6 Mistakes A New Driver Should Avoid
It will be an amazing experience for you to hold your new license and driving in your vehicle on your own. This will give you limitless happiness, and you feel like a dream come true. But, before you go on the road with your vehicle, here are some common mistakes that new drivers often make, and you have to overcome them.
- Speeding
Speeding is one of the biggest mistakes teens make behind the wheel. New drivers often find it difficult to discern just how fast they are traveling. In some cases, the young driver thinks they are driving at the speed limit but realize (often after getting pulled over) they were moving considerably faster. Additionally, it’s more difficult for new drivers, especially teens, to figure out how long it can take to stop if a vehicle ahead of them stops short.
- Neglecting To Scan the Road Ahead
Take the ENVIRONMENT into account, such as weather, road conditions and other possible distractions. Poor weather necessitates lower speeds. If you don’t know the route, plan as well as possible using a map and any other reference including people who know your proposed route. Make extra allowance for time, more so than if you know the route.
- Not Being Attentive 100% of The Time
Much like texting and driving, not paying attention to what is directly in front you at all times can also lead to accident and injury and is one of the most significant problems for new drivers. It’s essential to pay attention at all times to everything that is happening on the road while behind the wheel. An example of this type of distracted driving is eating, applying makeup or talking to your passengers. During lane changes and parallel parking, pay close attention to blind spots that make it more difficult to see areas around your car.
- Following Too Closely
The rule of thumb is if you are going 50mph, leave at least 4 seconds between you and the first car. Add one second for every 10mph over 50mph. Following too closely can lead to a car crash.
- Impulsive Behavior
Teens are often impulsive and are more prone to take dangerous risks compared to adults. This behavior often extends to how they act behind the wheel of a car. Instead of slowing to a complete stop at a yellow light, they may end up putting the pedal to the metal, ignoring traffic signs or even completely running red lights.
- Texting and Driving
Increasingly the deadliest mistake teens and adults both make is texting or using their phone for other reasons while driving. Even a quick five-second glance at your best friend’s latest status update can have deadly consequences. Within those five seconds, anything can happen; a parked car could pull out in front of you, a pedestrian or cyclist could cross assuming that you see them and are going to yield to them, a ball could come bouncing out of a back yard followed by a child. If you are traveling 55mph, in five seconds you would have traveled the entire length of a professional football field.