When you first become a fully-licensed driver, the excitement that builds up is hard to overstate. However, with this new power, you also gain a ton of responsibility. Being sure that you’re driving in a fashion that’s safe and that you’re being a responsible vehicle owner, is critical. If you’re just beginning to drive your vehicle in 2022, here are seven safety tips that brand-new drivers must know:
1. Avoid All Distractions
As a brand-new driver, you’re likely at the age where your phone is a key part of your existence. However, it’s important that you set up your music, phone, and other personal devices before you get behind the wheel, and that you maintain a strict focus on your driving anytime you’re in motion. Doing so will ensure you do not become distracted, and this is incredibly important since even a few seconds of distraction can lead to a serious or deadly accident. This can be a big adjustment for some, but it will ensure you’re able to drive safely.
2. Keep Your Car Maintained
Nothing can lead to you losing control of your car in a critical moment quite like a mechanical error. Keeping your car maintained, and regularly performing needed maintenance, is key to ensuring you stay safe on the road. By staying on top of needed maintenance, you also avoid major mechanical issues from occurring, which can both put you in danger, and cost you a ton of money. Especially as inflation rises, avoiding costly mechanical problems with your vehicle has become one of your most essential responsibilities as a brand-new driver.
3. Always Obey Traffic Laws
If you fail to obey traffic laws you’re putting yourself in both physical and legal danger. Speed limits, turning restrictions and other traffic laws are concocted by civil engineers that have calculated what rules are needed to keep a roadway safe for all drivers. By ignoring the signs, rules, laws, and suggestions given to you as a driver, you’re putting yourself and everyone around you in avoidable danger. Additionally, you’ll avoid getting a potential ticket or citation that will affect your legal status if you do not obey all traffic laws. If you find yourself in legal trouble, the attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help, because as a top car accident attorney agency, they have the skill sets needed to make sure you win your case.
4. Keep Your Distance from Other Vehicles
One of the most common causes of auto accidents is the failure to keep distance between yourself and other vehicles. Especially as a new driver, you’ll be fine-tuning your skills to ensure you’re providing yourself and others with the space they need to avoid sudden accidents. Keeping at least three car lengths between yourself and other vehicles is typically a responsible, safe way to approach this aspect of your driving. If you drive on someone’s bumper, any sudden stop they have to make could end up in a dangerous and costly rear-end collision.
5. Check the Weather Before Hitting the Road
Inclement weather is one of the most common causes of auto accidents, and as a new driver, keeping proper control of your vehicle during heavy rain, snow, or wind can be especially difficult. If you feel that the weather is too severe for you to drive safely, you need to trust your instincts and stay off the road until the weather calms down. Otherwise, you’ll put yourself in an extremely dangerous situation.
6. Never Drive Under the Influence
While it’s common sense, many people still delude themselves into thinking they can drive safely while under the influence of illicit substances. If you’re intoxicated, your ability to react, and comprehend the subtle nature of driving becomes severely impaired. By staying sober anytime behind the wheel, you’re helping to prevent deaths that can devastate a community and legal charges that could ruin your life. If you’re struggling with substance abuse, there is always help out there.
7. Always Wear Your Seatbelt
Even in 2022, some drivers are still refusing to wear their seatbelts. The danger posed by an accident has massively risen if you fail to wear your seatbelt. You should also ensure everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seatbelt as well, otherwise, you will face potential tickets and citations later on. The emotional distress that can be caused by knowing you could have prevented a major injury or death is a big enough fright to ensure that most drivers wear their seatbelts, however. The mere fact that it’s designed to protect your life should convince you of how essential it is that you wear your seatbelt every single time that you get behind the wheel.
Perfect Your Skills and Stay Safe
By protecting yourself from accidents, and being a responsible auto owner (and driver), you make your community a better, safer place to live. Auto accidents can lead to serious emotional, physical, and legal problems, so you want to avoid them at all costs. As a new driver, you must put extra effort into perfecting your driving skills in 2022.
