Once you pass your driving test, you may be eager to get on the open road. However, there’s a ton of important safety tips to implement – necessary for drivers of all skill sets and experience, but especially important for new drivers with limited experience behind the wheel to remember. Here’s a list of the essential safety tips for new drivers, as prepared by the driving safety and towing experts at Chicago Towing.

Restricted Drivers Licenses

In most areas, new drivers first receive a restricted driver’s license. This is a probationary – usually 12th month – period in which you have to drive under particular restrictions to ensure your safety. Speed limits don’t usually pose much of an issue in cities, as citys usually have a low speed limit between 30 and 40 miles an hour, but they do make a huge difference on highways. New drivers should drive at least 25 miles per hour slower than other drivers, and allow other drivers to pass you as often as possible – which can pose potential safety issues, so (as always, but especially as a new driver) you need to keep your maximum focus on the road ahead, as well as all the vehicles surrounding you.

Crash Risks

Unfortunately, crashes are a big risk for new drivers. It’s been measured that 1 out of every 5 drivers gets into some form of car crash within their first year on the open roads – especially true with drivers between the ages of 17 and 24. These crashes are usually caused by some sort of negligence on the driver’s part, so when you’re a fresh driver, you need to be EXTRA CAREFUL and EXTRA AWARE of everything around you when you’re behind the wheel.

Weather

Since fresh drivers don’t have much experience driving at all, driving in inclement weather poses a particular challenge. Any sort of wind, rain, and snow makes driving more difficult for drivers of all levels of experience, so new drivers need to be much more careful when driving in these conditions that require a somewhat different level of skill and experience to ensure safety.

Technical Know-How

New drivers shouldn’t just forget all the driving lessons that they receive in driving school as soon as they receive their license. It’s especially essential for new drivers to understand the technical aspects of their vehicles, from internal controls to the hardware based mechanisms of the engine. We’re not saying you need to know how to FIX broken mechanics of your vehicle, but it’s important to have an understanding of how the car works, as understanding these principals also help you understand the limits of your vehicle, and how to be a safer and more careful driver.