Five resolutions for happier driving

Whether you’re an old hat on the road, or have just passed your test, we can all benefit from taking on these new year’s driving resolutions.

It’s January again.

We’re guiltily slacking off on our various new year’s resolutions. Again.

Rinse and repeat: it’s starting to feel like the whole point of a new year’s resolution is to break it, feel bad about ourselves and mourn all the wasted money we’ve poured into it, at exactly the time of year we’re all feeling the pinch of the purse strings. 

If Christmas is about friends, family and frankly a little too much indulgence, January is about bleak weather and guilt.

But fear not.

You may not be diligently hitting 10,000 steps a day, or consistently batch-cooking your meals for the week, but we’ve got resolutions that it will cost you no time, money or energy to keep.

You’ve guessed it (the title of this piece frankly gives it away), this is a compilation of our top five driving-related resolutions.

Because it costs us nothing to take better care of our cars, our safety and our fellow drivers.

How many will you keep? We dare you to stick to them all.

Keep your car clean

Is there anything more satisfying than a squeaky-clean car? The gleam coming off that paintwork feels, at times, brighter than the sun. Though that’s not hard in the winter months, is it?

But the thing is.

The thing is.

That squeaky-clean exterior lasts just as long as it takes to drive home.

How many of us are sick of forking over cash in the supermarket car park to get the car hosed down, just to feel depressed at the mud splatters we find on our bumper 20 minutes down the road?

In winter, when the roads are wet and the fields are flooding and we’re having to cram down yet another mud-track diversion to get home from the office, it can be tempting to think what is the point of washing all this off?

And summer is no better.

Our longed-for dry weather means driving down dusty roads, so there’s still mud sticking to our (previously) flawless paintjob. Plus, pollen.

Plus, seagull excrement splattered over the windshield and slowly baking in the sun.

Life is a vicious, tedious cycle of watching your beautifully clean car get battered by the British weather.

But to look after your lease car, you just have to bite the bullet and keep trudging back to the valet anyway.

Regularly.

(Or, if you’re so inclined, you can do the car wash on the driveway montage sans wet t-shirt – but you wouldn’t catch us partaking when the sleet is coming down).

Either way, start setting aside some time on a Saturday morning for your car. Appreciate it. Keep it clean.

You’ll thank us when your lease is over and you don’t have to pay additional end of lease charges for the sorry state of the paintwork. 

Stop tailgating

Listen.

We’ve all done it, there’s no judgement here. Not one of us is reaching for sainthood anytime soon, but we could probably tailgate the car in front a little less.

Yes, even when stuck behind the oblivious bimbler doing 30 when on a road with the national speed limit in place.

Yes, even when we’re running late for work.

And even if you don’t mean to be doing it – maybe you’re not paying enough conscious attention to the gap between your car and the next – you’re still putting people at risk.

Because tailgating is one of the most aggressive, annoying and dangerous driving behaviours we face on a regular basis. When we fail to observe a safe stopping distance, we raise the risk of causing a collision that could wreck your lease car, or even wreck a life.

Let’s be honest. No job, no gym session, and no date, is worth a life – including your own.

So back off the pedals. Wind the window down, put the radio on and enjoy maintaining the safe space between yourself and the car in front.

Wherever it is you’re going, you won’t get there any faster by harassing the driver ahead of you.

Say goodbye to eating in the car

Drive thru’s are convenient, it’s true. Who doesn’t love a lunchtime excursion to McDonalds on hump day?

Or a spontaneous chippy tea parked up by the seaside?

Cars are not ideal places to eat though, and the smell of yesterday’s fish and chips in the morning is not necessarily how we want to start the day.

No one wants to walk into the office wondering if they now smell like last night’s dinner.

And if you’re a tactical car snacker like me (ie. stuffing a packet of Wotsits in your gob while parked up at the supermarket, so your partner doesn’t see you eat them), you don’t always feel great about yourself while doing it.

We’re not suggesting you stop enjoying these foodie moments, but perhaps they could be enjoyed outside the car.

Get that chippy tea, but eat it on the beach and enjoy the waves (just be prepared to fight off a hoard of ravenous, determined seagulls).

Get that McDonalds breakfast, but make it a treat with your colleagues and enjoy it in the breakroom where you can chat, relax and sit on a chair with decent lumbar support.

You’re also more likely to chuck your rubbish away instead of leaving it to fester in the passenger footwell.

But most importantly, getting out of your car and sharing these little moments with other people, or the world, will help you feel better about yourself and your eating habits.

Cut out short journeys

It’s not just better for the environment. It’s not just better for your health.

It’s better for the health and longevity of your car battery.

Nothing drains the battery on your car like frequent short journeys (say five minutes up the road to the shop every day).

If it’s doable, leave the keys at home and set out on foot – if it’s a nice day, you can enjoy the fresh air, get some exercise and spare your car the strain of charging up for an unnecessary trip.

Yes, we love driving – but you’ll find your mood massively improved from walking where you can. And also, your wallet will thank you when you don’t have to stump up for a new replacement battery.

Spend that money on something fun instead.

Optimise your commute

As if it’s not bad enough to spend eight hours a day at the office, we waste precious time having to commute there too.

At the end of a long day, some of which you’ve spent stuck in traffic, it can feel like you’re out of time to do anything for you. And that’s draining.

Soul-destroying, even.

(Can you tell we are sick of shorter, darker working days already?).

But commuting time doesn’t have to be dead time on the clock. Our cars come with some excellent infotainment systems these days, so we say make use of them.

Load up your favourite podcast for the journey into work, or make a playlist just to brighten up your commute. It’s not quite alone time in a luxurious bath with a good book, but its time carved out of your day, just for you.

No kids, no job, no expectations except that you drive safely.

You’ll be amazed how your drive to and from work transforms from time you’ll never get back, to one of the best parts of your day.

And isn’t that the point of a resolution, really, when it gets down to it?

While we may be bad at sticking to them, it’s all about building new routines and habits to enrich your life.

We think this qualifies.