How to Drive Safely? 5 Great Tips

Driving safe isn’t just a suggestion, it’s an essential aspect of adult life. If you’re not driving safely, not only are you putting yourself in danger of serious injury or worse, but you’re also risking the lives of everyone else out on the roads.

Whether you’re a first-time driver or you’ve been driving for years, it’s absolutely imperative that you drive as safely as possible. These tips are great for new drivers but it’s never a bad idea to brush up on how to safely operate motor vehicles.

Here are some tips for improving your driving skills and staying safe out on the roads!

Tip 1: Never… NEVER… get behind the wheel after drinking

In 2017, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 379 fatal crashes related to operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI).

This can be said every single day. Unfortunately, so many drivers continue to make this life-threatening mistake and it continues to be an epidemic. Literally do anything other than driving a vehicle after having any amount of alcohol. Walk home 50 miles if you have to. Typically, it would never come to that and you could easily get a ride, call a cab, or sleep wherever you are.

It’s worth saying again one more time: NEVER GET BEHIND THE WHEEL AFTER DRINKING!

Tip 2: Make sure there is always plenty of gas in the tank

Sunoco fuel has been keeping generations of drivers and their cars happy for 125 years.

It’s simple, if you don’t have enough gas you’re going to run out and your car will break down. That can be annoying, sure, but it can also lead to serious issues. For example, if your vehicle runs out of gas on the highway before you realize it, your car will literally break down, which means you won’t have any control and you’ll run the risk of getting struck by other drivers.

Pay attention to your gas gauge and make sure you’re paying attention and checking to see if it’s working properly. Other than that, just fill up once or twice a week and you should be golden!

Tip 3: Drive slow… all the time

New drivers think they’re invincible and want to go as fast as possible. This is obviously not true and a very bad, very dangerous idea. Wherever you’re going — even if it’s important — it can wait. You need to drive around the speed limit in order to avoid serious auto accidents.

More than 65 million people, 29% of the U.S. population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for their loved one. Even if you’re in a hurry to get to work or to take care of an elderly family member, it’s not worth driving too fast and getting into a horrible car accident.

Tip 4: Always, always, always wear your seatbelt

Hopefully, you learned from a pretty early age that wearing your seatbelt is a must. If that’s the case, you probably don’t even notice tossing it on every day. If not, you need to force yourself to make this a habit in order to save your life.

Also, it’s imperative that you make sure everyone who is riding in your car with you is wearing their seatbelt, as well. If you were to get into a high-speed collision, even if you were wearing your seatbelt, your passengers could bounce around the vehicle at such high velocity and could smash into your head if they weren’t safely secured with a seatbelt, leading to potentially fatal injuries for everyone involved. Wear your seatbelt. It’s uncomfortable for 0.1 seconds but it is absolutely necessary.

Tip 5: Pay attention to the weather

Wherever you are in the country, you need to at least monitor the daily weather report before you drive. If you are driving for a while and some unsuspecting rain, wind, or snowstorms approach, you could be in some serious trouble if you’re not prepared.

Also, be sure to drive extra careful whenever the weather is anything but perfect. You should have plenty of practice if you’re a new driver before you start going on long road trips.

We get it. Sometimes you just want to drive fast and get to where you are going. But you need to be careful while doing so for your sake and everyone else’s. Start thinking differently about your driving habits and make sure you’re being as safe as possible!