{"id":3722,"date":"2021-03-17T14:07:27","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T14:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=3722"},"modified":"2025-02-26T06:49:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T06:49:57","slug":"5-useful-ways-you-could-be-driving-less-dangerously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/5-useful-ways-you-could-be-driving-less-dangerously\/","title":{"rendered":"5 useful ways you could be driving less dangerously"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wait, you\u2019re probably saying, I\u2019m not a dangerous driver. Maybe you\u2019re also saying: I\u2019ve never even had a crash serious enough to scrap my car<\/a>. And that would be a very fair point, especially since the evidence shows that the majority of UK drivers are in fact very conscientious. (In fact, Britain has some of the safest roads in Europe<\/a>, second only to Sweden.)<\/p>\n

But even the most conscientious of us can still have bad driving habits, or little things that we often fail to do. If we\u2019re unlucky enough, sometimes those tiny mistakes can have massive consequences. Here, we\u2019ve highlighted some small but useful changes you can make to your driving, all of which can make things a whole lot safer for yourself and others around you.<\/p>\n

Do the Dutch Reach<\/h2>\n

It might sound like an early naughties dance craze that never quite caught on, but the Dutch Reach is essentially a useful way for drivers to reduce off the risk of a near-constant hazard for cyclists – car doors that open suddenly on busy streets.<\/p>\n

Using the Dutch Reach simply means opening your car door with the hand furthest away from it (so that\u2019s your left hand as a driver). This movement naturally forces you to twist your body and look over your shoulder into your blindspot, so you can spot any oncoming cyclists. It\u2019s regarded as such an essential manoeuvre that the Department of Transport are considering officially incorporating it into the Highway Code.<\/p>\n

Check your blind spots<\/h2>\n

Now this is something we\u2019re all taught as part of the Highway Code, and normally as part of our driving lessons too. For some reason though, it\u2019s still something that we\u2019re not all as good at doing as we should be. The Highway Code advises checking over your shoulder at your blindspots when you\u2019re merging with traffic, parallel parking, or changing lanes – as well as any other manoeuvre when other road users could be behind you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth remembering that checking your blindspots in this way can protect you physically, legally and financially by helping you to avoid becoming a victim of Crash for Cash scams, in which fraudsters intentionally induce accidents to claim insurance money. A common tactic for these drivers is to try and hang back in their target\u2019s blindspot, before suddenly accelerating out in front of them to cause a crash. Being aware of your blind spots can help you spot this suspicious behaviour much earlier, giving you a better chance of not becoming a victim.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, to avoid getting caught up in innocent (but no less stressful) collisions, the Department for Transport also advocates for making an effort to stay consciously aware of other drivers\u2019 blind spots, and trying to stay out of them where possible.<\/p>\n

\"safely<\/p>\n

Leave enough space between you and the car ahead<\/h2>\n

We know that feeling. Maybe you\u2019re late, or maybe you just want to get home, but the driver in front of you is going so slowly that you wonder if they might be practicing for a parade of some kind. It can be tempting to try and speed up a bit, just to try and give them a bit of a hint, hoping they\u2019ll move. Equally, it can be easy to be driving at a perfectly reasonable speed, and suddenly realise you\u2019re far too close.<\/p>\n

But whether it\u2019s done accidentally or deliberately, it\u2019s really important to recognise the dangers posed by tailgating<\/a>. The Highway Code is really clear on this point: \u201cthe safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That needs to be a two-second gap at all times between you and the vehicle in front when you\u2019re driving in tunnels or fast-moving roads. When the weather turns unpleasant, that distance needs to lengthen accordingly – to a four-second gap if it\u2019s on wet roads, and even more if it\u2019s snowy or icy. Giving yourself even one extra second to react can make all the difference to whether or not you have an accident.<\/p>\n

Check your rear view mirror before you brake hard<\/h2>\n

When a hazard suddenly emerges ahead, you react instinctively. You have to – by the time you\u2019ve had time to consciously consider what\u2019s happening, you could have already crashed. But while some hazards might only permit you literally a few seconds to react, others might happen far enough ahead that you\u2019ve got more time to react.<\/p>\n

In these instances, it\u2019s best to try and at least give your rear view mirror a glance to see how hard or softly you can brake, giving the car behind as much time to react as possible – helping you both avoid being caught up in a collision of your own. Now it might seem like a big ask if you\u2019re not used to doing it, but it definitely becomes easier if you\u2019ve left enough space between yourself and the car in front, as per our advice above.<\/p>\n

You can also give yourself a bit more time to react by checking your rear view mirror more frequently in environments where you know you have a higher chance of needing to stop suddenly, such as pedestrian crossings or supermarket car parks.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t touch your phone<\/h2>\n

Seriously. This is one that millions of us are still guilty of breaking on a daily basis, but its impact on safety really can\u2019t be overstated. Sure, your phone is a highly versatile device used for communication, navigation, and entertainment – all in one handy package. But it\u2019s also, crucially, a distraction. Driving while distracted, even for a moment, can all too easily result in some devastating consequences.<\/p>\n

The law is again really clear on this point, and since a legal loophole was recently closed, now even touching your phone is illegal when you\u2019re sat at the wheel – so you don\u2019t have to be actively texting or talking on it to be prosecuted.<\/p>\n

Lots of modern phones have safe-driving modes programmed into them, but we\u2019d go for the time honoured approach – just switch it to silent or turn it off entirely when you\u2019re driving.<\/p>\n

We know that none of these are particularly exciting, and some might take a little while to get yourself into the habit of them, but each one of them could end up making all the difference to saving a life. And let\u2019s be honest, there are few things more important!<\/p>\n

Not every monotonous task is quite so vital, like filling out your paperwork when you scrap your car. Happily, that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re here for at Scrap Car Network. We like to make things as easy and straightforward for you as possible when you scrap your car, and what\u2019s more, you can count on us to get you the very best price.<\/p>\n

All you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode into the fields on our site, and we\u2019ll get you an instant online quote before you can say cash for cars. It only takes a few seconds\u2026 curious to find out how much your car is worth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wait, you\u2019re probably saying, I\u2019m not a dangerous driver. Maybe you\u2019re also saying: I\u2019ve never even had a crash serious enough to scrap my car. And that would be a very fair point, especially since the evidence shows that the majority of UK drivers are in fact very conscientious. (In fact, Britain has some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":3729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n