Even if you aren’t the type to make official New Year’s resolutions, this time of year is a great time to think about the kinds of things you want to achieve over the coming year, what you’d like to do less of, and the impact you’d like to have on the world around you.
There’s one place where your attitude is particularly important, and you might not even realise it. It’s when you are behind the wheel of your car.
Research has shown that the way you’re feeling when you get in your car, affects the way you drive. If you don’t take a moment to breathe, calm down and choose to be aware and patient, you could end up going faster or driving more dangerously than you intended. You’ll be more likely to miss hazards, misjudge situations or react in a way that causes a major crash.
Even if driving stressed isn’t an issue for you, there are other ways in which your personality and mood can affect your driving. Maybe you think you’re always right, and thus your driving is flawless, all the time. Or maybe you feel angry about road rules, so entitled to break them. Maybe you’re just impatient, so you get angry with anyone who is slowing you down.
Whatever your issue off-road, don’t bring it with you behind the wheel. If we all brought a bit of courtesy and awareness instead, we’d reduce vehicle incidents hugely, and all the roads would be safer and easier to get around on.
So what’s your driving going to be like this year?
