Driving can be a more calm, peaceful experience, and you can enjoy it much more if you slow down. Do you look around at other drivers and wonder whether they really need to get to where they’re going so fast, and whether they’ll slow down when…
Driving slower can actually make you a happier person. It’s such a simple step to take, but it makes an incredibly big difference.
Here are just 5 reasons to drive slower:
- Save Petrol. The best ways to save petrol (besides driving less or driving a fuel-efficient vehicle) are to avoid excessive idling, more gradual accelerating and decelerating, and driving slower. With prices so high these days, wasting fuel by driving unnecessarily fast is something we can’t afford.
- Save lives. Driving fast can kill people (including the driver). Most illegal speeding is in the 1-10km/h band above the limit. Speeds in this band are associated with the most crashes.
Everyone travelling a few kilometres slower makes us all safer. With even a small decrease in average speed, we see a decrease in the number of fatal and injury crashes. - Save time? While you think you’re saving time by driving faster, it’s not a lot of time. And that small amount of time you’re saving isn’t worth it, considering the other factors on this list. Better yet, start out a few minutes early and you’ll arrive at the same time as someone who drove faster but started later, and you’ll arrive much happier than that person to boot.
- Save your sanity. The above three reasons are very important ones, but the most noticeable difference could be the huge drop in stress levels when you drive. Far from being a crazy experience, driving could be a relaxing and pleasant experience now.
- Simplify your life. This is related to the one above but expanded. In addition to saving your stress levels, driving slower can reduce many other complications as well — the headache of accidents and speeding tickets, for one, going to the gas station too often, for another, but also the hectic pace of life. Why must we rush through life? Slow down and enjoy life more. If we’re always in a hurry to get places, when will we get to our destination and finally be happy? Life is a journey — make it a pleasant one.
OK, assuming that you want to drive slower, here are some of the tips that work well…
- Play relaxing music. Whatever you choose, enjoy it, and relax.
- Ignore other drivers. That is to say, keep an eye on the road but don’t get bent out of shape if other drivers don’t drive as well as you!
- Leave early. If you speed because you’re running late, make it a habit of getting ready early and leaving early. Now you don’t have to worry about being late, and you can enjoy the ride.
- Keep to the left. If you drive to the speed limit and slower than the other crazy drivers out there, it’s wise to keep out of their way if possible and keep to the left.
- Enjoy the drive. Most of all, make your drive a pleasant experience — whether that’s through music or contemplation or however you want to enjoy the ride, remember that the ride is just as important as the destination.
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