Driver Guide: How to be a better driver in quick and easy way?

One quick step to be a better driver.... Stay off the left lane...

Or stay in the left lane. With my 3 lanes on I-95 in Connecticut the left lane is typically the safest. The far right is where the exit/entrances mainly come into play and in CT the ramps are very often short and sharply curved meaning cars either brake prior to entering the ramp or don't speed up enough getting on until they are in the highway lane. The whole point of a ramp is to get up to highway speed before entering and getting onto the ramp prior to braking to avoid jam ups on the highway.

The middle lane seems the best as you have two options for bail-outs utilizing the lanes around you but with tractor trailers and their driving on our highways in the state, I avoid them at all costs. They ride your bumper, pass on the right, cut in and out and brake late.

I get on at speed and move the far left as soon as is safely possible maintaining 70-80mph depending on traffic and zone and move to the right when someone comes up faster than me. Sure the left lane is for passing only, but when you have the mayhem in the other two lanes going on, the left just makes sense.

I'll add a #11.

11) Check your mirrors constantly.
I constantly check my mirrors several times a minute, making sure of people coming up behind me, ensuring I have an open space to make an evasive manuever in case of something up ahead, or just keeping my eyes moving so I am aware of who is around me. I have gotten to know my car very well and know that for me to make a safe lane change I need to see the car in the other lanes headlights in my rear view mirror before moving. It allows my car safe distance to make the change.

Other than that, It just amazes me how people never check or notice or care about their mirrors.

My father does the same thing and admire that about him. I've tried looking at the mirrors as often as he does but eventually I forget. However, I do usually "feel" who's around me, as weird as that sounds.

This article reminds me of those "how to lose 60 lb of fat without dieting or exercising" articles: It leads the reader to conclude that there is a simple "magic bullet" that lets them change their circumstances while doing pretty much the same thing.

Here are some MEANINGFUL tips for becoming a good driver. But I gotta warn ya: they take effort:

(1) Get serious driver training, no matter what your age or experience.
(2) Practice. And commuting to work is not practice. Most drivers make claims like "I have 20 years experience driving." No you don't. You have 6-months experience, forty times over. And you've had lots of time to ingrain those bad habits deeply.
(3) Get independently evaluated regularly, and go for more recurrent training. Break those bad habits. Create good new ones.
(4) Push your limits. Get training for adverse conditions, such as skids, collision avoidance, braking, proper use of ABS, etc. And practice what you learn until it becomes an automatic response.
(5) Always drive with a clear mind. No drugs, alcohol, or fatigue. This alone will eliminate about 30% of your chances of being involved in an incident.
(6) Always exercise prudent decision-making. Speed doesn't kill. The sudden deceleration following suboptimal decisions and actions, does.

I have more tips, but I figure these few are more than enough to put most drivers off, just because it's too much effort for them. Give me a magic pill, a few easy tips, and let me go along merrily believing I've made a change. This is much more common. Deboost away, folks :-)