The right behaviour in certain situations

Overslept, late and an important appointment - no optimal conditions to get behind the wheel. A high level of stress in road traffic quickly leads to critical situations and can cause accidents. During stress, a kind of "program" is set in motion with which your body reacts to dangers, stresses and special requirements. This is generically defined and has been firmly programmed into us for millions of years. The stress reaction enables the human being to suddenly achieve peak performance, which was not possible under normal circumstances. The problem here is that in modern everyday life, physical tension is no longer reduced by physical exercise.

Thus, depending on the strain and subjective processing, completely different reactions to stress occur. If, for example, you experience a difficult situation as positive, you see its accomplishment as a challenge. If, on the other hand, you experience them negatively, the matter becomes "stressful".

Stress also often occurs between the individual car occupants. Lively discussions or arguments while driving can lead to dangerous situations in road traffic. 

So try to control your emotions (see below) and instead react with consideration, partnership and composure. It's not only good for the nerves of others, it's good for yours.   

Overfatigue at the wheel is one of the most frequent causes of accidents, the keyword being microsleep. Those who are tired are less concentrated, see worse and react more slowly - a dangerous combination. Therefore, do not take tiredness lightly. Be honest with yourself and listen to your body when it asks for a break. Ask either to take over your passenger or take a break, exercise in the fresh air and rest briefly. The choice of coffee, energy drinks and co. is obvious, but only exacerbates the problem. It puts you out for a short time before the tiredness comes back all the harder.

For longer journeys alone in the car, plan sufficient breaks and try to overcome your fatigue with powernaps of ten to twenty minutes. If nothing helps, leave the car overnight, spend the night there and drive on in the morning rested. Because night-time journeys on abandoned motorways additionally promote microsleep.

You can see how fast it can go in the video below.

Those who drive a lot will not be able to avoid one or the other traffic jam. So it's all the more important that you know the best way to act around here. If the traffic on out-of-town roads and on motorways with at least two lanes for one direction drives or stands at maximum walking speed, you and the others must form a free lane so that police and auxiliary vehicles can move forward quickly. This so-called rescue lane forms between the leftmost lane and the one immediately to the right. Warn the following with the hazard warning light before the traffic jam. Even in traffic jams, you must maintain the necessary safety distance. Shut down your engine at total standstill, but stay in the car for safety reasons. To avoid the traffic jam, you can leave the motorway and follow the blue signs.

If there is a traffic jam in the tunnel, warn other road users with the hazard warning light and keep about 5 meters away from the person in front when you come to a standstill. You can use this reserve for evasion in an emergency. Shut off the engine and stay in the car. Do not turn around and pay attention to radio and loudspeaker announcements.

Riding with strangers always involves a certain risk: you do not know the driving style, nor can you intervene if the driver does not keep to the arrangements. So you should always be very careful here. For example, always read the exact valuations on car-sharing exchanges. Always choose the driver with the most positive ratings. Let others know who you're going with when and where. If a license plate number is given, remember it and tell your family or a friend. Before you get in the car with a stranger, listen to your gut. If this isn't true, don't get in the car. Take a look at the license plate again and pass it on to your family or a friend. Indicate to the driver that someone knows that you are sitting in his car and are expected at your destination. It's best not to ride alone with a stranger.