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This post is all about life skills you can practice daily to improve your driving skills.
Did you know that the skills you use every day can help you become a better driver?
Believe it or not, there are five life skills that you can master to help you quickly improve your driving.
These skills are often used in other areas of life, so they’re not hard to practice.
Curious yet?
Below are those five everyday skills things that will help to quickly improve your driving skills!
Life Skills That’ll Improve Your Driving Skills:
1. Directionality (a.k.a Knowing Your Left and Right)
Although this seems simple, you would be surprised how many people don’t have this skill.
Maybe you’re one of those.
But if you want to be a good driver, being able to distinguish your left and right is absolutely critical!
Here are some examples of driving situations where you need to be able to quickly identify left and right:
- When indicating: you need to be able to correctly tell other drivers where you are turning.
- During your driving exam: your instructor may tell you to take the next left. Not knowing your left from your right could cause you to fail!
- When parallel parking: Knowing which way to turn the wheel can mean the difference between a perfect park and a fender bender.
- When using GPS: If the GPS tells you to turn left in 500 ft, you could easily end up getting lost if accidentally turn right.
How To Figure Out Which Is Left and Which is Right
If you are not sure which way is left and right, there are a couple of tricks that can help you.
1. Use your hands: Most people know whether they’re a left-hander or a right-hander. One of the easiest tricks to figuring out your left and right is to visualize yourself writing on a piece of paper. If you’re right-handed, remember that the side of your dominant hand is right, while the other is left. Similarly, if you’re left-handed, the side of your dominant hand is left and the other, right.
2. The Letter L: Another trick is to make the letter ‘L’ with your fingers using either of your hands. If your ‘L’ looks normal, that is your left hand. If your ‘L’ looks like it’s flipped, that is your right hand. You can use this little hack anytime!
3. Use landmarks to help you remember what direction is left or right: For example, if there is a tree on the corner of an intersection that you pass regularly, use it as an anchor point. Visualize its location to help you distinguish between left and right.
4. Use labels: Mark your hands with a pen or eyeliner to help you remember which side is left and which is right. You can also stick a small piece of paper near your steering wheel to identify left and right. Don’t worry about other people noticing! Over time, you’ll be able to tell without the extra help.
5. Accessorise: If you wear accessories on your hands, you can easily use them to help you figure out right from left. For instance, if you wear a wedding ring, you can remember that the side with your ring is your left and the other, obviously, is your right.
2. Being Observant
Are you the kind of person to notice when someone got their hair done or when furniture is slightly moved out of place?
Or do you only notice when someone else points it out?
You may not realize it, but this is another important skill that can help you become a better driver.
Being observant means paying attention to your surroundings and looking for anything that could potentially be a hazard.
For example, you need to be able to notice when a ball rolls into the street since a child may soon come looking for it.
You also need to notice obstructions in the road before they’re right in front of you.
You need to be able to hear the sound of a police or emergency siren so you can act accordingly.
The list goes on.
The benefits of being observant while driving are obvious — the more observant you are, the less likely you are to be caught off guard by a hazard and the less likely you are to get into an accident.
3. Being Patient
No one likes long lines, walking behind someone slow, or waiting weeks to receive a special package in the mail. But (unfortunately), we can’t escape waiting in life.
For this reason, those who can bear the wait in good spirits will always be at an advantage.
If you are someone who tends to get impatient easily, it can be difficult to deal with traffic, slow drivers, and other frustrating situations. You’re more likely to make impulsive and risky decisions that could lead to an accident.
If you can learn to be patient behind the wheel, however, it will help you stay calm and focused, which will make you a safer driver.
Practice patience on a daily basis and being patient while driving will be so much easier.
4. Staying Focused
If you have a hard time focusing on everyday tasks, chances are you’re going to struggle with it when driving too.
Staying focused is critical when you are behind the wheel, as any lapse in attention can lead to an accident.
If you find yourself having a hard time staying focused, it might be a good idea to practice mindfulness and other forms of meditation that will help increase your focus and concentration.
5. Controlling Your Emotions
You may not realize it, but your emotions can influence how you drive.
Feeling angry or frustrated is very likely to affect your driving in a negative way.
It is important to remain calm and composed behind the wheel so that you can focus on driving safely and confidently.
The thing is, you can’t expect to control your emotions while driving if you can’t control your emotions in other situations.
Take some time to work on your emotional regulation skills and practice calming down when you are feeling upset. Getting enough sleep, saying affirmations, prayer, and meditation are a few methods that work for some.
This will help you stay calm both in and out of your vehicle.
Related: 40 Driving Affirmations to Keep You Calm & Confident
Conclusion
By mastering these five everyday skills, you are guaranteed to become a safer and more confident driver.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait till you’re behind the wheel to practice. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, take some time to practice the five life skills above.
You can start right now!
