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3 driving habits that increase the risk during your daily commute

On Behalf of | Jan 28, 2022 | Motor Vehicle Accidents

commuting over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Many commuters spend a significant portion of their week on the road. You may spend an hour every day or longer getting to work in the morning and back home again in the evening.

You could spend so much time in your car that you may stop about the danger involved in driving. Instead, you just want to feel productive or less bored during your commute. Unfortunately, the boredom and frustration caused by a daily commute to work could lead to someone engaging in dangerous driving habits.

Intentionally exceeding the speed limit

Although most people drive faster than the posted speed limit, that doesn’t make it a safe or smart thing to do. The limit exists because it represents what policymakers believe is the maximum safe speed in that environment. When the weather is bad or there are issues with the road, the speed limit is faster than what is actually safe.

Many commuters will travel 10 miles an hour or more above the posted limit on certain stretches of their daily route just to save a few minutes on the road. Speeding not only puts you at risk of a ticket but also increases your risk of causing a catastrophic wreck.

Eating on their way to work

Rather than getting off early so that you can enjoy a full breakfast before heading into the office, you might pick up a takeout breakfast sandwich on your way to work and then eat it while behind the wheel. Since you do it every day, you don’t think about the danger involved.

However, eating is a major distraction. You take at least one of your hands off the wheel and mentally focus more on getting the food into your mouth without staining your work shirt than you might on the road around you. Spills and drips while eating at the wheel might lead to erratic maneuvers and a crash.

Getting behind the wheel when they can barely keep their eyes open

If you just put in a 12-hour shift at work because you have a major proposal going out tomorrow or someone else called in sick, you may feel too fatigued to safely drive.

Rather than taking the time to wake up or calling for a ride and waiting for it to come, many people just get behind the wheel when they can barely keep their eyes open. Fatigue can affect the body much like alcohol, which may be one of the reasons why the afternoon commute is particularly dangerous for many drivers as others may be too exhausted to be safe.

Identifying some of the risk factors for a motor vehicle collision during your commute can help you get to work and back home again safely.

 

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