Five signs you’re actually a bad driver without realising – including ‘being too nice’
A DRIVING expert has shared five signs that you could be a bad driver without even realising it – including being “too nice”.
Even when it seems like other road users are being difficult, you could actually still be in the wrong.
Motoring influencer Bladed Angel ran through some of the most common errors in a video on his YouTube channel.
He said: “I just came back from a trip going…over 5,000 miles.
“It reminded me just how many bad drivers there still are.”
Being ‘territorial’
The first thing to keep in mind is not to fall into the habit of “territorial driving“.
It’s easy to get caught up in who has priority in a particular situation, but driving aggressively to protect your spot on the road can cause more trouble than it’s worth.
The car whizz used the example of two lanes merging into one on a main road.
Many drivers might be tempted to block those in the “wrong” lane from filtering in as it feels like they are “pushing in“.
But these merger situations are designed to work like a “zipper” on a jacket where both sides integrate smoothly.
It’s on you to make sure you leave enough space in front and behind to allow the two lanes to combine while everyone maintains a consistent speed.
Hit the brakes
One habit that’s common among nervous drivers is to hold on the brakes for a few seconds after a traffic light turns green.
This can happen either because the driver at the front of the queue is distracted or even simply because people are worried about the car in front of them stopping suddenly, so they leave an excessive gap.
Unfortunately, this creates a “chain reaction” where everyone queuing at the light pauses for longer than is needed after the light changes.
This disrupts the flow of traffic and creates more jams, as well as being unpredictable and aggravating for other motorists.
Trading places
The third issue Bladed Angel pointed out was poor drivers failing to understand how “lane trading” works.
This is when there are two cars travelling along a multi-lane road and each wants to change into the lane the other is in.
Similar to territorial driving, many will try to speed up to try and muscle into the place they want to be.
However, there is a proper way to handle the switch.
Whoever is in the left-hand lane (i.e. the slower lane) should slow down to let the driver on the outside pull into their lane, even if it means slowing down drivers behind them.
Once the other motorists starts to pull into the inside lane, the car already there can pull out behind them to the outside before overtaking again.
Being too nice
The other side of the coin to territorial driving is being “too nice” and too timid when you’re on the road.
As a driver, the key is to be as predictable and consistent as possible.
It may be very polite to let pedestrians cross or other cars pull out when you don’t have to – but it can also be dangerous.
Those driving behind you will likely be looking ahead and, if they don’t see any reason to stop or slow down, they won’t be prepared if you do.
If they then rear-end you, you could face a repair bill of thousands.
And your insurance provider can also determine that the crash was caused by your unpredictable behaviour and decline to pay out.
In the mood
Finally, you must never let your own mood or personal issues dictate how you drive.
As with being too nice, it’s always best to stay predictable.
If you drive more aggressively because you are angry, you’re far more likely to cause a collision.
In the event that you feel your driving is affected by your mood, and especially if you are impaired by fatigue or drowsiness, pull over at the next safe rest stop and take a break of at least 15 minutes.
Official advice is to take a 15-minute rest per two hours of driving.