Staying safe after passing your driving test

December 23rd, 2009

Once you’ve passed your driving test you’ll no doubt be relieved and excited that all of your hard work and practice has paid off. The truth though is that the hard part has only just begun, you are now driving on your own without an instructor to guide you. This can be quite daunting and considering that a large majority of the accidents that happen on the road find new or younger drivers to be at fault, it’s worth exercising caution.

Firstly you need to make sure that you continue to drive sensibly without your driving instructor - this is a just good practice. A lot of bad driving habits come from friends, family members or even movies and TV. Making sure you signal before manoeuvring is vitally important and always keep two hands on the wheel. Lots of new drivers are too tempted to alter the radio or do something else that will distract them whilst driving.

Secondly you need to prepare for elements of driving that you do not learn in the test. This may seem strange that certain aspects of driving are not included in the driving test but these are instances that can cause accidents. One prime example is driving on the motorway. Driving on a motorway is almost like a completely different way of driving, you need to be fully aware of all that is going on around you at all times. As with normal driving, you should make sure you leave plenty of room between your car and the car in front and indicating and checking your mirrors is also extremely important.

If you are not confident enough to drive on the motorway then this is covered in the advanced driving courses that you can take. The added incentive is that passing this course means you could save money on your car insurance, another reason to make sure you don’t have any accidents when you pass.

The other factor to consider is not yourself but your car. Making sure your car is in good condition and running smoothly is important. Keeping plenty of spare fuel in case you take longer than expected driving somewhere as well as making sure your car is well maintained. Checks like oil levels, tyre pressure and washer fluid levels are important to make sure your car doesn’t suffer any issues which could lead to a breakdown or accident.

So when you pass your test remember that this is just the beginning of the real life test of driving regularly and make sure you exercise caution when out and about on the roads.

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