happens more often than it should, and even though the people stopping at a yield sign truly believe it’s helping them, it is causing more safety issues than if they were to force themselves to merge in the first place.
Exceptions to this are when there is no merge lane or if there is a combination entry and exit lane and stopping is absolutely necessary to prevent an accident.
Driving with two feet:
The only acceptable time to drive with two feet is if you have a vehicle with a manual transmission. In this case, the left foot has to operate the clutch while the right foot is responsible for the gas and the brake.
In an automatic vehicle, your left foot should never be on the brake. Even the slightest touch of the brake could cause the vehicle to slow or could apply the brakes loosely, which can cause premature brake wear. You will know if someone else could be doing this if you see them accelerating, but you can clearly see their brake lights illuminated.
Failing to use a turn signal:
Not using a turn signal is illegal, and in many cases, dangerous. It is also one of the most commonly neglected driving functions that people don’t execute. It would make sense that it is commonly neglected because it is so simple, but then again, it is also one of the simplest tasks to do while driving.
Turn signals are there for a reason: Use them!
Not using the parking/emergency brake:
Another forgotten vehicle operation task is using the emergency/parking brake when you park. It will save your transmission, even when the vehicle is turned off. Additionally, it is good practice to use the parking brake even if your vehicle is on a level surface.
Of course, the emergency brake is also there as an added safeguard against roll-away for when you get out of your vehicle after parking on an incline, yet many people still don’t use the parking brake.
Driving too slowly:
A lot of people don’t have this problem. And in fact, most people will probably tell you that they usually drive too fast. Despite this, there are many people who are overly cautious and drive below or even at the speed limit.
This is OK when there are few vehicles on the roadway, but driving under or at the speed limit on a very busy road or highway can be even more dangerous than driving too fast. Keeping up with traffic can be very beneficial to your safety, even if traffic is driving five or ten miles per hour over the speed limit.
Driving hard when the vehicle isn’t warmed up:
Engines are designed to be durable under extreme conditions. But, subjecting your engine to extreme conditions on a daily basis will decrease an engine’s life dramatically. One way people do this is by starting up their vehicle then speeding off immediately.
Modern engines don’t have to idle for long in order to be completely fine to drive, but they also need some time to warm up before you really floor it. Oil temperature should be warm enough to circulate freely through the engine, and damage could occur if the engine is running fast and the oil can’t properly do its job.
Hurrying between red lights/stop signs:
If you live in a town or city where there are stop signs or red lights at each block, there is no need to get up to speed before coming to a complete stop again. This wears on a vehicle’s transmission. It also uses more fuel as the transmission is forced to do more work.
If you know you will have to stop again in a few feet, save your transmission and take your time.
Distracted driving:
This is worst habit that drivers face today. Most people know what it is, so nothing much needs to be said. But we can still remind you to put away your phones, to not eat breakfast on your way to work, and to leave the thing you dropped on the floor until you get to where you are going.
There are so many bad habits that all of us have when driving. So many could go on this list, and most of us are probably aware of the habits we do have.
Some of these are not so common, which is why we included them here. Hopefully this helps us all break the habits we have that make the road just a little more dangerous for ourselves and others.
And just remember, all the safety systems we have in vehicles today aren’t designed to allow us to keep our bad habits going. They are designed to help us be safer after we’ve kicked all the bad habits we still have.
