Part of the reason that the roads remain so dangerous in the United States is that drivers simply have bad habits, things that they do repeatedly to put themselves and others at risk. When they do this without causing an accident, it just reinforces this idea that it is somehow safe, and that makes it more likely for the habit to continue until they really do cause a wreck.
Below are eight of the most common bad driver habits, though this is by no means a complete list:
- Using the phone behind the wheel
- Breaking the speed limit
- Tailgating and following too close
- Eating and driving
- Smoking and driving
- Driving well below the speed limit
- Throwing trash out of the car
- Refusing to move over when driving slowly in the center lane or the passing lane on multilane roads
Many times, drivers do multiple things at once. For instance, as dangerous as speeding is, driving too slowly also breaks up the flow of traffic, causes congestion and increases accident risks. This often happens when drivers are texting, eating or trying to multitask behind the wheel. They stop focusing on their speed and slow down without even realizing it. In similar cases, drivers who get distracted may not react to traffic signals properly — not driving when the light turns green, for instance.
A lot of accidents happen because of this dangerous combination of mistakes and bad habits. If you get involved in such a crash, you could find yourself facing seriously high medical bills, and you need to know how to get financial compensation.