Watch Your Attitude! - How to Be a Good Driver

Driving in America is a right and a privilege. But every driver, needs to know the rules of the road, how to prevent accidents and be a good motorist. Legal experts Kelly & Soto Law, who handle accident cases, will tell you that driving ability is not usually the reason for accidents, it is other factors including your attitude behind the wheel, and your knowledge of your auto. Being a good and safe driver requires some practice, and you paying attention to important things when you are behind the wheel of an automobile. It may seem like extra work, but your reward will be safer commutes and a reduction in your insurance premiums. Here are some areas to master to become a better, safer driver:

Have the Right Approach to Driving

If you ask the average driver about their driving skill, they are likely to answer that they are one of the best drivers on the road, but that other drivers are terrible. This attitude leads to most not changing habits that are often dangerous and prone to cause accidents. It is important to manage your attitude when driving. Your general driving personality should be calm and collected and confident but not cocky. When you drive you should expect to be a part of near accidents and you will often observe drivers not following the legal rules of the road. Someone will cut you off, not signal a turn, or drive erratically. And, sometimes their behavior will affect you and your desire to drive safely.

Keep in mind that these situations are all part of the imperfect art of driving. Things will constantly go wrong to some degree. Knowing this, you should work your way in and out of situations you observe coolly and when that issue has passed you, be prepared to let it go and pay attention to what is in front of you and in your near vicinity. Too often drivers get angry about something that has happened to them or others on the road, and it greatly affects how they drive. If you allow this to happen with you, it won't matter how much knowledge or skill you have, because you won't be calm enough to use them.

There will also be some emergency situations on the road. Maybe icy road conditions create a hazard, there is an accident in the way, or someone is swerving across lanes. In these situations, again the best approach is to stay calm and assess your best course of action. Do you slow down, pull to the side of the road, or makes some other choice? Whatever the answer, you will make the best choice when you are calm.

Being well-mannered to other drivers is also very important. That means coexisting with all other road users, including motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Getting distressed, edgy and heated can have disastrous penalties.

Understand How to Best Operate Your Car

An automobile is a complicated machine that can be fun, exhilarating utilitarian and dangerous, all sometimes within the same car trip. Your job as its driver is to understand how best to operate your car and avoid trouble situation. Does your car have a very powerful engine or is it underpowered. In either case you need to appreciate how to best operate it. Do the brakes work a certain way in order to get the most out of them and what about tricks you may need to employ to accurately see other cars in your vicinity? The understanding of these and other attributes of your auto can make you a better driver. Using your cars mechanics to your and its best abilities will not only place far less stress on the mechanics of a vehicle, but it will give you a sense of confidence behind the wheel.

A popular approach to driving is called “Defensive Driving”, where you recognize and react recognize and reacting to potential situations before they happen. To successfully be a defensive driver, you need to pay attention, anticipate what other drivers might do, and again understand how to manipulate your vehicle because reaction time is key.

A good driver is someone who respects his auto, the other drivers, pedestrians, and the rules of the road. On the road, he pays attention to what is going on and reacts with a calm and level head to tough situations. Good drivers benefit everyone on the road. If you can keep this in mind when you are behind the wheel, there is no doubt you will be a good driver.