Some of the most dangerous mistakes we make are also the easiest to prevent. Check out these 10 driver mistakes and, if any sound familiar, take the steps now to correct them.

1. Driving under the influence.

Drugs and alcohol might make you feel confident in your driving skills, but really all they’re doing is impairing your judgment.

Statistics show that, approximately every 45 minutes, someone is killed by a drunk driver, and in 2008 alone, roughly 11,773 people died in accidents related to drunk driving. In 2006, nearly two million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

In other words, if you don’t kill yourself or someone else, you’ll most likely go to jail.

2. Not getting enough sleep.

 During the past decade researchers have shown sleep deprivation can have the same effects as being drunk. Reread the above.

3. Not wearing a seat belt.

Wearing a seat belt decreases your chances of becoming injured or dying in a car accident by about 45 percent. It’s as simple as that.

4. Packing too many passengers in the car.

Car pooling is great for the environment, but there is some truth to the adage “too much of a good thing.” The more passengers you have, the more noise and distraction you have.

Never offer rides to more people than you have seatbelts for, and always make sure your passengers keep the noise and potentially distracting behavior to a minimum.

5. Not coping with road rage.

Best case scenario? Someone hears a dirty word or sees an obscene gesture. Worst case scenario? Someone dies.

If you know or have been told you suffer from road rage, pinpoint your triggers and work toward learning defensive driving – rather than aggressive driving – techniques. The outcome of a road rage incident could affect you, your passengers, innocent drivers-by, and even your family and friends. Ignoring your problem is plain irresponsible.

6. Improperly traveling with animals.

Whether it’s a trip to the vet or a move to a new home, nearly every pet owner has to travel with his or her animal(s) at some point; however, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s always safe.

Anyone traveling with a pet must make sure the pet is secured in the vehicle before heading out on the road. Otherwise, the driver ends up with a scared cat trying to hide under the brake pedal or an overexcited dog trying to jump out the window, and trying to prevent these situations mid-drive could result in a car crash.

7. Playing music too loudly.

Loud music not only distracts you from other drivers and driving conditions, but also it can prevent you from hearing the emergency sirens of a police car, ambulance, or fire truck.

8. Driving with unchecked emotions.

Your boyfriend broke up with you. You found out your child is sick. Your boss just fired you. Your cat just died.

We’ve all been there at some point.

When you suffer a blow, be sure to take some time to calm down before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle; if it looks like that’s not happening any time soon, call someone for a ride.

9. Not learning (or paying attention to) safety laws.

These days, most teen drivers learn about safety laws through a state-mandated drivers education or training program; however, not all states require these driver safety courses and not all teens (or adults) are willing to enroll in them if they don’t have to.

Safety laws teach you important basics such as how to handle a four-way stop sign, how far from a railroad crossing you should be, and how to properly veer onto another highway. Without this knowledge, you could find yourself in the middle of a serious accident.

10. Being arrogant.

Arrogant drivers think they know it all – regardless of how much they actually know.

Understand that if everyone around you is driving too slowly, perhaps you’re driving too fast; driving a big four-wheel-drive SUV in a sea of tiny two-door compacts does not make you a god; and just because you’ve never been in an accident doesn’t mean you’re invincible.