Driving Ability

What things affect your driving ability? There are many things that affect your driving ability. Your emotional, vision and physical condition are just a few.

Responsibility, maturity, and self-control are factors that affect your driving. It's not just skill that matters. It's your ability to think clearly and make sound, responsible decisions. Everybody experiences strong feelings that are both positive and negative. When you experience a strong negative emotion, you may feel as if you have to display forcefulness. This can lead to driving aggressively. This is called road rage. Violence is sometimes associated with road rage. Strong emotions can have an effect on your driving. They can interfere with your ability to manage the risk involved.

Inattention and lack of concentration may affect your driving. Both of them take your mind off of the road. It could be you being preoccupied or thinking about an exciting basketball play. It may be that you are thinking about a test that you need to study for, your boyfriend or girlfriend. The lack of concentration may cause you to speed or break other driving rules without you realizing it.

Safe driving is a full-time job for your mind and your body. Drivers must be in a state of mind that allows them to see, hear, acknowledge signals of the roadway and behave accordingly. If the occasion ever occurs when you're not in the right state of mind, allow someone else to drive for your sake and others on the road.

Your sight is the most important sense that affects your ability to drive. Approximately 90% of the decisions you make while driving are based on information you gather with your eyes. If you are having trouble seeing, you ability to drive safely is in serious jeopardy.

Having 20/20 vision is more than being able to see well. It means being able to see straight ahead, to the sides, and being able to perceive depth as well as color. If your vision is impaired, you will have difficulty adjusting your car's speed and position to minimize risk. You will not be able to check the roadway far enough ahead to spot a threatening condition early. You will also have trouble identifying signs, signals, and roadway markings.

To check your ability to see clearly, you should be tested for visual acuity. Visual acuity means clear vision; the test is conducted by a health care professional or by your local department of motor vehicles. This test

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