Driving is fun and convenient. Once you get that license, you stop begging others to drive you to the store, and you stop waiting around for public transport because you can take yourself wherever you want. But driving is also a huge responsibility. Every time you get on the road, your safety and that of others depend on your abilities.
Having a license isn’t enough when you lack experience behind the wheel. You’ll have to take driving as a learning process and gain as much insight into the activity as possible. You’ll have to master defensive driving skills to ensure you always err on the side of caution. Remember, being a new driver means being new to many scenarios. You must know how to respond to them. This post shares tips every new driver must follow.
Learn the Traffic Rules
Traffic rules are in place to ensure everybody gets to return home in one piece. New drivers tend to struggle with these guidelines, outright forgetting some of the rules or forgetting to apply them in time. One mistake on the road could be one too many. With people’s lives at stake, you can’t afford to make poor judgments, and getting behind the wheel with a shaky grasp of the traffic guidelines is an error in judgment.
Avoid Distractions
You’re probably used to seeing people on cell phones or rummaging around for something while driving. It’s not a safe practice, as distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic accidents in the country. For the new driver, adopting a zero-distractions policy is necessary. You may not be thoroughly familiar with the controls in your car. You may react slower to certain scenarios due to your lack of experience. These things make being distracted more dangerous for you.
Never Speed
Speeding is a traffic offense for everyone, regardless of their experience behind the wheel. That is because speeding makes controlling your vehicle difficult. As a new driver, you’ve likely not experienced a vehicle that has lost control. For someone who has gone through such an incident before, bringing the vehicle back in control is still challenging. You don’t want to find out whether you can handle your car at high speeds or not. It’s also worth noting that the faster you go, the less time you have to stop. Stick to the speed limit at all times. On highways, avoid fast lanes if you’re not confident enough to handle the pace, as fast lanes are the one place slowing down isn’t safe.
Wear the Seatbelt
Strapping on your seatbelt seems like a no-brainer, right?
You’ll be surprised how many people forget or even ignore that number one safety feature. As you gain more experience driving, wearing the seatbelt will become a habit, and you won’t even have to think about it. However, forgetting the seatbelt is pretty easy if you haven’t been driving that long. As such, make the seatbelt the first thing you touch when you sit.
Leave Following Room
Every driver must create a following distance between their vehicle and the next. You’re required to increase that distance when driving conditions become challenging. The importance of having enough room between your car and the next is to protect you in the event of a sudden stop. You also don’t want to enter the other driver’s blind spot, especially if they are driving a large vehicle.
Check Your Blind Spots
Your vehicle has blind spots. It’s one thing to know they exist and another to experience them on the road. You may see another car coming up behind you, and for a couple of seconds, it’s out of sight and nowhere in your mirrors. When you don’t see the other vehicle, it’s in your blind spot. You have to anticipate where the other driver will be and avoid making sudden turns. Always indicate before stopping, making turns, or changing lanes. Doing that alerts other drivers of your intentions.
Final Thoughts
Being a new driver means you’re still getting the hang of things. For that reason, you have to be extra cautious and understand the downsides of lacking experience. Remember, the consequences are severe if you were to be responsible for a crash that causes injuries or even death. JT Legal Group discusses injury claims when highlighting Beverly Hills injury attorneys. It’s worth knowing that you could be sued for negligence.
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