4 Tips for Being a Better Driver

At Hawthorne Auto Square, we want everyone who drives off of our lot to keep themselves and their new car safe on the road. The good news is that learning how to become a better driver isn’t necessarily a difficult process. Below, we’ll look at a handful of driving tips that you can use to become a better driver. Follow these tips to keep yourself and your vehicle accident-free.

Stay a Safe Distance Behind Other Vehicles

Avoiding accidents is often all about reaction time. The closer you follow the vehicle in front of you, the less time you have to react if they come to a sudden stop.

It’s recommended that you stay at least three seconds behind other vehicles. What this means is that when the vehicle in front of you passes a point such as a road sign or the beginning of a bridge, it should take you at least three seconds to pass the same point. This method of gauging a safe driving distance is more effective than a set distance, not only because it is easier to determine but also because it takes into account the speed that you are traveling and adjusts your safe driving distance accordingly.

Avoid Speeding

When you start doing the math, you’ll quickly realize that speeding saves you little time at all in the end. In fact, running 65 mph in a 55 mph zone for the duration of a 30-mile trip only saves you 3.64 minutes by the time you arrive. What speeding does do, though, is greatly increase your risk of having an accident as well as your risk of getting a costly ticket. At the end of the day, the drawbacks of speeding simply far outweigh the benefits.

Put Away Distractions

Did you know that many experts have determined that distracted driving such as texting and driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving? Taking your eyes off of the road even for a second to look at your phone, a map, the radio, or another distraction can prove to be deadly. When driving, keep your eyes on the road at all times – no distraction is worth being involved in a serious accident.

Take a Defensive Driving Course

The amount of practice and training required to attain a driver’s license in the United States is minimal at best. However, if you want to pursue further driving training that will teach you how to become a better driver, there are plenty of great options available. Defensive driving courses can be taken online or on-location, and they teach you valuable information designed to keep you safer on the road. Best of all, taking a defensive driving course may also take points off your driving record and/or reduce your car insurance premium.

Conclusion

Learning how to become a better driver can keep you safe on the road and help you avoid serious accidents that could total your vehicle or worse. Of course, a big part of driving more safely is being in a vehicle that is safe and that you are comfortable driving. At Hawthorne Auto Square, we will help you get behind the wheel of the vehicle you want when other dealers can’t. To begin your search for the vehicle of your dreams, we invite you to browse through our inventory today.