Driving in the middle of rush hour traffic is especially frustrating, and can even prove to be dangerous. Rush hour traffic becomes even more magnified and dense during the holiday season, with tons of molasses slow lights, crowded roads, and rushing people driving dangerously. It’s essential that you drive with caution when in traffic; here’s some tips from the automotive safety experts here at Towing Chicago on how to safely drive in traffic.
Don’t Rush, and Plan for Extra Time
It’s important to allot some extra time for yourself to get to your destination when you expect traffic, and generally when it’s rush hour. When you’re late to your destination and/or in a huge rush, it’s much more likely that you will attempt riskier driving maneuvers that can be dangerous, including cutting off other drivers, tailgating, or speeding. It’s especially dangerous to do this, as tons of the other drivers on the road will likely be doing the same. This increases the chances of an accident.
Modified Routing
We recommend utilizing different routes to your destination in order to avoid the pervasive rush hour traffic. This has the benefit of giving you a different experience of scenery. Use an app like Waze to help you find the best route to your destination – it automatically senses traffic stops, and updates through user submission in real time, so you know you’re getting the most up to date information possible.
Cautious Driving
Make sure to drive with at least the length of space of one vehicle between you and the car ahead – which is especially important in rush hour traffic that might start and stop, making it important for you to ensure you have enough room to quickly stop.
Additional Safe Driving Tips
Never swerve in and out of lanes, and suppress your urges to drive aggressively. A scientific survey by the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Study proved that rush hour is a major trigger for aggressive driving behavior. It’s important to avoid becoming one of these statistics – since driving is more likely to suddenly start and stop in traffic, you need to stay steady, slow, and only speed up gradually.
Remain in the right Lane
If you want to drive slow, stay in the right lane so that other drivers can pass you on the left. Rush hour driving often means that drivers are trying to beat traffic by switching lanes – and the best way to drive in rush hour traffic is to remain in the middle and/or right lane, and avoid the urge to switch into the faster left lane, which is sure to stop.