Serious drivers treat driving as a skill that can be measured, reviewed, and improved. Everyone is at risk for developing bad driving habits over time and if we let them become our default setting we might not make changes until it is too late. Just because you are a better than average driver, it doesn't mean that there is no room for improvement.
Create Your Own System to Recognize Bad Driving Habits
Increase your self awareness while driving by developing the habit of mentally checking in during routine trips. Here are common red flags to watch for when you practice this:
- Driving on autopilot and not recalling the last few minutes
- Frequently braking late or hard
- Following other vehicles too closely
- Rolling stops or inconsistent signaling
- Feeling rushed, impatient, or annoyed with other drivers
- Exceeding the speed limit without realizing it
If you identify a behavior that happens repeatedly, it is a habit, not an isolated mistake.
Use Objective Feedback
Relying only on our own perception is not enough. Take advantage of external inputs when they are available:
- Ask a trusted passenger to observe and give specific feedback
- Review dashcam footage if available
- Pay attention to near-misses, honks, or sudden evasive actions by others
- Note traffic tickets, warnings, or frequent close calls as indicators
Patterns matter more than individual incidents.
Identify Root Causes
Bad habits usually stem from inattention, over confidence, time pressure or our emotional state. Understanding why a habit occurs makes it easier to change.
Correct Habits Using Targeted Techniques
Bad habits persist when you try to cure them without a replacement behavior. For example, if your bad driving habit is forgetting to signal your target is to signal before any lateral movement, every time.
Tie corrections to specific triggers. If your bad driving habit is speed control, verify your speed every time you see a speed sign.
This converts conscious effort into automatic behavior.
Track Your Improvement
After each drive, ask yourself if it went well. If you identify an error add it to your focus. This will only take 30 seconds and reinforces awareness and progress.
Periodically Reset Your Skills
All drivers benefit from reviewing defensive driving principles, watching advanced driving or hazard perception videos or taking a refresher or defensive driving course.
Experience does not prevent bad driving habits, intentional practice does.
Measure Your Success
You are improving when:
- Drives feel calmer and more predictable
- You anticipate hazards earlier
- Other drivers’ mistakes affect you less
- You rarely feel rushed behind the wheel
- Near-misses decrease over time
Bottom Line
The best drivers are not flawless; they are self-aware, reflective, and proactive. Treat your driving habits as a system to monitor and refine and improvement will follow naturally.
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