04/09/2026
“But everybody else is doing it”
We hear this excuse all the time when it comes to driving.
Everyone else is speeding.
Everyone else is following too closely.
Everyone else is using their phone.
Everyone else is jumping the red light.
Everybody else is not stopping at the out of order traffic light.
Everybody else doesn’t indicate.
Everyone else is driving aggressively.
But “everybody else is doing it” doesn’t make it right—and it certainly doesn’t make it safe. You are responsible for your decisions, your behaviour and the risks you choose to take behind the wheel.
You cannot control how other people drive, but you can control how you respond to them. You can choose to leave a safe following distance, slow down, put the phone away, anticipate what others might do and give yourself the time and space to avoid a mistake.
The fact that others are taking unnecessary risks should be a reason to drive more defensively, not an excuse to join them.
So, the next time you catch yourself thinking, “But everybody else is doing it,” ask yourself: “Do I really want my standard of driving to be determined by the worst drivers around me?”
Surely, you’re better than that.
Good driving isn't about doing what everyone else does. It’s about doing what you know is right, even when nobody else is.
