How To Make Your Daily Drive More Productive
An objective list of strategies to start implementing on your regular commute.
Are you bored with all of your old driving habits? Are you interested in taking on some new techniques? Maybe your daily grind is getting dull?
Look no further! Here are five ways (plus bonus tips!) to increase productivity and safety when behind the wheel.
Always ride as close to the car in front of you as possible.
Not only is this a great way to make a new friend, but it’s also the best way to increase your own visibility. By looking through the windshield of the car in front of you, you’re kind of getting double the vision by using two windshields, and two is far better than one. They say an ideal following distance is about three seconds, but we aren’t here to follow generalized recommendations. Trying to kick your caffeine addiction? Following at a half-second distance is the perfect way to jump start your morning with adrenaline. Bonus tip: At night, make sure you turn on those high beams for an extra beam of light. Help out your fellow drivers by shining those lights through their windshield to better their visibility in the dark.
Never use your turn signals.
This is merely a safety precaution. Using turn signals lets everyone else know where you’re going, including stalkers and creeps. This just won’t fly. Communicating those next moves is a sure-fire way to get some weirdo tailing you back to your apartment. You need to be your first priority out on the road. Giving other drivers the heads up of where you’re going next will only lead to trouble later on. Your boyfriend will thank you for being so cautious.
Always text while driving.
Again, a safety precaution! Being in constant communication with your friends and family is so important on a long drive, because what happens if you get in a wreck? You’ll need to let people know what happened. Best to cut out the middle man and already be texting your friends before the incident occurs. In addition, if you’re on a long drive you’re entitled to some entertainment. Keep in constant contact with your boyfriend to make sure he still loves you, FaceTime your best friend to make sure your boyfriend still loves you, call your Mom to ask if she thinks your boyfriend still loves you, the list of necessities is endless.
Never, under any circumstances, wear your seat belt.
What’s the point? They’re uncomfortable, they hold you back, and when they lock up you have to take them off anyway to fix it. Why not just bypass that altogether? I myself am a mere five-foot-four and when I wear my seat belt it rubs against my neck and it’s agitating to say the least. You might have a long commute to your job or to school, why sit for that hour — or longer! — in a boat of discomfort? Bonus tip: If you get in a crash without a seat belt on, you could be thrown from the vehicle. This helps you avoid the wreckage and any potential fire or overheating that occurs. Sure, you can be thrown up to 150 feet from a crash depending on how fast you were driving, but in the end you could be saving your own life.
Always drive at or above the posted speed limit — never slower.
Speeding takes finesse, courage, and endurance. You’ve got places to be! Why should you drive 65 mph in a posted 65 zone when you could easily cut your time down by minutes simply by driving at 75 mph? Not only are you saving yourself time but you’re also avoiding any potential dangers around other vehicles. If a collision were to occur, or someone else was driving unsafely, you don’t want to be around that. Get out of there by going a little above the speed limit to save your own butt. Bonus tip: In inclement or adverse weather, be sure to drive the speed limit. Some may suggest slowing down to avoid problems with traction or visibility, but they’re just living their lives in fear. You like to live life on the edge. Take those wet roads with full force by daring to drive the posted speed limit in the rain. Your friends will envy you, your boyfriend will love you more, and you will all around be more successful in getting where you need to be.
And there you have it my friends. Be safe out there on the roads. Make good choices to better not only your own daily commute, but others on the road as well.
