I have children who are at various levels of driving experience and knowledge but more importantly very different attitudes towards driving on the road.
My son, who has just passed his learners permit, thought it was easy. We jumped in the car and went through the basics; accelerator to make it go, the brake to stop, the indicators to turn. Right, we are ready to go. His first words were “where does the key go?”. With that sorted, I said “lets go” then all of a sudden the motor starts screaming. He wondered why it 
wasn’t going as he just assumed it was an automatic. I realised then that there is so much to teach a learner driver and it is up to us, as full licence drivers to teach them if we want them to be competent and safe drivers.
Five Tips to Driving you might want to impart on your learner driver …
– Always do head checks and mirror checks to know where other vehicles are around you. While you might not be moving into another lane or turning, it’s good to know your surroundings in case you have to take evasive actions in the event of an accident or trying to avoid an accident.
– While you might not know it, tyre pressure plays a major part in your driving. It can make your car pull to one side, drive slower and even cost you more in additional fuel consumption. Tyre pressure is not determined by the type or size of the tyre but rather the vehicles load or driving application. You can find the pressure details in the manufacturers tyre placard or the vehicles owner manual. Also, you should only ever check your tyre pressure when the tyre is cold.
– Some road rules are really unusual so try to learn as much about driving and the road rules as possible. Did you know that you can be fined $87 for parking over the footpath in a driveway (even your own driveway). In Victoria, you can be fined for leaving your car with the window down more than 2 centimetres – but Queensland gets 5 centimetres.
– Driving, especially while learning, shouldn’t be a fashion statement. Wearing the wrong shoes when driving can make it harder to learn and can even be dangerous. You should consider wearing flat soled shoes to allow you to better feel how the car responds to what you’re doing.
– If you’re doing your driving test, a quick tip that someone told me before I went for mine was to ever-so-slightly adjust your rear mirror higher just so you have to tip your head up slightly to see in it, rather then just moving your eyes. It ensures that the tester can see that you are doing proper and regular mirror checks.
There was an article recently released from the Roads Minister where he suggested the government were looking at rewarding young Victorian driver’s for safe driving. Those young drivers could be rewarded with a free three year licence worth $76 if they completed both their red and green probationary periods with no traffic offences or demerit points.There are also a number of free and government funded courses available for young drivers to help them practice their skills, gain experience and become safer drivers on our roads. Check out Vic Roads for more information.
Contact JBSSP if you have any questions or would like more information about learner driver courses.