It’s not easy to maintain a perfect driving record. Even when you try to be as conscientious as possible, a cop could still get you on a slight technicality. (Which will likely occur when you sport that out-of-town state license in a small neighborhood.) It can be infuriating when it happens because it feels like you can’t win, but take slight comfort in the fact that it happens to the best of us. Here are a few tips and benefits though to keep in mind that might help save you from your next run in with the cops or the dreaded points on your license.
Clear Heads Only On the Road
With the advent of Uber and Lyft, there is really no reason to chance anything when you’ve been drinking or otherwise having too good a time. Unless you know for sure that you would pass a test if pulled over because you really only did have a sip of wine in an hour, don’t take the chance. There are too many cases of people just assuming that they’re fine, and then all of a sudden they’ve got massive fines to contend with, a criminal charge and a million other things to do to get their license back.
Get Off Your Phone
This has practically become the new drunk driving. You can’t expect to drive distractedly, and not mess up every once in a while. It’s completely irrelevant how careful you are. Put your phone in the trunk if you can’t seem to keep your hands off of it. Voice commands are definitely something you can utilize, even though they can be notoriously…unreliable. Driving has a lot of elements to it, even though we start to think of it like an automated process. You need to have your faculties on as much as possible, so you don’t make a stupid mistake.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Humans aren’t really wired to think into the future. You’re late for an important meeting now, and you couldn’t care less what the speed limits are or who else is on the road. You might have had some close calls, but you’ve never had an accident, so why would that change today? It doesn’t mean that you spend your time living in fear, it just means that when you take fewer risks, you have fewer chances that something will go wrong. Slow down a little, get off the road or stay very far away if you see something swerving from lane to lane, skip an exit or two if you’re not in a position to get over yet. These things can be frustrating now, but you’re better off being cautious now to avoid a lot of hassle or grief later.
The Benefits
Ok, let’s say the next time someone’s going 45 in a 65, and all you want to do is go around even if that means cutting the other person off or making a dangerous move on a crowded freeway. The last thing going through your mind is a citation for reckless driving or the potential of having an accident. Find some way to tell yourself that taking a deep breath now means lower insurance rates and it means you won’t have to pay some exorbitant fee for a ticket you probably can’t afford right now. Your safety and the safety of others on the road is absolutely important, but if that’s not helping you drive safer, try thinking of the financial benefits.
The Alternatives
If you do happen follow all the rules and still wind up being part of some county’s quotas, take heart that there are things you can do to still keep the points off your license and to keep your insurance rates from going up. You can take traffic school so those points don’t take down your overall driving record. Courses for defensive driving are offered all over the country, and in many places you can even take the tutorials online. Every location has their own regulations, but you can generally dismiss the ticket by attending an approved course. You can also qualify for safe driving discounts through your insurance company if you choose to sign up for one of these classes (as opposed to being mandated to take one.)
