You might think that driving in heavy traffic is safer than any other kind of road condition. You won’t be able to go too fast, and that should make things easier. However, the fact is that no matter what speed you might be going at, if there are more vehicles around you, there is more chance of having an accident. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you drive more safely in heavy traffic – and they are useful to bear in mind even when the roads are empty.

Stay Alert And Focused

One of the most crucial elements of driving safely in heavy traffic is that you need to be completely alert and focused. When you’re surrounded by a lot of other vehicles, you can never predict what the drivers are going to do, and it can all become rather unpredictable, with people switching lanes at the last moment, stopping suddenly, and becoming frustrated.

To stay safe during this time, make sure you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. You need to be able to react to whatever is happening not just in front of you but all around you, so stay alert and don’t allow yourself to get distracted. It might be uncomfortable and even unpleasant, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. This is why you shouldn’t drink and drive; doing so might cause you to need drink driving solicitors and get into a nasty accident.

Plan Ahead And Allow Extra Time

Sometimes you can’t predict whether there will be extra traffic on your route. For example, an accident might cause a tailback that you are caught up in. Other times, however, you’ll know precisely what the traffic is going to be like – it might be rush hour, for example, or perhaps the road you’re using is a particularly busy one at all times of the day.

This is why planning ahead is so important. Knowing the roads you’re going to use and how likely it is there will be a lot of traffic on them that will slow your journey means you can allow extra time so account for this. In this way, even though your journey will take longer, you won’t be late to wherever it is you’re going. Or you could even plan a different route to bypass the traffic if that is possible.

Keep A Safe Distance

It can be tempting to get close to the car in front of you when there is a lot of traffic – you want to keep up with everyone else, and you want to get where you’re going as soon as you can. However, because of the many sudden starts and stops in this kind of situation, getting too close to other vehicles can be dangerous and cause accidents.

Ideally, you’ll leave a decent amount of space between you and the car ahead of you. This can mean that other drivers move into that space, which can be frustrating, but rather than get annoyed, just pull back a little more and always ensure there is space. It will keep you focused on the road, at the very least.