subject: Building Your Knowledge And Experience To Stay Safe On The Road [print this page] For the majority of motorists on the road driving is something they dont give a second thought to. The idea of driving somewhere for a seasoned motorist may be so natural they dont worry about anything as they may have owned their car for a long time. Experienced motorists know at what point they need to go to a petrol station once the needle hits the red, and can tell from the sound of the engine alone when their oil may need to be topped up.
But for some motorists, mostly newly qualified drivers, this in-built knowledge hasnt yet formed and there may be plenty of hard lessons to learn along the way. During their first few years of freedom and independence on the road a lot of this knowledge and experience comes from bad situations, whether it is getting a flat tyre on the side of the motorway or running out of fuel and having to hike to the nearest petrol station, it often leaves an important lesson for the driver to be more careful in future or at the very least be more mindful of things like potential accidents or costly repairs that could have been avoided.
There are plenty of things that people are taught whilst learning to drive, most of which is forgotten as they dont have the driving instructor observing their every move. Things like keeping both hands on the steering wheel while driving can be quickly forgotten once you have passed your test. One of the most important things you get taught when you are learning to drive is awareness, and this is something all drivers must carry through into their everyday driving and build upon as the years go by.
One area where motorists have to keep their wits about them is driving on the motorway, and not all newly qualified drivers will have any experience of this type of driving and it varies considerably depending on the lanes and the speed at which you will be travelling. Driving on the motorway can be quick, but it can also be slow with traffic jams forming during busy periods such as the morning rush hour, and these queues can seemingly come out of nowhere so it is important to not only focus on the car in front of you but also what is happening further up ahead and to adjust your speed accordingly.
It is also important to keep to the left unless you are overtaking as this can help to ease congestion, which in turn should help speed up your journey and prevent any unnecessary stress.
