The moment you get behind the wheel of a car, you take on a huge responsibility. You are not only responsible for your own life, but for your passengers and the other drivers on the road. Auto accidents can cause serious injuries or even fatalities. As a driver of a vehicle, you face many risks and have to make many decisions, reacting in an instant. The way that you learn to drive will have a direct impact on overall driver safety. It is important to learn safe driving skills before hitting the road to reduce your chances of having an accident.
How-to Learn Safe Driving Skills: Reduce Your Risk of an Accident
Driving Courses for Young Drivers
The first way to learn safe driving skills is by taking a driving course. For young drivers, there are driver’s education classes available. These courses prepare students with the skills and knowledge to get either a driver’s permit or a driver’s license. In some states, these courses are offered through companies that parter with schools. These courses could have a classroom portion as well as a practical portion of behind-the-wheel driving. For added safety, the vehicle may have an extra set of controls in the passenger seat so that the instructor could take over or brake if required.
Additionally, a non-profit program called B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) aims to teach teens how to drive safely. They teach skills such as panic braking, crash avoidance, skid recovery and distracted driving awareness. While some of these things are taught in traditional driver’s education courses, B.R.A.K.E.S. aims give refresher lessons and also teach new skills too. Check on their website to see if they are going to be holding a class in your area.
Adult Courses
These driver education courses are not just for teens. There are courses available that will teach adults safe driving skills. In some cases, adults need to learn how to drive or touch up on their skills as well. Perhaps they have always lived in a city and never needed to drive, or they never had wither the desire or means to learn to drive. In addition to the courses, study all of the government-created driving handbooks and fliers to learn about road signs and driving rules.
No matter what your age or skill level is, there are plenty of courses for you to learn safe driving skills. Since driving is a major responsibility, do not head out on the road until you have learned the skills and keep comfortable behind the wheel. Remember that new drivers are the most likely to have an accident, so be careful and use defensive driving skills.