What are the traits of bad drivers? Are you a bad driver?

We have encounters with various people with different personalities daily. The same can be said when you are driving as you will meet various other drivers on the road with different driving styles. Your personality has an impact on the way you drive. Taking driving lessons isn’t only there to teach you the fundamentals of driving and the rules of the road but to also teach you to become a good and responsible driver. That said, if being a good driver is following rules, then what does it mean if you are a bad driver? We will answer that and more as we tackle the common traits of bad drivers.

All cars come with signal lights they are required to come with them by law. They serve the purpose of informing other drivers where you want to go and if you are a hazard on the road. There are drivers out there that do not use this feature in their vehicles. Unless you are a mind reader or a psychic it becomes tough to see where another driver might be going without the use of these features. Using your signal lights can tell people where you want to go so they can adjust accordingly and avoid accidents. Remember you don’t lose anything by using your indicators or signal lights, people might not let you in immediately when merging through traffic but it's always best to make your intentions about merging clear.

Lane markings are there for a reason as it helps maximize the limited space that cars have and share with other forms of transportation on the road. If you take up two of these lanes or are too slow to choose which one to go into then you can end up causing traffic or worse an accident. This holds especially true if you pair this without signaling. When driving it's best to stick to your lane as much as possible unless you have to overtake or if you are about to turn. Remember you are not the only one using the road and you don’t own it so it's best to lessen the hassle and keep the flow of traffic moving. 

We get it the allure of speed is always there, it's something primal in us that just sparks joy when you are behind the wheel of a powerful vehicle. There are real lives involved and real consequences that can happen. If you are prone to road rage, try taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, try and understand why this person did this or that, were they having an emergency? Just remember that violence won’t get you anywhere unless jail is where you want to be and chances are you won’t see that guy who just cut you off any time soon. The less you make mountains out of molehills the easier your life will be.

A bit of competitive driving is fine on the race track or the local autocross circuit, but it becomes a problem once you bring this to public roads. While it can be fun to enjoy out-maneuvering other drivers on public roads, there are real dangers and lives at risk when you do this. You could end up causing an accident for one and damage to personal property for another. The point is it's dangerous but there are proper avenues where you can address this need for speed.

These are the kind of drivers that get mad at you or someone else for even the smallest infraction. If someone cuts them off it suddenly becomes their life’s mission to cut them back just to assert dominance or to prove a point. While the rush of aggression can feel good to some, it ultimately poses a risk to everyone else around you. In getting petty revenge on driver A you may have caused an accident with driver B who was just trying to get out of your way. The point is it's always best to drive with a cool and level head, don’t worry about the time lost if someone cuts you, you will get to your destination in peace and most importantly safely.

The act of driving itself is already a taxing task for certain people as they have to constantly be aware of their surroundings. You have to check your mirrors, keep track of the cars in front, beside, and behind you, press the gas or the brake pedal, and much more so why add another thing to this already complex process? We already have a law against this and it has been proven that distracted driving can lead to accidents. So it's best to keep your eyes on the road and not on your phone or anything else.

Driving quickly or racing on public roads does come with its fair share of thrills. However, this form of risk-taking is dangerous as it involved everyone around you whether they like it or not. While this kind of driving is fine on the race track, you have to remember that even in extreme sports there are stringent safety precautions in place, these don’t exist on public roads.

That being said, it's best to keep to be calm and patient while driving, you will get to your destination in due time and a safe manner. Make sure that when driving you adopt a defensive driving style that will let you anticipate situations on the road and take the right measures.