Avoid tailgating at all costs. Many people drive way too close to vehicles ahead of them as a bad habit. Allow some space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. That space is needed for reaction time in case the vehicle ahead of you slows down quickly or stops abruptly.
Always do a 'shoulder check' before changing lanes. You must only change lanes when you're absolutely sure that there is no incoming traffic in the lane you're about to move into.
Before merging into highway traffic, always match the speed of the traffic so that you can enter into the traffic seamlessly.
Never waste any more than 5-10 seconds to decide whether to pass a vehicle ahead of you or not. Avoid any kind of hesitation.
Avoid driving parallel to vehicles in other lanes. The traffic behind you and behind the vehicle in the other lane must always have a clear view of the road ahead. In case a vehicle shows up parallel to you, either slow down and let it get ahead of you or hit the accelerator and get ahead of that vehicle.
In the event when you see a stationary big vehicle, like a truck or a bus, ahead of you and it is obscuring a sidewalk or a pedestrian crossing, always assume that a vehicle or a pedestrian will pop out from in front of it and thus drive very slowly.
Always keep your front wheels straight when waiting to turn so that in case someone rear-ends your vehicle, you will just be pushed forward and not into the oncoming traffic.
Never allow yourself to get distracted when you drive. If there is a passenger next to you, you can always converse with him/her without looking at his/her face. Once you reach your destination there will, in most cases, be plenty of time to look at that person's face.
Understand that people defy all logic and that they cannot be trusted. Always assume that every single vehicle around you will do the stupidest thing possible at any moment. Try to drive defensively most of the time and especially when you are driving with a family.
