Bad Driving Habits That’s Damaging Your Car [Student’s Edition]

Let’s face it, if you’ve been driving long enough, especially travelling between school or going to work for graduates, the routine becomes second nature to you. And after a while, you might form driving habits whereby some can be detrimental to your car.

Don’t feel too bad though, even drivers with over 10 years of experience behind the wheel have bad habits. These habits are often unknown to drivers, which actually causes more wear and tear to their car.

Here are some of the common bad habits you are not aware of:

Changing gears from drive to reverse without stopping

shift gear without stopping — Photo by Ryan Clark on Unsplash

This is a common manoeuvre used by drivers who hurry to get somewhere. This is a bad idea because it places additional strain on the transmission.

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While current vehicles are likely to be fitted with systems to minimise rapid gear transfers, wear and tear may nonetheless happen.

Sudden starts and stops

car braking — Photo by Isaac Jenks on Unsplash

Your car will suffer damage if you accelerate quickly or stop suddenly. The transmission and engine suffer, brake pads and discs degrade more rapidly than they should, and so on. As a result, your risk of being involved in an accident is increased.

There are, of course, times when rapid braking is necessary. But in general, driving should be done slowly and thoughtfully. Take it easy.

Using your gear stick as a hand rest

hand on shifter — Photo by maar gaming on Unsplash

Transmission specialists don’t recommend putting your palm on the gear shift for long periods since it could damage your car’s transmission.

Your gearstick is connected to a selector fork control rod in the gearbox. In addition, this selector fork’s design to only make contact with the spinning gears for a limited period.

With a certain amount of force, you’ll wind up pushing the selector fork against the rotating collar, which can cause excessive wear.

Not paying attention to warning lights on dashboard

car warning light — Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash

Please don’t ignore them; they’re on your dashboard for a reason. Even though it may seem like nothing is wrong, you might be in a lot of trouble if something goes wrong.

If you don’t know what each symbol means, it’s time to pull out that old driver’s manual.

Not slowing down for bumps and potholes

It’s obvious. Malaysian roads are littered with potholes and speed bumps, so slow down to avoid crashing into them.

Your car’s suspension system might loosen up over time due to driving over bumps and potholes. Hence, resulting in weak shock absorbers and a lack of protection from difficult terrain.

Drive Safely! You’re not driving to be cool

Realistically, bad driving habits are hard to change. But keep in mind that it is for the longevity and safety of your car. We often say that statistically, the chances of us getting to an accident is almost negligible. However, try to think about it this way. Sometimes, we’ll only need to get ‘lucky’ to be in an accident once, and it changes our lives for the worst.