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8 signs you’re a bad driver

Last updated on November 25th, 2021
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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First, allow us to introduce you to some quick statistics about Aussie drivers.

  • Approximatively 32 percent of drivers read text messages while driving.
  • 18 percent of drivers send text messages during driving.
  • Intoxicated drivers are guilty of 13.5 percent of crashes.
  • Distraction has been noted as the primary contributing factor in 22 percent of crashes.
  • Between 39 and 73 percent of Australian drivers confirmed using a mobile device at some point during driving.

Without further ado, let’s look at the eight signs that place a person in the category of bad drivers.

1. You always talk on your cell phone

The matter of cell phone use is pretty dangerous, considering how many car accidents occur as a result of lack of attention. Using your phone while driving is linked to speed variations, slow reactions, less controlled braking, and reduced awareness of the road.

2. You’re easily distracted

If you have difficulty with paying attention to the road, and you get distracted by billboards, signs, people passing down the streets, you may not be the best driver in the world. As outlined above, distraction is a common factor that causes about 22 percent of car crashes.

3. You’re awful at parking

Even though you are yet to appear on Australia’s worst parkers, if you have trouble with parking, and you have to drive ten blocks until you find a space large enough to fit your medium-sized car, that’s a sign.

4. You sing

Although listening to music while driving is definitely enjoyable, paying increased attention to the lyrics or singing diminishes your attention. People who focus on the music tend to pay less attention to the road. When you’re thinking about something else, it’s more challenging to concentrate on the route.

5. Riding the clutch

It would be best if you would keep your foot off the clutch unless you want to alter the gear. Otherwise, if you keep riding the clutch, it will wear off, and that’s no good news.

6. Snuggling the gear lever

Unless you change gear, your hand shouldn’t be near the gear lever. If you think that the road situation will alter without notice, and you might need to change the gear right away, you are wrong.

7. Daydreaming

Although you don’t use your phone or sing at the top of your lungs, there’s still the likelihood of crashing into something if you daydream. When asked about the cause of their car accidents, many people reported that they were daydreaming.

8. Following too close

That is a dangerous practice that is, in many instances, a triggering cause of accidents. It prevents you from reacting in time, to the road. These are only 8 of the primary signs pointing that someone is a bad driver. Certainly, there are many others from which these came from. Feel free to complete our list by commenting in the section below!

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