There are a lot of bad driving behaviors that people exhibit when driving on highways and freeways. While no drive is perfect and we can all have times where we display bad driving habits, there are some people that seem to drive poorly most of the time. Many of these habits can be extremely annoying, but, even more than that, they can be dangerous. When driving at such high speeds, making mistakes or not following the laws can lead to accidents, and these accidents are more likely to be disastrous.
We’ve collected a list of the 10 most annoying things that bad drivers do on the highway.
10 10. CHANGING SPEEDS FREQUENTLY
When you're driving along the highway and trying to maintain a good speed, there is nothing more frustrating than having someone in front of you who keeps changing their speed. It’s generally best to stay within a certain range and try to maintain your speed. If someone is slowing down and speeding up repeatedly, this can mess with the flow of traffic and be a risk. This bad habit can make it difficult for people to maintain a safe distance.
9 9. SPEEDING
While many of us speed every now and again, speeding can be quite dangerous. Extreme speeding can be a big risk to everyone else on the road. This is even truer when speeding in dangerous conditions such as bad weather or in heavy traffic.
It’s always safest to drive with the flow of traffic and not try to speed ahead of everyone else. While people who are speeding might think they look cool, they are really just annoying everyone around them.
8 8. NEVER LEAVING THE LEFT LANE
On the freeways and highways, the far left lane is meant to be a passing lane. While the laws vary from state to state, most states have it on the books that the far left lane is for faster traffic and for passing. It’s also just the general rules of the road that keep traffic moving smoothly. When in the most left lane, drivers should yield to those going faster and get out of the way if it’s safe to do so. People who stay in the far left lane no matter how fast they are going to make traffic flow slow down and get on the nerves of others.
7 7. GOING WAY TOO SLOW IN THE LEFT LANE
While speeding is often talked about when it comes to dangerous driving, driving too slow can also be a big problem. While police are more likely to pull people over for driving too fast, driving too slow can be cause for a ticket. Slow driving can also be a safety risk as it causes other people to need to maneuver around them. When driving on the highway, people going below the speed limit can be a dangerous annoyance.
6 6. NOT BEING AWARE OF PEOPLE ENTERING THE ON RAMP
Similarly to the far left lane being a space where drivers should yield, this is even more imperative for drivers in the far right lane. Drivers in this lane need to be aware that people are leaving and entering the highway. When people drive in the right lane and don’t pay attention and yield to people on the on-ramp, it can cause accidents.
5 5. TAILGATING
Tailgating is always an obnoxious habit, and it’s something that many bad drivers do much to the frustration of their fellow drivers. While tailgating is always frustrating and unsafe, it’s even more so when traveling at high speeds.
A traffic jam or slow down on the highway can happen quite suddenly, and tailgating doesn’t give enough time to stop in these situations. Also, it’s just stressful when someone is riding your bumper like that.
4 4. NOT USING TURN SIGNALS
Using turn signals should be the most basic and effortless part of driving, but for some reason, a lot of people forget to use them. While using turn signals every time you turn or switch lanes should be simple as breathing, bad drivers don’t do it.
Someone not using a turn signal while going at highway speeds can definitely lead to accidents as other drivers won’t know what they are doing.
3 3. SPEEDING UP SUDDENLY SO YOU CAN’T PASS
One thing that people always complain about, and with good reason, when driving on the highways and freeways are the people who won’t let anyone pass them. These are the people who will be going one speed constantly and then suddenly speedway up to keep someone from passing. This is horrible, dangerous driving that can lead to wrecks. Plus, it just makes drivers look like jerks who think they have to be the fastest on the road.
2 2. CROSSING MULTIPLE LANES AT ONCE TO EXIT
This is another really unsafe driving habit that people shouldn’t do. When preparing to exit off the highway, it should be a gradual process of switching from one lane at a time. If traffic is bad, this might take longer so starting to move over sooner is necessary.
Swerving over multiple lanes at once to exit is illegal and also puts people at risk. While it can be tempting to do if you realize you’re about to miss your exit, it’s always better to be safe and just wait for the next one.
1 1. TEXTING/DISTRACTED DRIVING
This is probably the worst plus most annoying habit that drivers these days exhibit. Driving while distracted and/or on your phone is bad and really dangerous no matter where you're driving. But, driving on the highway and texting is especially a bad move. While traveling at such high speeds, and often surrounded by a lot of other vehicles, it’s essential to stay alert and keep eyes on the road at all times. Failure to do so can be catastrophic and even deadly.