developing your smart driving skills Be fit to drive You in the driver’s seat – part 2 What choice would you make? Make good decisions 6 You have to make quick and accurate decisions when you drive.  Will you be tempted to run a yellow light because you are in  a hurry? Will you take your eyes off the road, to send a text  message while driving? Will you take a chance and drive after  you’ve been drinking? Being a safe driver requires learning,  planning, predicting and thinking for yourself. A driver who is impaired by drugs or alcohol is one of the worst  driving hazards. This is because drugs and alcohol cause mental  confusion and slow reaction times. Impaired drivers are much  more likely to cause crashes that lead to serious injury or death. You also need to avoid driving if you have an injury or illness  that makes it hard for you to think clearly or quickly. Never drive  when you are overtired. Even if you don’t fall asleep, it’s hard to  respond quickly when you feel tired. You need to be in good shape to drive — alert and able to  focus. Feeling angry or frustrated can cloud your judgment and  slow down your reaction time. It usually takes you 25 minutes to drive across town to  the garage. When you leave home, it’s 8:45 a.m. To  make matters worse, the traffic is heavy, slowing you  down even more. You find yourself swearing under your  breath. And you are getting angrier about what your  roommate said. You feel so frustrated that you notice  you’re having trouble concentrating on your driving. Focus on your driving? or Focus on the argument?