Most people generally consider themselves to be good drivers. However, when tens of thousands of people are killed and millions are injured each year on the nation’s roads, you must admit that most drivers have room for improvement. Good professional driving is challenging, but if you slow down and add space you will have a better ability to control your driving situation.
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
All drivers have an excuse as to why their driving is bad from time to time, and why they are not following the rules of the road—excuses why they need to use their cell phone while driving, why they’re speeding or why they’re following too closely. In fact, most people can actually be quite creative, and downright humorous, when they are trying to explain their actions:
- “I couldn’t stop for the red light…I was going too fast.”
- “I’m not wearing a seat belt because I keep getting in and out of the vehicle and it’s a nuisance.”
- “I was keeping up with the flow of the traffic. They were speeding, so I was speeding.”
- “I just plain forgot about the law.”
We often make excuses so quickly and with so little thought that we fail to realize just how risky our actions can be. If we’re lucky, we are able to learn the danger of using excuses to justify unsafe driving without experiencing permanent consequences. Luck, however, is just not something we can depend on to keep us safe on the road and, all too often, our excuses have tragic results.
Much of the problem lies in complacency. When you’ve been performing the same task over a long period of time, it’s only human nature to become lax about the proper methods and techniques to follow. But when it comes to driving, there are always new hazards and challenges to address and new situations waiting just around the corner. Becoming lax about driving can be a risky proposition.
Make The Safe Choice
There’s no excuse for bad driving. It’s as simple to obey the rules as it is to disobey them, and the choices you make can change your life, as well as the lives of others, in the blink of an eye.
Whenever driving a vehicle, your ultimate goal is to arrive safely at your destination, so your focus needs to be on the task at hand. You must constantly remind yourself of the awesome responsibility you have to other people, as well as yourself, and what can happen as a result of unsafe acts. Choose to obey the rules of the road each and every time you get behind the wheel because it’s the right and safe thing to do. And remember, slowing down and adding space are two simple solutions that will help to reduce your driving errors or the errors of other motorists.
