Stay away from other people - Frankly, I like this as a life philosophy, but let's just contain it to driving for the purposes of this article. What do I mean by this? Well, it's just basic common sense. The farther away you are from other cars, the less chance you have of hitting them and the less chance they have of hitting you. Try to keep yourself as far away from other cars as possible. This is the opposite of tailgating. As an example, I was driving home on the highway in icy conditions. A group of cars was driving fairly close together and a jeep was getting too close to by rear. I sped up to get away from him. I looked in my rear-view mirror and watched him spin out. In other words, if there are no cars around you, you can't be around to get hit by them.
Be calm - We read story after story of road rage. However, even mild frustration while driving can increase the chances of an accident. Let's face it, people are rude. People will cut you off. People will speed. Don't take it personally. Don't worry about it. Let it go. Calming attitudes will benefit you when you drive. You'll make better decisions and you'll reduce your chance of having an accident.
Avoid Distractions - There are so many things that distract us from driving well they're almost too numerous to count. And it seems like they've gone up exponentially over the years. We talk on our cell phones. We turn around to tell our kids to shut up. We comb our hair. We rock out to our favorite song. We read. We text. If you want to be a safe driver and somebody who's more likely to recognize a dangerous situation and avoid it, then you must avoid distractions. You must make rules for yourself when you drive. Don't answer the phone. Don't bend over to pick up your kid's toy. Don't be distracted and you're more likely to be alive ten years from now.
Be alert - Many people get into their cars when they're drunk or sleepy. The two conditions are equally bad and it's just a fact that most of us, at one time or another, will drive impaired. If you find yourself in that position, make sure you follow rule #1 and that will provide extra reaction time should you need it. Today:1
