When was the last time you were required to take a driving test? Unless you move to a new state that requires one it was probably since you were about sixteen. As adults I know it’s hard to believe that we aren’t perfect and need to refresh our driving skills from time to time but it is true. It is too easy to become complacent, jump into our vehicles and just drive on auto pilot without thinking about whether we are driving safely or not. 
If you have ever ridden along with a new teen driver you will totally appreciate this. Teens that are learning to drive have had the rules of the road drilled into their heads over and over by driving instructors and in drivers education classes and they do their best to follow them exactly. It can drive us CRAZY when we are riding along, but why? They are just following the rules of the road which in turn means that we have most likely slacked off and started taking short cuts or haven’t been paying as much attention to how we are driving as we should be.
We would like to encourage you to hone your safe driving skills this year. Whether it is enrolling in a defensive driving course which can save you considerable amounts of money on your car insurance or just paying more attention to the state of your driving, it could save you from an accident down the road.
Do you think about how closely you are following the vehicle in front of you? Do you come to a complete stop at stop signs? Do you always look left, right, left before turning out into traffic? Do you consistently use your blinkers when turning or changing lanes? Do you ensure your mirrors and headlamps are clean for better visibility? How about having an eye checkup to ensure you are seeing properly? Have you checked your vehicle’s fluids, tire pressures, tread depth, wipers, lights recently? If you have answered no to any of these, you might want to make some changes in your driving habits.
Safe driving of course starts with safe vehicles, so ensure you are up to date on all regularly scheduled vehicle maintenance. When you have your vehicle in for any service appointments, have the technician do an overall vehicle inspection to alert you to any potential problem areas. If we all do a better job of keeping ourselves up to date on safe driving skills, then our roads will be a much safer place to drive.
