How’s My Driving? - Safe Driving Blog Tips

Last week saw the first conviction of lane hogging in the UK (Hooray!), unfortunately this story is one that will be very familiar to most drivers. Although many argue that lane-hogging is one of the worst habits of drivers, there are also many other traits that make travelling on Britain’s roads a very slow and frustrating experience.

1. Non-signallers

Yes, we know who you are. That stick on the end of your steering wheel works, and it is there for you to signal with. Unfortunately, you not signalling means that other road users not only need to concentrate on their own driving style, but they also need to predict your next move. Is the car in front about to turn left? Pull in to the layby? Stop suddenly? Take the next exit? Who can tell, and it's very stressful not knowing.

2. A blaring bassline

Okay we know this isn’t necessarily a driving trait, but blaring your hip-hop music out of your car whilst curb crawling your local high street is certainly not cool. Whilst we all love a sing-a-long to Celine Dion, save it for motorway where no poor and unsuspecting person or bemused shopkeeper has to bear the brunt of your bassline ripples.

3. Makeup Mirror

Running late is a daily occurrence for most, however, applying make-up whilst driving in your rear view mirror is extremely dangerous, and one that people often find very annoying. It won’t save much time if you apply your lipstick once you’ve arrived at your destination. Taking your eyes off the road, even for a very short amount of time is very hazardous and may cause an accident.

4. Mobile phone users

Despite the use of them being illegal in the vehicle, some people still persist to answer the phone and holding it up to their ear. With so many hands-free devices nowadays, that are not only readily available but they are also affordable, it’s a wonder why so many people still insist on using their mobiles at the wheel. How annoying!

5. Roaring and revving engines

We all know someone who has that extremely loud car or bike because they have insisted on removing the silencers on their exhausts to produce that particularly ear drum splitting revving noise. Not only is it rather annoying, it is also actually illegal to change your exhaust to make it noisier, and the police can ask you to pull over if you're making unreasonable levels of noise.

6. Extra cautious drivers

Those drivers who drive at 20mph in a 30mph zone often are a cause of road accidents, with drivers behind getting frustrated and overtaking them. If you are one of those drivers, please drive at the speed limit, it will cause a lot less frustration and hopefully reduce the risk of road accidents!

7. Maintaining Safe Driving Distances

Keeping a safe distance between vehicles is a common issue that, when ignored, can have disastrous effects. You should drive at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front (during ideal conditions), adding an extra 1 second for each 3m of trailer length. Remember to also double your following distance in poor road and weather conditions and when following a heavy goods vehicle. 

Would you agree with us that these are the some of the most annoying driver habits? OR do you think there are some we haven’t mentioned? Let us know!