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Blocking an intersection
Also known as “blocking the box,” this is what causes gridlock in cities all over the world. So many people think they deserve to make it through the intersection, even if traffic is backed up and the light is about to turn red. Not only do these drivers block traffic going in the opposite direction, they force pedestrians to weave in between cars outside of the crosswalk and endanger themselves.
Weaving through traffic
We’ve all seen those drivers who simply can’t wait for the rest of the cars in the passing lane to advance, and therefore decide to dart through the rest of traffic while speeding up and braking abruptly. The safe flow of traffic depends upon consistency and predictability, and these loose cannons are a serious disruption to those principles.
Driving too slowly in the left lane
For some reason, there are certain drivers out there who love to cruise along in the left lane, even when they’re driving slower than the flow of traffic. This forces people to pass on the right, which is inherently more dangerous, and it is illegal on many highways to drive in the far left lane except when you are actively passing.
Tailgating
The only good kind of tailgating is grilling a burger and sharing a beer with your friends before the game. While many states and municipalities do have tailgating laws on the books, they are difficult to enforce and rarely result in citations for the offenders.
Parking in a bicycle lane
With city populations continuing to rise, the availability of parking keeps decreasing. This is frustrating to all of us, but using a bike lane as your own personal free parking lane is not a helpful solution. Bikers often choose certain routes specifically because of dedicated bike lanes, and sudden obstructions like a parked car force them to serve into traffic creating a dangerous situation for everyone.
Turning from a non-turning lane
Sometimes, you find yourself at a stoplight and you forgot to make your way into the turning lane. While a reasonable person might respond by accepting a brief delay and turning at the next available intersection, these special snowflakes decide they’ll just turn anyway. After all, they wouldn’t want to be inconvenienced!
Running a red light
Running a red light is dangerous enough on its own, but the problem is compounded when you add in the fact that many drivers speed up through the intersection in order to make the light.
Using a cell phone while driving
More and more states are jumping on the bandwagon and outlawing cell phone use (except for hands-free devices) for talking and texting while driving. This is certainly welcome news, because it’s become one of the most dangerous new trends of the past decade, but it’s obviously difficult to enforce because so many drivers still do it!
Parking on the sidewalk
Any time that pedestrians have to stray into the road, it’s bad news for everyone involved. At best, cars have to slow down in order to avoid hitting them, and traffic jams for everyone behind the incident are inevitable. At worst, serious accidents are much more likely to occur.
While avoiding these bad driving habits will help you not to avoid others on the road, it’s important to sign up for a defensive driving course to learn even more about traffic safety. If you’ve received a citation for a traffic violation, completing a course could make you eligible to have the fine waived and any points added to your license dismissed. And even if you’ve never committed a moving violation and you read your road safety handbook every night before going to bed, your insurance provider may still provide you with a discount just for taking the course!
