You won’t change your driving habits.
Sounds pretty definitive, huh? Well, studies show unless you’re in a vehicle accident or receive a citation, you most likely won’t change any poor driving behaviors.
RETTEW recently hosted Dave Maceiko, a retired PA state trooper, who is now with the South Central PA Highway Safety organization. Dave held several safe driving training sessions in many RETTEW offices, bringing his fun and engaging training to our staff. Companywide, RETTEW employees put millions of miles on our fleet vehicles each year, so we were eager to attend a training to help us stay safe on the road. We learned many important facts to help us do so!
Top Ten Driver Bad Habits:
- Eating or drinking
- Putting on makeup/grooming/shaving
- Allowing a pet to sit on your lap in the driver’s seat
- Arguing/shouting/laughing
- Reaching for items on the floor
- Changing the music/radio
- Smoking or vaping
- Reading
- Texting or using a cell phone
- Being lost in thought
Drivers should strive to be:
- Sober
- Alert
- Non-emotional
- Observant
- Responsible
- Not in a hurry
Legal Roadway Trivia:
- Driving barefoot is not illegal
- Switching the dome light on is OK, so long as there is no glare blocking the driver’s vision
- Keeping a pet from being a distraction is important, however, they do not need to be seat belted
- Knowing car seat requirements will keep your children safe – they are based on age, not weight
- Throwing a cigarette outside the vehicle is littering, and thus illegal
- Hanging items on rearview mirrors is not allowed
- Clearing ice and snow off the front, side, and back windows is required before driving
- Viewing any audio/video screen is not allowed in the driver or passenger seat, other than GPS or mapping equipment (which also must not block a driver’s visual)
We learned a lot of helpful tips and heard some great stories in this training. We encourage your organization to look up the South Central PA Highway Safety organization for some great training options to make sure your people stay safe. Dave does a great job making the training fun!
RETTEW also offers certified Defensive Driver training for organizations in our training center or on-site at your office or facility.