It’s a momentous occasion: you’ve finally decided—or are finally at the right age—to start learning how to drive.
While the thought of improved mobility can be exciting, it’s not a smooth sailing process.
There are many things you need to tick off your checklist before becoming a full-fledged and safe driver.
Not everyone’s driving journey is the same. Some may be fast learners and be right at home steering the wheel. Others could be slow to start but get better over time.
Regardless of where you lie in the learning curve, the underlying objective remains the same: to become a licensed, safe driver.
Eager to start? Let’s go through some of the things you need to know before you take the wheel.
- Adopt an Open Attitude
One of the most important things you should do as a new driver is to get into the right mindset.
You don’t want to be one of those arrogant driving students who feel like they know all there is to know about driving, failing to take in any constructive feedback provided by your instructor.
If you act closed-off and uncooperative during your driving classes, you may end up failing to learn anything of significant value. And when the actual driving exam rolls around, you’ll run the risk of failing—which makes all the past hours of practice nothing but time and money sink.
To avoid this from happening, mentally prepare yourself to listen and absorb the information provided by your driving teacher. Keep an open mind every step of the way.
Also, don’t beat yourself up for mistakes you make during the process—your instructor is trained to patiently correct and advise you on the best thing to do during these situations.
You can find a vast selection of qualified driving instructors with EzLicence in Australian and the UK. For driving students from Canada and the US, search online for local driving instructors in your area.
- Learn the Fundamentals of Car Anatomy
Just like how we got exposed to our body’s organ systems and their underlying effects during the formative years of our education, you’ll also learn the inner mechanisms of cars and vehicles before controlling one provided by your respective driving school.
You’re not expected to have technical-level knowledge to become eligible to drive the roads. However, it will most certainly help to hold some form of familiarity with your vehicle and how it operates.
This is most especially true for people who are driving manual or “stick” cars. Knowing how to shift gears—and when to do so—is a critical part of driving a manually operated car.
Students who drive automatic transmission vehicles have an easier time learning how to operate their vehicles with the absence of gears.
However, they’ll still need to familarize themselves with the various requirements expected from operating a vehicle: turning on the ignition, stepping on the gas pedal, stepping on the break, clutching the wheel, and so on.
Once you wrap your head around the driving process, you’ll ease into the driver role much more seamlessly.
- Learn The Road Signs
You’re not a solitary driver—you’ll be sharing the road with thousands, if not millions, of other cars throughout your lifetime.
All of these drivers have to abide by public road signs and local regulations. No private driver is above this rule: including you.
If you don’t want to get in trouble with the law, it’s in your best interest to familiarize yourself with these basic road rules. There are some common ones like Stop, no U-turn, and Yield—but there are a couple of unique ones that you may come across as well.
Ignorance is no excuse—get familiar with these road signs to ensure that you won’t get in any unwanted traffic scenarios.
You may even initiate the learning process early and go for a ride with an experienced driver and have them explain the meaning behind different road rules you come across. This way, you’ll get an upper hand before entering driving school.
- Familarize Yourself With Your Car’s Features
Besides familarizing yourself with the car’s mechanics, you’ll also want to have a good grasp of the vehicle’s instrument cluster and dashboard. This includes the speedometer, odometer, turn signal, air conditioning and defrost settings, among other things.
As a passenger, you’re probably already somewhat familiar with features in a car, but being in the driver’s seat puts you in full control over this various array of panels and buttons.
Understanding what each button does will not only help you feel more comfortable and in control while driving, but it is essential for a safe and comfortable ride.
Fortunately, new drivers don’t have to jump straight away into driving and using these features simultaneously. They can tinker with many of these settings while the car is completely stationary.
This way, the driver doesn’t have to risk any accidents as you’ll have your full concentration on the road—equipped with the confidence to use these features during the right time.
- Learn Proper Maintenance and Care
A vehicle is, undoubtedly, one of the most expensive personal assets one can possess besides their property. If you want to squeeze every last bit of value from it, it’s important to treat it with utmost care.
This doesn’t just mean bringing your car to a car wash every few months or so—it also entails looking under the hood and making timely repairs and maintenance work. Even the safest drivers can encounter vehicular problems from time to time, and in some unfortunate instances, these malfunctions can happen on the road.
If you find yourself in a predicament and need to, say, fix a flat tire by the roadside or jumpstart your vehicle, you’ll want to be familiar with the process before the problem actually occurs.
Even though the chances of these things happening rarely occur, proper maintenance is an excellent way to extend a car’s longevity. As such, be sure to learn how to maintain your vehicle and the frequency in which you should do it—your efforts will pay dividends in the long run.
- Safety Over Speed
You don’t have to be the fastest speedster on the block. Your ultimate goal is to get from point A to point B without compromising your and your passenger’s safety.
Driving too recklessly puts you at increased risk of getting your car damaged, sustaining an injury, or worse.
As much as possible, consider driving as defensively as possible. There are too many variables, from drunk drivers to poor weather, that can cause permanent and expensive damage that you could’ve otherwise avoided.
Your destination isn’t going anywhere. As such, always aim to be aware of your surroundings and give your vehicle enough time and space to react accordingly in cases wherein the situation calls for it.
