Knowing how to drive is a skill that everyone should know. When you are learning to drive a car, the experience may be both exhilarating as well as scary. Exhilarating due to the new found freedom to be able to go wherever you want and scary because you have to keep in mind a number of things – maneuvering the vehicle, following the traffic rules and regulations, dealing with distractions in your mind and from outside. Driving can be a hassle in the first few days. Here are a few tips that you can use to have a smooth and trouble-free driving experience during your first few months as a licensed driver.
Remember the rules
The last thing that any driver would want is a remark against him or her in the DMV. You don’t want to get into any legal trouble even before you get to experience the fun of driving, right? So be extra careful and avoid being over confident. The learning phase will get extended if you fail to adhere to the rules and laws of the road. The longer the learning period, the less-fun driving will seem to be.
Getting distracted is easy
Even the most experienced drivers can get distracted sometimes, resulting in dangerous collisions that can prove to be fatal. As an amateur, you are likely to get more distracted by events, people, and other factors while driving. It is important to learn how to drive without getting distracted if you want to reach your destination in one piece.
Remember, it is easy to get distracted, and real hard to stay focused only on the road and drive safely. Practice is what helps you in this case. So make it a habit to keep away your mobile phone when driving. If you have any passengers in the car, give them instructions not to disturb you or talk to you when you are at the wheel. Also avoid eating and drinking while driving as that can also be a distraction from the road.
Speed limits
Driving certainly gives you a sense of freedom, and teenagers often tend to get carried away by that feeling. All roads in the country have a specific speed limit that you should always adhere to. The speed limits differ from one region to another and also differ based on where you are driving – highways, city roads, streets etc.
Fear of driving can make you go slower than the set speed limits, which is also a problem. Make it a practice to identify the speed limits and stick to them. Don’t go too fast or too slow anywhere.
Safety first
Amateur drivers are more at risk of causing accident than experienced drivers. When you are in the learning phase, it is important to put safety first and vanity next. Follow the rules for safety and adhere to the laws that keep you safe.
– Wear the seatbelt when driving
– Avoid speeding or racing on busy roads
– Keep road rage in check
– Ensure that the vehicle is in proper condition before heading out
– Don’t delay any repairs – damaged head lights, tail lights, indicators etc may seem insignificant, but they are not.
Learn defensive driving
Not all drivers on the road are the same. If you understand this, you will also understand that no matter how good a driver you are, the other drivers on the road may be negligent and cause accidents. The only way to stay safe from others’ mistakes is to master the art of defensive driving early on. Once you are confident about maneuvering the vehicle and driving on highways and even busiest of roads, you will be able to master defensive driving too.