5 Things You Should Never Do Behind The Wheel

For many of us, driving is so routine that we forget the risk it poses and take on dangerous behaviors behind the wheel. Below are some of the biggest contributing factors in car accidents. Resolve to never do these and it could save your life.

Not wearing a seat belt

Everybody knows you should always wear your seat belt. It only takes a second, and yet over 10,000 people died in car accidents in 2015 while unrestrained. It’s estimated that seat belt usage saved nearly 14,000 lives in the same year.

Speeding

We have speed laws for a reason. In 2015, about 27% of traffic fatalities involved at least one driver that was speeding.

Drinking & driving

Alcohol can severely limit your reaction times and lower your decision-making abilities. In 2015, 10,265 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents and nearly 1 in 3 traffic fatalities were the result of alcohol-related accidents.

Distracted driving

Applying makeup, eating lunch, or shooting off a quick text: all are examples of distracted driving and, unfortunately, behavior that is all too common. In 2015, 10% of fatal crashes were a result of distracted driving. 551 pedestrians, or other non-occupants were killed by distracted drivers.

Driving drowsy

Tired driving is dangerous. Between 2011 and 2015, over 150,000 accidents involving drowsy driving occurred, causing nearly 167,000 fatalities. About 2.4% of all fatal crashes involve drowsy driving.

While there is no guarantee of safety on the open road, avoiding these behaviors will lower your risk of an accident.

*All data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Disclaimer: The above are merely suggestions and tips, and are not meant to guarantee individual results. Any changes to insurance should be discussed with a licensed professional.