As exciting as passing your test and gaining the freedom of your own car is, the dangers and responsibilities that come with your license are vast.
There are plenty of careful and considerate young drivers out there however the facts about crashes involving young drivers speak for themselves:
- In the UK every day, four people are killed or seriously injured in collisions involving young drivers.
- Over 1000 young lives are lost every year in road crashes in the UK.
Think about it; is it worth speeding and losing your pride and joy just to show off to your mates? Is that one pint worth ruining your career prospects? Is that text more important than your life?
Using any handheld device whilst driving is an offence; be it your mobile or an iPod, if you have to hold the device then it could land you with three points on your license not to mention a £60 fine.
Points don’t mean prizes when it comes to driving, just six points (if you’re caught using your mobile or going 35mph in a 30 zone could land you three points) in your first two years of driving is enough to send you back to driving school.
Buckle up. It takes two seconds to put your seatbelt on and it could save your life!
Exhausted? As an inexperienced driver try to avoid long journeys, if a long journey is essential make sure you take a break at least every two hours.
Aggressive driving including speeding, driving too close, not looking properly and driving too fast for the road conditions are all major factors in the majority of collisions.
Thoroughly check your vehicle before you set off. It is a crime if you do not have insurance, an MOT, road tax, correct tyre pressure or tread depth.