Car Insurance, Driving Skills, Car Maintenance | Only Finance: UK ...
On the road and off it (in relation to car maintenance and insurance) can mean the difference between life, death, or a huge financial loss.
It’s important to develop good driving skills. This means all drivers must be especially aware of their surroundings in order to avoid accidents and injury to self or others. When you are first experiencing the joy of freeedom that driving can give you, it is easy to lose sight of responsibility that comes with that freedom: you are now in control of a large, powerful machine that can cause injury and damage if it is not used properly.
There are many ways to play it safe while on the roads. Learner drivers and inexperienced drivers need to be especially aware of what’s going on around them. Reducing distractions and staying focussed on the task at hand will help. This means turning off your mobile phone, not having headphones on or music up too loud in case you can’t hear a horn or beep in an emergency situation, not trying to eat and drive - no multi-tasking! - and putting off emotional conversations till you are parked, and so forth. Even if you are a good new driver you need to take into account other people on the roads who may not be as competent and who may behave unpredictably.
Some other considerations include: road quality, weather conditions, school zones, parked cars, tiredness and sudden changes in traffic speed. Sometimes the traffic will be ultra-fast and some times it will be stop-and-go. In residential areas drivers need to slow down and be aware of pedestrians, especially children and older people. The speed limits are often lower here too - don’t get caught speeding! In the city, there will be more traffic, with traffic lights and pedestrians on every corner, and drivers who are possibly more aggressive and confident - they know where they are going and go there everyday; they will be less patient with drivers who are uncertain of the roads.
All of these different traffic conditions will require the driver to make fast and different decisions at times. Practice and experience are the best ways to become accustomed to different driving conditions. However, a young driver should avoid unfamiliar and challenging road conditions at first, while they build confidence controlling and manouveuring the vehicle. Rainy days are not ideal learning-to-drive days. Often, the best way to handle unfamiliar traffic conditions is to play it safe by driving slowly, signalling well in advance, and keeping your eyes on the road in front of you. Pay attention, plan ahead. Reading a map and planning your trip before you leave home so you understand where you need to go will also make driving less stressful. It is much better to be prepared and cautious when driving than to risk causing an accident or injuring someone.
