Do you have any bad driving habits? Most people will tell you that they are good drivers. In fact, some sources suggest that up to 90% of drivers think they are a ‘good’ driver. Another study found that 93% of Americans thought they would rank in the top 50% for driving skill. So why do I always seem to be sharing the road with the rubbish 7-10%?
Regardless of how you imagine your own driving ability, it is very easy to spot bad driving habits in others. Having spent countless hours sitting alongside complete strangers while they test drive cars, here are The Car Expert’s ‘Five Worst Driving Habits’.
This is not about blatant law-breaking activity (drink driving, texting while driving, barrelling through a school zone at 150mph, etc.), but rather the everyday driving habits people seem to develop, either consciously or unconsciously. Although they may seem harmless, most of them do break the law at some point, and can lead to a dangerous situation on the road.
Bad Driving Habit #5: Speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down
If you use cruise control when you drive, this habit is very easy to spot in others. How many times have you passed someone on a motorway, only to have them come flying past you again a few minutes later?
This bad driving habit is also easily found in taxi drivers around the world. For some reason, every minicab driver seems to think that driving consists of slamming his accelerator flat to the floor, only ever taking his foot off to jam it on the brakes.
As well as dramatically increasing fuel consumption and brake wear, it can be dangerous if you are leaving no margin for error by having to always brake heavily at the last minute. And let’s not even get started on the generally woeful driving habits and standards of minicab drivers…
Next page: People who think they are more important than you
