Watch What You’re Doing

The number one rule of defensive driving is to pay attention to what’s going on around you. Think back to all the descriptions of automobile accidents that you’ve ever heard. Chances are good that most of them contain the phrase “I never saw him coming!” at some point or another. The reason for this is that this is by far the most commonly used explanation for why an accident occurred. What it really means, however, is that at least one of the drivers involved wasn’t paying attention. If they had been, they would have seen the other driver coming, and they could have avoided the accident.

Never Trust the Other Guy

It might seem somewhat cynical, but one of the first things that you’ll learn in defensive driving lessons is that you should never trust the other guy to do the right thing. If you’re approaching an intersection the same time as another car, and you have the right of way, and it seems like the other car might not stop… don’t chance it. It’s much better to assume that the other car is going to make a mistake and be wrong, than to assume that they’ll do the right thing and be wrong. There’s an old saying that goes hand in hand with this principle: “no one ever yielded their way into a car crash”. What this means is that it’s very hard to be TOO cautious when driving. Again, better safe than sorry.

Keeping Your Distance

When we take our driving tests, most of learn the car-length rule for space, wherein we’re taught to trail behind the car in front of us one car length for every ten miles per hour we’re going. The problem with this rule, however, is that it’s hard to get a handle on just how long a “car length” really is, especially when you’re traveling at high speeds. What you want to do instead is to try and make sure you have at least two full seconds of distance between you and the car in front of you. To determine this, observe the car passing a landmark, and then count how many seconds until you pass that landmark yourself. It should take at least two full seconds or else you’re trailing too close.

Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. There are times, such as when it’s dark or raining, that you want to trail even more, up to 3 or 4 full seconds.

By consistently applying the principles of safe, defensive driving, you can stack the odds in your favor that you’ll arrive safely at your destination every time you get behind the wheel. That’s a feeling that’s worth the few extra seconds it takes to play it safe.

Choose Your Teacher Wisely

While it might seem fun at first to have your friend or parent teach you how to drive, there’s one thing you should keep in mind. Most drivers have at least some bad habits that they’ve developed over the years, bad habits that they aren’t aware of, and which they can’t help but pass along to you. It might be the case that these bad habits are no big deal, but when you’re first starting out as a driver, you want a totally clean slate, free from dangerous pre-conceptions. For this reason, many people find it preferable to go with lessons from a qualified driving instructor.

Choose Your Car Wisely

Aside from your teacher, the car you’ll be using to learn to drive is one of the most important considerations that you can make. Unfortunately, for most people, there’s not really much of a choice at all – they must simply make do with whatever car they might have access to. This means that a majority of individuals are learning to drive on improperly tuned cars, or cars that bear no similarity to the ones they will actually be driving, or worst of all – cars in unsafe mechanical condition.

This presents yet another reason why many people are going the route of seeking out professional driving lesssons. Sydney has quite a few of these available, and by seeking them out, you’ll be able to use a car that is kept in optimal condition, which you can put your complete faith in and have one less thing to worry about.

Learn the Brakes

Observing someone’s style of braking is the number one way to distinguish an amateur driver from someone who has been doing it a while. Beginning drivers have a tendency to ride the brake, and to slam it down at the slightest indication of a need to stop. In fact, it’s not at all uncommon to find first time drivers coming to a stop meters and meters before a stop sign or traffic signal. This is because they just don’t realize how sensitive the pedals on a car really are.

While this can sometimes be humorous to observe, however, the reality is that operating a vehicle in such a way, even if it’s only for a short while, drastically reduces the lifespan of that vehicle, and can be severely injurious to braking systems. Therefore, one of the best things you can do to be ahead of the curve when it comes to learning to drive is to learn the proper way to brake from the very beginning.

Manual or Automatic

Of people who “know how to drive”, it’s shocking how many don’t know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Automatic transmissions have become commonplace, and some people spend their entire lives driving nothing but. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it can sometimes lead to unsafe situations. What might happen if you’re one day called upon to drive a manual in an emergency? The period of time while you’re learning to drive represents the ideal time to learn to operate a manual in addition to an automatic. By possessing both types of knowledge, your driving skills will improve substantially.

Nervousness

By far, the number one cause of otherwise qualified drivers failing their tests is nervousness. This is only natural, of course. You’re used to driving along in the company of someone you know, someone who has a vested interest in your succeeding. Now, you’re sitting next to some grim figure with a clipboard, someone ready to mark down each and every little mistake you make. However, there’s no real need to feel nervous in such a situation. As long as you relax, you should have no trouble recalling all that you’ve learned about driving and be able to perform admirably, regardless of the pressure inherent in any exam.

One way to help prepare for the nervousness of a test is to learn driving from a qualified driving school. Sydney has a great number of these, and by learning from a qualified professional, you get used to the feeling of driving with someone else in the car who is judging you… and most importantly, you come to learn that this judgment isn’t a negative thing at all! When the real test comes, you’ll be able to completely relax and do your thing.

Concentration

Concentration is another important matter. Even if you aren’t nervous when you take your driving test, you can easily become distracted as you find yourself wondering things like “am I doing well?” or “what are they writing on that clipboard?”. If this happens, it’s all too easy to make a mistake that can end up preventing you from passing the test. Don’t take this risk!

Of course, that’s easier said than done. How can you keep your focus in an inherently distracting situation? Again, the services of a professional driving instructor can be a major help here. As you learn to drive at a driving school, each day you go out will involve someone observing your driving and making minor corrections to your techniques. As such, you’ll be used to this feeling of observation and appraisal and come to recognize it as the valuable service it really is. When the test comes around, you’ll hardly even be aware that what’s going on is anything out of the ordinary, and as such, you’ll be able to focus and concentrate much more easily.

Rules of the Road

Of course, it goes without saying that the reason some people fail their driving tests isn’t because of nervousness or concentration, but also just because they don’t properly understand the rules of the road, or didn’t study and learn them properly. This is obviously quite vital to passing any test and even if you have no anxiety at all, if you don’t know the rules, you won’t be getting your license. With the help of a professional driving coach, you can be positively certain that you know all the required rules and regulations well ahead of time, thereby increasing your likelihood of passing even further.

One of the things that professional driving schools are equipped for is helping people to gradually overcome their feelings of fear when driving, so that they can become confident and capable motorists. There are several ways that they can go about doing this.

Firstly, they can help you pinpoint exactly what it is that’s causing your anxiety. Many people have a terrible experience when driving where they nearly get into an accident or experience some kind of small wreck that they feel lucky to walk away from. However, just as many people suddenly develop a fear of driving for reasons that they can’t identify specifically. The sad fact is that unless they can identify the source of their fear, they will never be able to overcome it. This is one of the main values that a driving teacher can offer.

Secondly, a driving teacher can help you to get comfortable behind the wheel. Often when driving alone we can feel intimidated, or when driving with friends we can worry about becoming distracted. However, when driving with a professional dedicated to helping us, we can more easily relax and fall into the role of a competent, safe driver. This is because driving instructors are trained to be able to keep up a natural flow of instruction that is neither taxing and irritating, or droning. You’ll be able to focus clearly on the advice they give without being overwhelmed by it, and you just can’t get this kind of professional touch from a friend or on your own.

Thirdly, a driving teacher will know what you can handle and remove from you the burden of deciding how much is too much or how little is too little when you’re trying to acclimate yourself to the road. You can trust a driving instructor not to put you in a situation that you can’t handle, and to talk you carefully through any tight spots that you find yourself in. This kind of trusting relationship is good, because you can simply focus on the mechanical aspects of driving until your confidence naturally begins to return.

When you’re seeking out a driving school to help you with fear of driving, you might want to call around and ask if certain schools specialize in this area. Many schools, especially those in more urban areas, employ teachers who are specifically trained to help fearful drivers overcome their phobias and get back on the road as soon as possible.

One of the best ways to gain confidence as a driver then, is to receive profession driving instruction. When you learn to drive from a qualified professional, the grasp you will get on the rules of the road and on safe driving practices far exceeds that which you would gain through other means such as learning from a friend or family member. This isn’t to say, of course, that your friends and family are unsafe drivers, it’s just the case that only professional driving instructors can instill the immense degree of confidence in a driver that comes with total mastery of the road.

Getting behind the wheel can sometimes be a scary thing, to be sure. This is especially true when driving on the highway at high speeds or practicing certain maneuvers such as merging into a high speed lane. The real problem, though, is that nervousness in such situations leads to inaction, which can be dangerous. When you’re driving, it’s often the case that hesitating is just as dangerous to proceeding too recklessly. It’s only with a calm and smooth sense of assurance that you can operate a vehicle at maximum effectiveness.

Of course, it goes without saying that having confidence in your driving isn’t a permanent thing. Many drivers start out confident but then get into a collision or have a dangerous near miss that suddenly robs them of all their preconceptions of their ability. They might suddenly feel as if they’re an unsafe driver and fear getting behind the wheel at all. When this happens, certain steps are needed, and chief among them is getting back on the road as soon as possible.

This is something else that a professional driving teacher can help you with. By refreshing you on the rules of the road, and renewing your ability to adhere to them consciously, driving coaches are often able to help people regain faith in their own driving ability, including those who have gone through some form of trauma.

Whether you’re learning to drive for the first time and want your first solo drive to be one of supreme and total confidence, or you’re trying to regain confidence that you once had, trust in a qualified driving coach to give you the self-assuredness that you need.

Buckle Up!

It may seem obvious, but it’s something many people overlook and one of the first things that professional driving instructors are taught to drill into a student’s head. However, one must remember that the primary function of a seat belt is to save lives, and it does that quite admirably. Statistically speaking, your odds of surviving a traffic accident nearly double when you wear a seat belt, and even in minor collisions, they can drastically reduce your chance of incurring neck or back injuries.

Pay Attention to the Road

While car phones were first introduced, it was thought to be absurd that some people were daring enough to talk on the phone while driving at the same time. Today, however, the trend has grown to an amazing degree and people are doing everything imaginable as they take to the road – putting on makeup, talking on cell phones, typing and reading text messages, you name it! Clearly, this is not safe behavior, and for the driver who wants to be really safe, it’s best not to even go down this road at all. That means, pay full attention to the road when you’re driving, and don’t even answer your cell phone. There will always be time later.

Form Good Habits

A lot of poor driving just stems from bad habits developed during the period during which people are learning to drive. Therefore, if you want to be a truly safe driver, it’s best to learn defensive driving from the very beginning. It’s hard to get rid of bad habits once they’re formed, so if you haven’t learned to drive yet, or even if you have, you might try seeking out professional driving lessons to get a better handle on what you’re doing.

Watch Your Emotions

If there’s one thing certain about driving, it’s that at some point, someone is going to make you angry. Whether they cut you off with haphazard lane-changing, or just honk at you needlessly when you’re already having a bad day, it’s all too easy to lose your cool on the road. Unfortunately, this often leads to serious consequences, and in many cases of unchecked “road rage”, has ended up in death or life imprisonment. This may seem like a somber statement, but it just goes to show that the responsibility one must take for one’s choices is only increased when one is operating a motor vehicle. Many experts suggest using the “one year rule” when you feel angry on the road. Ask yourself whether or not the incident that just raised your ire is something that will matter to you a year into the future. Overwhelmingly, it will be the case that it will not, and this realization will help you to regain your cool when you need it most.

First of all, there’s the matter that drivers usually form habits, and not all of them good. The more you drive, the more it becomes “second nature”. When you walk down the street, do you think about each and every step you take, or does it become more or less automatic after a certain point? The same is true with driving. The more you drive, the more automatic it becomes, and if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to develop bad habits. While some of these might not amount to much, others could make a catastrophic difference when you finally get out on the open road on your own. As with all matters related to driving, it’s better safe than sorry.

Insurance Rates

As much as people complain about gas prices, there’s another cost attached to driving that can quickly drive up one’s yearly expenses. We speak, of course, of auto insurance. These monthly payments are legally required in most areas of the country, and are a good idea even if they weren’t; nevertheless, you want to be totally certain that you’re getting the best prices. This is another area where taking driving lessons from a qualified instructor can be a real boon.

Most insurance providers are more than willing to provide you with a discount on your auto insurance rates if you can provide documentation showing that you’ve successfully completed a qualified driving course. One has to question why this is so. Insurance providers nominally offer this discount because drivers who have received professional instruction are much less likely to get into accidents and thus much less likely to cost an insurance company any money. For many, this glowing endorsement is enough to convince them of the value of one on one instruction.

Ticket Dismissal

When you receive a ticket for some kind of moving violation, whether it’s running a stop sign or causing a minor fender bender, the result is usually that you get points on your license. Not only do these raise your insurance premiums, but if you collect enough of them, you might even end up with your license being suspended altogether. However, in most places, if you take a driving course after receiving such a ticket, the courts will end up dismissing it and the penalties that go along with it.

Ultimately, there are many benefits to learning the art of driving through a professional instructor, and not all of them immediately obvious. Keep this in mind as you decide which route you’ll take when it comes to learning how to drive.

Far and away, the most important qualification to seek out in a driving instructor when you’re undertaking driving lessons is communication. What is meant by this is that you need to find an instructor who communicates well with you, who matches up well with your unique personality, and who is fully committed to giving you the attention you need to excel as a driver.

When you’re choosing an instructor, ask to take a test drive with them. Any worth his or her salt will definitely allow this, and if they don’t, it’s a pretty good sign that you ought to be suspicious. On this test drive, there are a few things you ought to look out for.

For instance, an instructor ought to be able to keep up a dialogue with you that tells you what to do in order to drive safely and properly but without making you nervous. In other words, their instructions to you should be clear and precise, but they should have the feel of a conversation rather than a drill sergeant. If you aren’t comfortable, then you’re going to be too nervous to really process these instructions, and that can be quite dangerous.

Secondly, they should be able to precisely examine the mechanics of the vehicle that you’re operating. They should have good advice regarding things like how to shift gears, how to change lands, proper steering, and even the right way to use a pedal (in other words, there’s more to it than just stomping down as hard as you can!).

Lastly, of course, you should get the impression from your instructor that they’re putting your needs first. Part of this means that they should be in tune with you, and able to operate “on the same wavelength”. Just as you meet some people who you get along well with right off the bat and others who it’s a struggle to even comfortably be around, you want your instructor to be someone who relaxes you and meshes with your personality. They should be able to tell when you’re nervous of lacking confidence, and help bolster your courage without distracting you from the road itself. Moreover, they should be willing to listen to any questions you might ask, and have the ability to respond to them accurately and with sensitivity.

Ultimately, the technical expertise of a driving instructor is a very important consideration, but it must take a back seat to certain other matters such as their ability to effectively communicate with you. The reality is that learning to drive is a two way effort, not a one-sided lecture. Unless the communication is there, your lessons will just not be effective.

Driving is an art that is constantly evolving. Although most people cover the fundamentals, many of the nuisances of vehicle operations and engagement are lost on these individuals as they grow in age. Some learned how to drive outside of a driving school, and these individuals are at a loss when it comes to recognizing and handling the specifics of driving at their best potential.

Even if you already know how to drive a vehicle, learning to improve your driving skills is always a great idea. Driving safely is a way of ensuring that your life, the life of your passengers, and the life of other people on the road are being respected. Due to the tremendous responsibility that driving is, there is always something to learn when it comes to this skill.

You might question this idea. You may be thinking to yourself, “But I already know how to drive, and I do it everyday — safely!” This may be true, but there are always things that can be improved. Your knowledge of facts, for example. Did you know that the average stopping distance of a car with good brakes and a good driver going 64.37 km/h is around 39 metres (128 feet)? That might seem like a meaningless abstraction, since you’ve grasped your car intuitively, but it’s exactly the sort of crucial thing one should learn to truly master driving.

The thing about that sort of knowledge is that it comes with an understanding of how to apply it flexibly to any situation. Chances are that you haven’t really experienced the true braking power of your vehicle. If you use a measurement like that one and apply it to your own dynamics, you can arrive at conclusions that go beyond your personal experience. Also, if nothing else, it’ll make you more observant of the subtle but essential facts that make up daily driving.

One of the most convincing traits of going to a driving school after having learned how to drive already is the insurance benefits you may receive from it. A healthy number of people who return to obtain new driving lessons often see their premiums reduced as a result. It varies depending on your experience and your insurer, so talk with them first to find out how driving lessons can affect cost.

Even with the best of efforts and the best driving lessons comes the chance of a mistake. It may not happen to you, but it can happen to the other drivers out there on the road and involve you. While you have certain options to pursue towards avoiding this sort of dreadful encounter, they’re often limited if a seriously flawed mistake is made. For example, if another driver runs a red light and slams into the side of a vehicle crossing during its green signal.

A situation like the aforementioned one is a worst-case scenario, but it’s always possible, if improbable. However, knowing how to deal with accidents is just as important as preventing them, so with that said we’re going to cover some basic concepts to keep in mind to do the best during the worst.

First of all, always be prepared. This means having more than the adaptable mentality (although that is crucial). You should at all times be carrying your automotive insurance information with you. Most people keep it in the glove compartment, which is an ideal spot. More than that, however, prepare yourself fully by keeping a form for quick write-ups to describe the situation of a wreck. Even more ideal is to have a disposable camera ready to take pictures once things unfold. This is crucial for liability and damage claims.

Of course, now that you have that out of the way, you should always make efforts to stop your vehicle and move it to a safe position, if at all possible. Getting out the way of further traffic only ensures that nothing worse becomes of the situation. If you can’t drive your vehicle, then call a tow truck company to get your vehicle moved — but be certain to get the name, number, and address of the company you’re using.

Of course, after you’ve made those efforts, if the situation looks devastating, then don’t hesitate to call for medical assistance. Everybody involved who can walk should move to a safe location, and those left behind need emergency service. More than determining liability, this is saving lives. In a best-case scenario, wrecks are hopefully just minor inconveniences, but when things turn south, time-critical decisions have to be made.

Finally, any driving school will tell you that you should also contact the police. This often happens on its own, but you should make the effort to pursue it immediately, so as to secure the situation for investigation and identification. As sad as it may seem, some people who are witnesses have a tendency to flee, not wanting involvement. Same with the occasional perpetrators of this sort of terrible driving mistake. They may not get much farther, but they can cause more damage which by all means should be minimized.