Novice drivers

All drivers no matter how long they have been driving continue to develop their driving skills.

Passing your test is the first step in learning to drive and shows you have the skills you need to drive safely. In your first twelve months of driving you will start to develop your driving skills further, especially anticipating other road users’ behavior to avoid having a collision.

Remember that you should always drive to arrive, Safedrive Africa Foundation NGO for road safety advice try to aspire to be the most skillful and safest driver you can and follow our safety tips below:

• You are responsible for your passenger’s safety, don’t let them distract you or encourage you to drive faster even if you are late or encourage you to take risks. If your passengers start to distract you ask them to stop and explain that you need to concentrate on driving so you all get to your destination safely.
• Don’t show off in front of your friends and don’t compete with other road users, especially if they are driving badly or dangerously.
• Never drink or take drugs and drive. It’s not worth the risk as they both will affect your ability to drive and you will not only be putting your life at risk but those of your friends, family and other road users.
• Always wear your seatbelt and make sure your passengers are wearing their seatbelts. It might be your passenger’s responsibility to decide whether they wear their seatbelt or not, but as the driver you can choose not to drive if they are not wearing one.
• Drive for the road conditions and give yourself time to react to situations by keeping your speed down. Many collisions happen because the driver loses control particularly on bends or in wet or ice conditions.
• Never use your mobile phone whilst driving even if it is hands free. Your reactions are around 50% slower when using a handsfree mobile than when compared with normal driving.
• Avoid driving between midnight and 6am as unless it is really necessary, these are high risk hours for new drivers.
• As a new driver you most likely don’t have experience of driving high-powered or sports cars. Take time and get plenty of experience of driving on your own before driving a more powerful car.