LONG BEACH, CA – With the summer’s last big holiday weekend about to occur, automotive experts are dutifully warning Labor Day motorists of poor driving habits that are sure to be infuriating to other travelers on the roads.
“Rather than just being annoying quirks, these driving habits are genuine indicators of how someone handles pressure, follows social contracts and regulates their emotions,” according to Bryan Solis, the head of sales and strategic partnerships at 5 Star Car Title Loans in Long Beach.
“Poor driving habits typically stem from inadequate driver education or, more commonly, insufficient emotional control,” he adds. “Anyone who can’t control their impulse to road rage probably has trouble managing stress in other high-pressure situations.”
Because Labor Day is often seen as the unofficial end of summer, a higher volume of traffic is anticipated statewide.
Utah authorities are predicting an increase in traffic and potential accidents over the Labor Day weekend.
Both the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) are taking measures to increase safety and awareness, citing increased roadway congestion and past fatality trends.
Over the holiday weekend, Utahns will be sharing the state’s roads with out-of-state motorists, who are infamous for complaining about “Utah drivers.” But Solis contends that red flag driving behaviors are by no mean limited to Beehive State motorists.
The California loan company lists those most annoying habits as not using turn signals, speeding, excessive horn use, cruising in the middle lane and tailgating/break-checking.
Nothing screams “I don’t care about anyone else” quite like random turn-signaling, Solis says. Drivers who flip their blinkers on halfway during a turn or lane change – or forget to signal at all – demonstrate a fundamental lack of consideration for other motorists.
With regard to speeding, posted speed limits exist for everyone’s safety, he says, not personal convenience.
“Drivers who consistently ignore speed limits show they believe that rules don’t apply to them,” Solis emphasizes.
Road rage incidents – which are on the rise in Utah – frequently begin with someone leaning on their vehicle’s horn. Too often, Solis observes, that explosive behavior doesn’t stay confined to the car.
Drivers who hog the middle lane in traffic force everyone to weave around them, “the highway equivalent of cutting in line, showing a complete disregard for how your actions affect others,” Solis complains.
Finally, Solis called tailgating – when drivers try to pressure other motorists to increase their speed or get out of their way — the most dangerous of all red flag driving behaviors.
“Anyone willing to weaponize a 2,000-pound vehicle over minor inconveniences has serious anger management issues,” he adds.
For additional information about red flag driving habits, go to https://5starloans.com/.
The Labor Day holiday weekend is widely regarded as the end of what authorities consider the “100 Deadliest Days” of summer due to higher rates of traffic fatalities.
State officials attribute those fatalities to distracted driving, speeding and impairment, along with other common factors in holiday weekend accidents.
Utah officials are responding with targeted enforcement efforts including more than 250 additional driving under the influence enforcement shifts being worked by 47 different agencies across Utah throughout the holiday weekend.