- Check your blind spot – Make sure your mirrors are properly adjusted. Do not rely solely on your mirrors when moving over. Turn your head and check to be sure there is no other vehicle near you.
- Always signal – Changing lanes without signaling is not only dangerous it is illegal. Do not be one of those sociopaths that weave in and out of lanes in an attempt to make better time.
- Avoid the extreme left lane - Most accidents occur in the left lane of highways. Drivers in the left lane tend to be more aggressive and impatient. In the center or right lane you have more escape routes.
- Keep two hands on the wheel – Avoid the lazy one hand on top of the wheel or both on the bottom. Use the 9 and 3 position or the 10 and 2 if it is better for you. You will be able to react faster and more positively if someone begins to merge into you. Adjust your seat properly using the race car method. With your arm outstretched you should be able to rest your wrist on the top of the wheel while resting against the seat back.
- Yield to merging traffic – If possible move over a lane to let merging cars on to the highway. You will avoid close encounters and make better time driving and create less wear on your brakes. If you can't move over try to allow the car to merge in front rather than speeding up to get ahead. The driver of the merging car may not see you.
- Move only one lane at a time – Never cross multiple lanes without claiming your lane and checking the next. Cars behind you will often move over one lane to the right without you seeing them.
- Do not assume – Never assume the car you are passing knows you are there.
- Avoid passing on the right – Except in continuous lanes of traffic, passing on the right is illegal in many states. Sometimes it is unavoidable in the case of a slow vehicle blocking the left. A light tap on the horn will alert the other driver of your intentions.
- Beware of impaired or distracted drivers – A car that is drifting across the lane markers is probably driven by a distracted or even impaired driver. Stay away from them.
- Avoid driving on the right side of a truck – Truckers have to rely on their mirrors to see you and are prone to making evasive maneuvers quickly. If you are driving alongside a trailer you could wind up beneath it in a split second.
Ten Tips For Avoiding a Florida Lane Change Accident You are driving in the center lane of one of the many three-lane Florida highway's in moderate, fast moving traffic when suddenly a car cuts in front of you from the right lane narrowly missing your right front fender. You may just say something to yourself about the person's attitude, or like many you may lean on your horn to punish the person for what he or she nearly caused. Not only is improper or illegal lane changing a leading cause of dangerous road rage, it is also a leading cause of auto accidents, many of which are serious and can involve multiple vehicles. Fortunately you can reduce the chances of a Florida lane change accident by following ten simple measures.