Essential tips for new, young or inexperienced drivers

Get to know your car

So you’ve got a shiny new car. Don’t just get in and drive it. Sit in it. Turn it on. Look at the buttons. Learn what they do. Find the switches for the front and rear fog lights and learn to spot the corresponding warning lights on the instrument binnacle. Where’s the hazard light button? How do you turn off that annoying RDS radio traffic alert nonsense? These are all little things, but failure to instinctively know how to activate or deactivate one of these features in a hurry could cause you to become distracted and lead to an accident.

Get a bike or bicycle

Getting on two wheels makes you a far better driver on four. Pottering about on a bicycle, or better still a moped, will reveal just what absolute douchebags drivers can be, and what insufferable idiots cyclists are. With this knowledge, you’ll be far better equipped to predict the behaviour of said douches and idiots and avoid colliding with them.

Go on a track day

Driving fast on the public road is just asking for trouble, so it’s a good idea to satisfy your lust for speed in a safe environment. Not only are track days a great adrenalin rush, they also teach you valuable lessons on how cars handle on the limit. 

Check your blind spot. Every time

Your mirrors do a good job of showing you what’s behind you, but they can’t show you what’s just outside of your peripheral vision. Your blind spot, as it’s known, is a pretty large area – big enough for bikes and cars to lurk undetected until the moment you turn right and then bang; either someone’s dead or your car’s all mangled. Do yourself and everyone else a favour – check your blind spot every time you change lane or turn right.

Don’t drive in someone else’s blind spot

Just because you’re smart enough to check your blind spot doesn’t mean everyone else will. The number of people who change lanes without looking properly is quite staggering, so put the onus on yourself to stay out of trouble. If you notice you’re cruising along to the right of and slightly behind another car, there’s a good chance they can’t see you. Either accelerate to pull alongside or in front of them, or drop back until you’re sure you can be seen in their mirrors.