Newbury Driving School
April 29, 2010
Driving can be very difficult at times and potentially very dangerous. Below are some great tips to develop good driving habits that will help you to stay safe on the streets.
1. Car Maintenance
Routine car maintenance will not only prolong the life of your car but also may save your life. It can make your vehicle safer by routinely checking tyre pressures and tread depths etc. You may get your car serviced every 6 months or so. However you should still make time for some routine checks. Apart from tyre pressures you should also test the brakes at least once a week.
2. Bad Weather
It’s a shame that when the weather is at its worse driving tests do not take place. It’s also the time when some pupils and even driving schools avoid driving lessons. At times admittedly weather conditions can be too dangerous even for the most experienced driver. But don’t be afraid to take a lesson or 2 with an experienced driving instructor in adverse conditions. Those skills may save your life one day.
3. Defensive Driving
Accidents can be down to a number of things. However aggressive driving does play it’s role. Aggressive driving isn’t just the sort of things we see on “Road Wars” it can also include speeding, disregard for the highway code, safe separation distance, and of course road rage. Defensive driving isn’t there to try to make you look boring in front of your mates. It could one day save your life. Don’t speed, keep a good safe distance from cars around you, and avoid any form of conflict with the other road users. Defensive driving can cut the number of accidents on the roads.
4. Please Belt Up
Putting a seat belt on is something that thankfully we do almost instinctively. We’re told from a young age to “belt up” However, it’s also easy to be last with this one. Especially a short journey like popping down to the shops. Wearing a seatbelt won’t necessarily stop you from getting in an accident. However it can help prevent serious injury. It’s easy for a group of young lads in a car to try to look cool in front of their mates by not wearing a seat belt. There’s nothing cool about killing yourself or seeing one of your mates killed in an accident.
5. Concentrate
Concentrate!!! Often a pupil on a driving lesson can drift on the road resulting in me grabbing the steering wheel. When I ask them they sometimes say “Oh I was watching that bloke walking his dog”!!! It only takes potentially less than 1 seconds lapse in concentration for something to go wrong. Therefore don’t let other things distract you from your driving. Don’t talk or text on the phone. Even your fellow passengers could distract you. You need to be big enough to say to them to quieten down if you feel your concentration slipping.