How to Stay Safe as a Learner Driver: Essential Tips for New Drivers

Understanding the basics of driving is very different from driving in real traffic. Initially, learner drivers are either overly confident or extremely nervous when driving in real traffic. This affects their driving performance, making them lose focus and commit mistakes. That’s why staying safe and cautious is very important when you’re a novice driver experiencing real traffic for the first time. Taking safety tips from friends, family, and colleagues is all good, but you must learn to ensure your safety from the professionals. A Safer Drivers Course from a reputed driving school can teach you how to stay safe on the roads. Other than learning, some best practices can help you protect yourself and others when driving. This post will discuss some of these best practices and tips to stay safe as learner drivers in some detail.

Tips for New Drivers

Learning to protect yourself when driving is not just a skill, it’s a necessity in today’s traffic conditions. Here are some tips and best practices that can help new drivers maintain personal and road safety:

1. Get Comfortable with Your Vehicle:

Knowing your vehicle thoroughly is very important when driving. It is one of the first driving lessons you’ll get in any driving school all over the world. When you’re familiar with the vehicle’s layout, the proper place of all the controls, how to use them, etc., you won’t waste precious time looking for a switch or turning on a feature while driving. Losing even a second’s focus can be fatal in real traffic. Knowing your vehicle properly can keep you safe and save time too!

2. Always Wear Your Seatbelt:

Seatbelts are important for personal safety. Wearing a seatbelt can be the difference between life and death in a fatal accident. New drivers can commit mistakes in nervousness while driving even when they’re being careful. Hence, they must remember to have confidence in their skills and wear their seatbelts at all times.

3. Keep Distractions Away:

Driving without focus and attention is as much of a health hazard as driving on dangerous terrains. Losing focus for a single second on the road can have disastrous consequences. No matter whether it’s your mobile phone, navigation system, music system, or that packet of chips on the backset, make sure there’s nothing that distracts you while driving.

4. Obey Traffic Rules:

Traffic rules like speed limits and right-of-way are made to maintain order and safety. As a novice, you must follow traffic rules like speed limits, giveway rules, stop signs, parking signs, etc. Different states of Australia may have some differences in their road rules. A Sydney driving school cannot teach you the traffic rules of NSW. So make sure that you learn the traffic rules relevant to the state you’re driving in. Not heeding the traffic rules and road signs can lead to chaos on the road and put everyone’s lives at stake.

5. Use Defensive Driving Techniques:

Defensive driving techniques can help drivers stay safe and prepared for any hazard at all times. Using defensive driving tricks like maintaining a safe distance, obeying the speed limits, avoiding distractions, etc. also ensures the safety of other road users as drivers are extra careful in their approach. Staying alert and driving defensively can go a long way in maintaining safety and order on the road.

6. Have Patience While Learning:

As a new driver, it’s quite normal to be excited and restless to learn everything at once and then test your knowledge on the road. However, you must exercise caution and keep patience. Losing focus or being in a hurry can lead to mistakes and even cause fatal accidents. So, take your time in learning the driving maneuvers from a good driving school and honing your skills gradually. Staying calm and focused while learning can help develop a habit of staying calm while driving.

7. Start Slowly:

New drivers are often apprehensive about driving in heavy traffic. So, what you can do is start on quiet roads with less traffic so that you gain more experience in real situations, build confidence, sharpen your reflexes, and also prepare yourself mentally for the challenges of high-traffic roads. Once you’re confident, you can gradually drive in more testing road environments.

8. Take Professional Lessons:

While it’s alright to learn to drive from a friend or family member, they can’t teach you like a professional can. Qualified instructors from a professional driving school can teach you more than just the skills necessary for driving on the road. They will give you the knowledge required to maintain safety and order on the road like traffic rules, road signs, safe driving habits, etc.

Stay Safe. Have Fun.

As a novice driver, you might be excited and hoping to enjoy the freedom and independence that comes with driving. However, along with freedom, driving also brings the responsibility of keeping yourself and other road users safe. Hence, learner drivers need to stay safe at all times. The above-given tips can help you ensure the safety of all road users including yourself. However, it’s still better to get professional insights from qualified instructors before exploring the roads on your own. Learn safe driving techniques through a Safer Drivers Course from a reputed driving school like Onroad Driving Education and become a safe, confident, and responsible driver.

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