Lifestyle

Safety Tips for Beginner Drivers

If you are a beginner at driving, it can be quite intimidating to start out on your own even if you have obtained your driver’s license. And it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of the vehicles and people around you as well as you and the passengers in your car.

A great way to give yourself a head start is toenrol in professional driving lessons.

You will have access to qualified instructors that will make sure you learn essential driving skills. And they can also educate you on road rules and safe driving practices. While you can learn from a friend or family member, it is important to build a strong foundation when you first start. And driving school is the best way to achieve this. You have to learn defensive driving where you practice more of a proactive role. You need to be aware of your surroundings and learn to anticipate potential hazards. This will ensure that you are always prepared to respond to something unexpected. For example, if you see children playing on the sidewalk some distance ahead of you, you need to be very aware of them and be prepared to move your vehicle away safely if one of the children were to accidentally step onto the road.

In addition to being aware of pedestrians,

You should also be aware of how other drivers are behaving. You need to follow vehicles at a safe distance so that you have sufficient time to stop if the driver in front of you is to brake suddenly. Maintaining your safety should take place the first time you get into the car. And this means buckling up your seatbelt before you start the engine. And you need to make sure that your passengers are wearing their seatbelts as well. You will see speed limits posted on the road so you need to adhere to this as it is a great way to minimise accidents. By going the correct speed on the road, you will have more time to react to the unexpected. And while there are so many distractions on the road, you need to keep your mind on driving.

There are certain distractions

You can avoid right away such as using your phone even to talk on speaker or adjusting the volume of the radio. A split second is all it takes for an accident to occur. There are no emergencies that you have to attend to when you are driving and you can always stop if you feel that you are missing an urgent call. In addition to phone calls and messages, there can be things on the road that can be stressful for you such as being stuck in traffic or in the pouring rain. You need to practice patience and learn to be calm even when you are under pressure. If you let frustration cloud your decision making, it can lead to many situations that you will regret. Make sure you practice essential driving skills such as parking and manoeuvring. You can find an empty parking lot to practice.

Carma Gatson
the authorCarma Gatson