Cape Coral police share top three bad habits of drivers

If you spend a lot of time sitting in traffic, you can thank your fellow drivers. Bad driving habits often cause more backups than crashes or stranded cars. But there are simple things you can do to be a better commuter.

There is no mistaking that Cape Coral is busy. It is a nightmare that sometimes makes sense, but at other times drivers, like Jerry Mack, are stuck waiting in traffic for nothing.

“Come January or February, forget it,” Jerry said. “It’ll be a nightmare.”

A recent study shows Cape Coral drivers spent an average of 37 hours a year in traffic. That is more than a day and a half of your life, sitting in your car.

Master Sgt Patrick O’Grady said that if it is a three-lane road, there should be no traffic. However, sitting on the brake, communicating or playing games on your smartphone and hogging the left lane are three bad habits drivers often fall into impeding traffic flows.

“If you’re gonna be in the left lane,” Master Sgt O’Grady said, “you should be turning.”

As we are inching our way into the season, CCPD said that also means a lot more drivers who are not from here and do not know the area.

“It could be somebody who’s lost and trying to change lanes,” he added. “And backing everyone up or it could just be somebody who’s daydreaming and driving really slow.”