Limit These Bad Habits And Avoid A New Haven Auto Accident

When you think of bad habits you might be thinking about things like staying up too late or using your phone too much, you may not be thinking about bad habits in the context of driving your car. Take a second to think about your behaviors when you are the driver of a vehicle and then decide whether or not you have any bad habits that could lead to a New Haven auto accident. They may not be the first bad habits that pop into your mind when you’re thinking about how to make self improvements, but they could be the habits that, if curbed, could make the biggest impact on your health and safety.

Breaking bad habits can be a really tricky endeavor. Habits can become so ingrained in how we operate that we don’t even think about them when we do them, but that is the problem. Mindless scrolling through your phone before your head hits the pillow at night can feel like just the thing you do, but it could be really affecting your sleep patterns. This is the same with some of the bad habits you might have while you’re driving. You engage in these bad habits so often that they become a part of your routine and it may not even occur to you that they are bad habits until you really stop and think about them.

That’s why, right now, you should take a minute and stop to think about what you do when you’re driving. If you come up with anything that might be considered a bad habit you may want to consider taking steps to eliminate this behavior from your daily routine. Below are three bad habits that a vast majority of drivers have and how to curb them. If you have one of these bad habits, you should take the time to consider how you might stop engaging in them so you can keep yourself and your loved ones who are passengers in your vehicle safe.

Bad Habit #1: Being distracted while you’re driving. Distractions when you are driving can come in all forms. You can be distracted by an eye-catching billboard that makes you take your eye off the road for a split second. Sometimes distractions are more ingrained in our behaviors though and these are the distractions we should be worried about. One major distraction that often gets drivers into serious trouble is your phone. Whether you look down for a minute to read a text message, get directions or change what’s on the radio, this distraction can be dangerous. Phones are one of the biggest distractions and can be serious impediments to safe driving if this bad habit is not broken.

So, how do you break this habit. It’s not going to be easy, but you can do it. The first step is to put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode for the entire duration of your ride. This will eliminate all of the beeps and boops that can be so distracting. However, some phones will still push notifications through the “Do Not Disturb” setting so you could still have the chance to be distracted. To be completely free from this distraction you will want to put your phone out of your view. A good place to put it is in the glove compartment until you are stopped at your destination. This may seem extreme, but it will keep you safe from distractions and the possibility of an accident.

Bad Habit #2: Driving while you’re drowsy. The first thing that comes to mind when you think about drowsy driving is people coming home after a long night out, but that’s not the only drowsy driving that occurs, in fact, drowsy driving occurs all day every day. Whether you’re not getting enough sleep at night so you get behind the wheel while still wiping last night away from your eyes or you’re stressed out at work and your mind starts to slow down on your way home, you may be experiencing drowsiness when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle. However you get to your drowsy state it can have devastating impacts on your safety when you’re driving.

Like all habits this is a tricky one to break, but you can do it if you put your mind to it. First, you need to identify what is causing you to be drowsy. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night you may want to go to bed earlier, not use your phone before bed or even seek medical attention to get some sleep help. The key to not driving drowsy is to avoid being tired in the first place. Obviously, this is easier said than done and may take time. In the meantime, when you’re feeling drowsy behind the wheel of your vehicle you should immediately pull over and someplace safe and rest your eyes. You are better off taking an extra few minutes to get to your destination then battling your tired eyes to stay on the road ahead of you.

Bad Habit #3: Speeding. Do you have a lead foot? This could be one of the deadliest habits that you have when you’re driving. If you are someone who drives over the speed limit you could be putting yourself and your passengers at grave risk of injury and even death if you were to get into an accident. Excessive speed is shown over and over again to be a major factor in increasing the severity of accidents when they happen.

This should be an easy one to correct, just slow down. OK, maybe it’s not that easy. Here are a few tips to consider when trying to break this habit. First, leave yourself enough time to get to your destination. If you think you need :30-minutes, give yourself 45-minutes to account for delays. When you are in a hurry to get to your destination you are more likely to speed. Second, under promise and over deliver. If you are relaying when you might arrive to someone, give them an amount of time that gives you extra cushion for your travels, that way when you arrive early they will be thrilled. Finally, you can set your cruise control and not worry about your speed, as long as you set it for the speed limit and nothing over that, you will be well on your way to breaking this habit.

We all have bad habits, but when they are related to driving a vehicle these bad habits can lead to a New Haven auto accident which could mean injury or death. Breaking any one of these bad habits could lead to a safer driving experience. If you have more than one bad habit that is listed above, start working on one at a time and get into a good routine with that one before you tackle them all. While they are all dangerous, the chances of you being able to break them all at once is slim. Start small.

If you end up in an accident you may need to speak with an attorney to review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will speak with you about the particulars of your situation.