How to Become a Safe and Confident Driver: 7 Important Steps

Everyone should aim to become a safer and more confident driver.

So, check out these seven important steps you should take to help you drive more safely and confidently.

Safe Driving Tips

1. Become Familiar With Common And Less Common Road Signs

Understanding what road signs mean is of the utmost importance if you want to drive safely.

You can then follow the instruction of any sign to ensure your actions don’t put you or other drivers in danger.

While you should already know the most common road signs, if there are any common or less common signs that you don’t know, get to know them.

2. Stick To The Speed Limit

Even though everyone is taught to stick to the speed limits on roads, plenty of drivers still speed.

Indeed, speeding is one of the leading causes of road accidents and fatalities, so don’t underestimate how crucial it is that you never drive above the speed limit.

Remember, speed limit signs are there for a reason. They protect you and others on the road.

3. Look Each Way At An Intersection

Just because you’re following the rules of only driving when the green light shows at intersections, it doesn’t mean other drivers are.

So, always make sure you look both ways at an intersection before you start driving after the light turns green.

Also, check out this helpful article to learn more about the priority of passage at intersections.

It only takes a couple of seconds to look both ways, and those couple of seconds can make all the difference between ending up in an accident and staying safe.

4. Keep Your Distance

You should never tailgate. If you do, you increase your risk of being involved in an accident.

Stick to the three-second rule. Your vehicle should be three seconds apart from the vehicle in front.

In bad weather, you should stay six seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.

5. Practice Driving In Different Weather Conditions

The above steps will help you to be a safer driver, and when you start driving more safely, you’re sure to become a more confident driver. But there are also other things you can do to become a more confident driver.

First off, practice driving in different kinds of weather conditions.

You’ll never know what kind of weather conditions you could end up in while driving, so the more you practice driving in adverse weather conditions in advance, the more you can be prepared to drive safely when you have to drive in such conditions.

6. Practice Driving On Different Roads

To become a more confident and safer driver, you should also practice driving on different types of roads, such as two-lane state highways, steep hills, narrow alleys, twisting country roads, and poor roads with potholes.

The more you become accustomed to driving on different roads, the more confident you will be and the more you can ensure you aren’t involved in car accidents.

7. Practice Driving At Night

Driving at night can be a completely different experience from driving in the daytime. It can be a little scary too. Driving on roads that are less well-lit can also be a daunting experience.

So, slowly practice driving at night and on poorly lit roads. Begin on quiet roads with little traffic and then build up to driving on busier roads at night.

Over time, you’ll be able to massively increase your confidence.