Texas Defensive Driving – Happy?

Driving happy sounds great. What could go wrong when you're in such a good mood? Could being happy influence your abilities to drive safely?

The same that could go wrong when you're driving in a bad mood can happen when you are in a happy mood. Happiness can cause you to not pay as much attention to what's going on around you and you may drive more carefree than you normally would. Whatever has caused your euphoric state can easily be an unintentional distraction.

For example: When you get good news and hit the road, your mind is focused on that good news so you don't take as much care in your driving. You need to maintain your composure to ensure that you drive defensively. Your mind is on that good news so you don't think to check your blind spots before you change lanes. If there happens to be another vehicle there you may hit them. It's as simple as not paying as much attention to your speed as you normally would which can also lead to not noticing a police officer on the other side of the road. “It's just that I was in a really good mood”, isn't an excuse a Houston police officer will deem a good reason for driving over the speed limit.

As you can see, positive emotions can cause just as much problems as negative emotions so you've got to be aware of and in control of all of them. Emotions have to be kept in check when you're driving, whether it's insane rage, abysmal depression, or complete bliss.

Did you get a Texas Traffic Ticket that made you unhappy? Visit our "Signup" page to see how you can get your ticket dismissed today the happy way!