Driving Errors That Can Lead to Dangerous Situations

While driving, you must be attentive to your surroundings and pay attention to changes in traffic, speed, and conditions. In identifying these changes, you must react appropriately to avoid dangerous situations. Consequently, there are several driving errors that are the result of poor judgment. One example of a decision error is speeding up too fast. Speed limits are meant to indicate an appropriate speed under ideal conditions. Nevertheless, drivers are advised to slow down when weather conditions or heavy traffic make them unable to drive safely.

Distracted driving

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 15 percent of all motor vehicle traffic crashes are caused by distracted driving. In 2019, 3,142 people were killed and 424,000 were injured due to driver errors caused by distractions. The most common types of distractions were outside objects, passengers, and lack of concentration. However, some drivers also report being distracted by their mobile phones while driving. Drivers must be aware of the consequences of distracted driving before they can avoid it and prevent it.

Failure to check traffic

One study showed that a significant percentage of drivers made errors related to failure to check traffic while driving, especially during the deadliest day to drive. Drivers failed to check traffic when approaching intersections, turning, and changing lanes. Failure to check traffic also increased with distance traveled and frequency of intersections. This error remained a problem even when comparing the two routes. Regardless of the route, the error rate was significantly higher for drivers on the standard test route.

Running a yellow light

While running a yellow light is not illegal in all jurisdictions, it is a common mistake that can lead to a serious car accident. It’s best to slow down and stop as soon as the light turns yellow so that you have adequate time to stop. Continuing to drive at excessive speeds increases your risk of car accidents, and if you are in an accident, you should contact the police and let them know about the collision. The police will investigate and help determine who was at fault.

Rolling through a stop sign

A driver’s rolling through a stop sign can lead to a collision, which is not only dangerous but also incredibly inconvenient. This is especially dangerous for pedestrians, as many drivers make a right turn and do not notice pedestrians. They think everything is clear and may not realize they have missed something. Also, because of the speed at which they travel, drivers who roll through a stop sign can cause confusion for other drivers, who may not be able to react in time.

Failure to stop behind the limit lines at intersections

Drivers fail to check for traffic at intersections. A recent study found that nearly half of them failed to observe traffic behind them before decelerating. The percentage of drivers who failed to observe traffic to the side was even higher. Moreover, drivers committed more errors during the approach to intersections. Also, they failed to check for traffic while changing lanes or pulling to the curb.