Rest your hand on the gear lever, keep your foot on the clutch and drive with your arm out the window. These are just three examples of driving addictions that you have certainly observed in someone or yourself.
Time passes and it is common for a simple practice to become an automatic habit. We often acquire behaviors that seem harmless, but when it comes to driving, this can represent a real danger.
Firstly, because it is harmful to the functioning of the car. But the side that requires the most attention in this story is, in fact, the risk it poses to the people in the vehicle.
To understand what vices behind the wheel are and know how to leave these habits behind in your operation, just stay with us.
What are the most common driving disorders?
How do driving disorders impact fleet management?
What are driving addictions?
Driving addictions are nothing more than habits or behaviors that can put the driver and other passengers in the vehicle at risk.
They can affect the car's performance for a number of reasons, such as increasing fuel consumption and maintenance expenses or even resulting in traffic fines.
With this in mind, identifying and combating these practices is one of the best ways to:
- Protect the safety, health and well-being of users
- Reduce costs associated with traffic accidents
- Raise awareness about bad habits
- Avoid expenses and keep the operation running smoothly
Even though it is the team's responsibility to follow traffic rules, in many cases driving disorders go unnoticed or drivers are not even aware of the risks involved.
Therefore, it is also the role of managers to warn about these dangerous behaviors and promote traffic Safety with your operation.
What are the most common driving disorders?
Nothing better than giving practical examples of driving habits to help you avoid them. Check it out below.
1. Going down hills in neutral
When we talk about addictions behind the wheel, this is perhaps one of the most common in traffic, due to the false feeling that leaving the car at rest is a way to save fuel.
But this is nothing more than a myth. In fact, going down hills with the vehicle disengaged puts stress on the car's engine and overloads the brake pads.
This is because when the vehicle is in neutral, a much larger amount of fuel is injected into the engine, as the system understands that it is idling.
Furthermore, the gear engaged helps control the speed of the car. On the other hand, this control is only up to the mechanical brake when in neutral, which ends up wearing out the pads and can even make the car go out of control and cause a disaster.
Another very convincing reason to leave this habit behind is that driving with the car disengaged constitutes a traffic violation, subject to a fine of R$ 130,36 and four points on the license.
Suggested reading: Fines management: a strategic plan for security-oriented managers
2. Rest your hand on the gear lever
This practice is also quite common in traffic. Drivers get the habit of leaving one of their hands resting on the gear lever, especially in manual cars.
At first, like any addiction, this appears to be harmless, when in fact there is a very significant harm that can arise from this practice.
As in the previous case, driving with just one hand on the steering wheel constitutes an infraction, with a fine of R$85,13 and four points on the license.
3. Keep your foot on the clutch
Another common practice among drivers is to keep their foot resting on the clutch while the car is moving or stopped, because many believe that this speeds up gear changing.
However, this is one of the driving habits that causes the most damage. This is because the clutch system can multiply the weight applied to the pedal by up to 50 times.
No matter how lightly you touch this part, it causes wear on the system's discs, springs and bearings, which reduces clutch life by up to 50%.
The damage may not be immediate, but to give you an idea, replacing these parts can cost up to R$2. This expense can be postponed for several years, just put aside the habit of resting your foot on the pedal.
🎬AHEAD Webcast: Why is building a Culture of Safety essential in your fleet management?
4. Using the throttle and clutch controls on inclines
Another habit that can cause similar damage to the previous one is keeping the car stopped on hills using the acceleration and clutch controls.
This can cause premature wear, as parts are being forced to perform an activity they were not designed for, which can lead to damage to the clutch discs and plate.
The transmission system (including the flywheel and clutch disc) can also overheat, which can lead to premature failure of these components and require expensive repairs.
Not to mention that keeping the car stopped on inclines using only the accelerator to prevent it from rolling back can significantly increase fuel consumption.
5. Keeping your arm out the window
Among driving vices, this is without a shadow of a doubt a classic, especially on hotter days. In these cases, it is natural for the driver to rest their elbow on the door, leaving part of their arm outside without even realizing it.
Precisely because it is very common in traffic, we ended up acquiring the practice as well. The problem is that, In addition to being dangerous, it is also an average infraction.
When we take into account other losses, such as the risk of robberies, collisions with obstacles and the possibility of amputation in rollovers, it becomes clear how dangerous this habit can be.
6. Driving with the tank in reserve
Well, the truth is that there is no advantage to always having your tank in reserve. Quite the opposite, the driver only runs the risk of being stopped in the middle of the road due to lack of fuel, which is considered a medium infraction.
Putting it at the tip of a pencil, the item costs around R$300,00 and, adding labor, changing the filter and repairing the injection nozzle, which can easily double the losses.
A full tank of gasoline, for example, costs around R$250,00. As filling up your car is inevitable, there is no reason good enough to maintain this harmful habit.
How do driving disorders impact fleet management?
We believe that the negative impacts have become more evident, however, it never hurts to reinforce them. Just look at the effects of bad driving habits on fuel consumption and maintenance expenses.
Fuel consumption
Some of these behaviors, such as accelerating and braking sharply, can increase fuel consumption by up to 30%.
Other driving habits, such as driving in speeding or with the car out of tune, can also generate additional costs. To reduce these expenses, it is important to avoid:
- Sudden starts and braking: Sudden accelerations and intense braking not only waste energy and fuel, but also reduce the vehicle's efficiency.
- Prolonged idling: Leaving the vehicle idling for long periods consumes fuel unnecessarily, so it is more advantageous to turn off the engine in these waiting situations.
- Improper use of the exchange: Changing gears at inappropriate times or low gears at high speeds also increase fueling costs.
- Underinflated tires: Due to inadequate pressure, there is greater rolling resistance, which requires more fuel to keep the vehicle moving.
- Unnecessary load: Carrying additional cargo or even luggage on the roof of the vehicle increases air resistance, so it can also lead to greater fuel consumption.
Suggested reading: How to have control and fuel economy in the management of light fleets?
Maintenance expenses
The damage caused by driving addictions does not stop with fuel costs, as they can also impact the maintenance plan in many ways, prematurely wear out car components, lead to more frequent repairs or replacements, and so on.
Check out more about these impacts:
- Suspension: Driving over holes and obstacles or overcoming speed bumps improperly can damage the vehicle's suspension, leading to very expensive repairs.
- Engine: Aggressive driving and rapid acceleration can increase wear on the engine and its components, reducing the part's useful life and requiring more frequent maintenance.
- Exhaust system: Another result of this aggressive driving is accelerating exhaust system wear, which results in leaks, emissions problems and the need for repairs.
- Preventive maintenance: Drivers with driving habits also tend to ignore regular oil changes, fluid checks and periodic inspections, which can lead to more serious and expensive problems in the future.
To save money, extend the useful life of the vehicle and not put anyone's life at risk, the ideal is to adopt safety practices. defensive driving, as well as following the manufacturer's recommendations for maintenance.
How to avoid driving addictions?
Combating driving addiction is not just about preserving the vehicle, but also ensuring the safety of the team itself. It is no coincidence that many of the examples we mentioned constitute traffic violations.
With this in mind, we will also share some tips to avoid these practices and potential losses and accidents:
Be aware of habits
The first step to combating harmful habits is to identify them, and driving is no different. You can share this material with the team or bring everyone together to discuss key points, for example.
This way, they will be more aware of their driving habits and will be able to take steps to correct them when they notice them.
Focus on the road
When your drivers are driving, their focus should be on the road and your driving. And most importantly, avoid distractions, such as side conversations and the use of cell phones and other devices.
Comply with traffic rules
Respect the Traffic Laws is imperative, especially in relation to speed limits, traffic signs and traffic lights. This not only keeps your team safe, but also prevents penalties and loss of points on your wallet.
Driving preventively
Always being aware of what is happening around you and practicing preventive driving is another important step in anticipating the actions of other drivers and taking proactive measures to avoid accidents.
Offer defensive driving courses
Also consider investing in defensive driving courses and training for your team. This way, professionals will have the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge of traffic safety.
Suggested reading: Training and fleet management: what are the academic courses for professionals in the area?
Always keep the vehicle in good condition
In this case, the responsibility comes mainly from managers. Drivers should be encouraged to report any issues, but ensuring vehicles are in good condition and safer should be a management initiative, putting a solid plan in place.
Rest adequately
One practice that should not be accepted is driving while tired. After all, the traffic fatigue It can impair concentration, reflexes and reaction times. Therefore, managers must establish clear limits in these cases in their fleet policy.
Suggested reading: Step by step to create your light fleet policy
With this in mind, something you should take from this content into your daily life is the importance of shared responsibility.
To help you even further, we have put together a guide on how to make drivers allies in fleet management where we further explore the importance of this teamwork. It's complete, free and accessible for you right now.
