Most Lethal Driving Mistakes - 10 Do's and Don'ts on the Road

There are hardly any drivers on the Kenyan Roads who execute every road maneuver with precision and ease. Sadly, not everyone walks away from road accidents. As we all know out of experience, some drivers are discourteous or too brash, others over cautious, some are even downright clueless. The common factor is that they can all turn a pleasant day on road into a ride into hell.

Everyone is guilty of making common driving mistakes that can endanger us all. Think about it:
To help you stay safe behind the wheel, here's a list of 10 driving behaviors to avoid.

1. Speeding
   ‘The faster the car, the faster the kill’ Racing, driving faster than the posted speed limit or simply going too fast for road conditions, especially considering the poor state of some roads and the smoothness of others.  The worst-case scenarios invariably involve speeding without wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet. Fatality rates for speeding motorcyclists are also shockingly high. Most accidents happen at sharp bends where the driver over speeds and loses control of the car. There are numerous black spots identified by the Kenya Police. Take careful note of them.

   Keep within the speed limit and save your life.

2. Drinking and Driving
   This is becoming alarmingly common on Kenyan Roads. Especially between the ages of 23- 40years of age. Young inexperienced drivers are particularly prone to drinking and driving. Not surprisingly, the decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated is made most often at night and on the weekends. There are hardly any cases of drunken driving on a Monday Morning at 8a.m.  Alcohol is also a factor in half of pedestrian traffic deaths — both drivers and pedestrians are the culprits. While education is the key, it is not enough to tell people not to drink and drive.  There will always be those who ignore conventional wisdom and get behind the wheel drunk.  Perhaps the best technique to aid with preventing drunk driving is to make it a policy to take keys from friends, when you know they’ve been drinking. You may also wish to drive them home, or hire any one of a number of services designed to get the driver and his car home safely.
3.  Drug use  

Driving under the influence also includes the influence of drugs.  Perception influencers are obviously bad, but so too are supposed soft core drugs like marijuana, which can greatly reduce a person’s ability to drive. Illegal drugs are not the only kinds of drugs that create problems; cold medications and those used to alleviate headache pain can also impair driving ability. No matter what the reason for the impairment, you have enough information at your disposal to make such decisions, so when in doubt—stay home!

4. Driving While Drowsy
   Driving a vehicle when you are fatigued is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Fatigue compounded by intoxication is a deadly recipe for motor vehicle crashes. Most traffic fatalities occur during the hours when most people are accustomed to being asleep (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) than at any other time of day.
5. Inattentive Driving
1. Changing CD/Radio channels
2. Cell Phone Use
3. Eating in the car/Application of Makeup/Reading
4. Driver Distractions- children, animals
5. Rubbernecking

5.1     Changing CD/Radio – we may take changing the radio or inserting a CD for granted, but these activities have shown to contribute to higher incidences of car accidents. If you have a short distance to travel, it may be a good idea to insert in your favorite CD before beginning the trip. For a longer trip, a mixed CD is a good option. Bringing several of these mixed CDs will provide hours of enjoyment and can be changed during pit stops. Alternatively, passengers could be given responsibility for changing CDs while in route.
5.2     Cell phone use: - We are all guilty of this at least once a day. Cell phone use behind the wheel is the worst.  Even a hands free cell phone or the use of blue tooth technology does not guarantee that an accident won’t occur when chatting on a cell phone and driving, your attention is still divided between your phone conversation and the road – A recipe for possible disaster. Most drivers even consciously slow down on the highway to take a call instead of stopping on the side of the road to finish the conversation. The solution of course is to not use cell phones while driving.  Easier said than done, but if you must have a phone in your car, pull into a parking lot to answer any important calls if necessary!
5.3     Eating in the car/ Applying make-up/Reading:-Doing any of the above three things can only lead to disaster.  It is very common these days to see people grab a bite to eat on their way to work in the morning, or catch a quick snack or coffee as they drive around during the day. If you must eat, do so while stopped to fill with gas, or for a rest stop break. Far too many accidents have been caused by people trying to avoid getting crumbs or hot beverages on their pants. Another great piece of advice is to make sure you have adequately sized drink holders in your car, so you won’t have to place your drink between your legs. Many more accidents yet have been caused because a lid popped off or a drink was spilled on a driver’s lap.
          Applying Makeup: - Ladies are culprits of applying makeup as they drive… No evidence that it can be done well, no matter how dexterous you believe you are….you definitely cannot succeed in applying your makeup properly and avoid a car crash!
          Reading: - It beats all reason and logic for a driver to engage in reading as they drive. Not only does it draw your attention off the road even if you are taking quick peaks at the newspaper in traffic, it can also cause you to interrupt flow of traffic ultimately resulting in some fender benders on the highway.
5.4     Driver Distraction: - kids, animals and construction sites often distract individuals as much as any cell phone or car accidents we see. We are all human and know that it can be near impossible to keep our attention on the road when little Timmy is pulling on his sister’s hair. However, it is best if you resist the urge to look away, even momentarily. If it appears to be an issue requiring discipline, pull onto the road’s shoulder or into the nearest rest stop first.
5.5     Rubbernecking:-People who live in urban areas are more prone of course.  In fact, many accidents can occur near or around accident scenes.  You can be sure that traffic immediately slows down as people stare at the scene of a road accident, some have even been known to come to a grinding halt just to get a closer look, some drivers have been seen even asking witnesses to give them a blow to blow account of the said crash. To reduce the risk of such a collision, move with the flow of traffic and do not stop or slow down unless instructed to do so by officers on the scene. Pay attention to the road, and not the accident.

6. Not Wearing a Seat Belt
   Despite the fact that not wearing a seatbelt is now illegal, numerous drivers still ignore this law. Without a seat belt, car drivers and passengers put themselves at risk of being ejected from a vehicle, and in most cases the ejection ends in death.
7. Erratic /Reckless/Poor Driving

Some people adopt a willful disregard for the traffic regulations that make our roads safer.  Feeling above the law, they sneer at the rules of the road and exhibit a sense of entitlement when driving. Many of these individuals also exhibit aggressive driving tactics such as:-

1. Changing Lanes without signaling
2. Weaving and Tailgating
3. Swerving
4. Over steering/Overcorrecting
5. Changing Lanes without signaling: - This is very common amongst many drivers. People underestimate the importance of the indicator lights. If other drivers cannot anticipate your movement on the road, it will definitely lead to unnecessary mishaps. This behavior is common amongst many drivers.
6. Weaving and Tailgating: - Matatu drivers have mastered this and unfortunately it has been copied by lots of drivers resulting in mayhem on the roads especially during rush hour. We're talking about weaving and tailgating; at its most severe, this kind of driving involves steering down the wrong side of the road and exceeding the speed limit. Driving on the wrong side of the road should be allowed only for emergency service vehicles during an emergency.
7. Swerving: - The No.1 fatal mistake made by drivers is perhaps the most simple: not staying in their own lane, that is running off the road or drifting into the adjacent lane. This is especially common amongst new drivers, intoxicated drivers (alcohol or drugs) and drivers with poor vision.
8. Over steering/ Overcorrecting:-You get panicky when the wheels of your car hit the curb on the highway, first reaction is to throw the steering wheel in the opposite direction to get the vehicle back on the road. This is a classic example of overcorrecting or over steering, and it's a particularly dangerous maneuver when you're behind the wheel of a car driving on the highway at high speeds. Consider it a rollover waiting to happen. More than 2 out of 10 accidents reported a year occur because of drivers overcorrecting.
8. Failure to Yield Right of Way

For many drivers failing to yield while merging into traffic at junctions, acceleration lanes, and roundabouts is the top cause of minor crashes. Some drivers are unreasonably aggressive on the road, never wanting to yield right of way. Practice Courtesy in every area of your life especially on the road.

9. Running Red Lights

A large number of motor vehicle crashes occur in central business district. The most common cause is hitting the accelerator when the light turns red. Of the myriad types of collisions that can result, head-on and side-impact collisions are the most dangerous. When you cut it too close while running a light it’s very likely that you could damage your front end or that of another car. Either way, it's a recipe for a deadly crash

10. Shoddy road maintenance

Highway maintenance is very important. In Kenya sometimes it is a combination of road ‘destruction and construction’ However, many roads exhibit unsafe conditions like pot holes, uneven pavement and various other types of defects.   These conditions can and do lead to serious car accidents.  The best defense against accidents caused by such road defects is to keep your eyes open and never take it for granted that every roadway is well kept. When you find a highway too rough, If possible try to avoid it altogether.
In the end, knowledge is power, so if you wish to stay safe and maintain the safety of those you love, keep the above information in mind and don’t become one of these unfortunate statistics. Safe driving.