Issues with New Drivers

I have had my license for approximately 18 months now, and as a new driver I personally have made many mistakes that could’ve been devastating, including getting into a car accident which resulted in my truck being totaled. Luckily it was a one vehicle accident and I was not injured, this just helps to prove the importance of being vigilant and informed while on the road. One of the things that I struggled with as a new driver was the experience of driving in different weather conditions, driving cars other than the one I drive on a usual basis, and driving in different environments. Living in Minnesota I have to be able to drive in many different weather conditions, and many people do not understand how to navigate icy roads or how to drive in the snow. It is also hard for many people to understand that in different vehicles the brights, windshield wipers and other things are in different places or operate differently. It’s something I continue to struggle with. Growing up in a very rural area made it very difficult to experience and learn about driving in big cities, and many people who learn to drive in large cities find it very different when driving in rural areas. I think some ways to help solve some of these struggles are to include them in driver education. In drivers education, we learn about the laws and regulations of the road, but many times some of the unspoken ‘common sense’ rules are left out. I think it would be very beneficial if driver education included teaching kids about the common places to find lights, windshield wipers and other commonly used aspects of a vehicle. This way kids will be able to have a better ability to identify and find these things in different kinds of vehicles. I also think the different ‘unspoken rules’ should be spoken about, especially in regards to multiple lane driving and how to drive in cities. In places that involve different weather conditions, I think each of these conditions should be talked about in more depth. I think it should also be explained how different vehicle will react differently in the same weather conditions. I also think another potential thing that could possibly help some of these factors would be to recommend or require that some of the time spent driving behind the wheel or wih parents is in different kinds of vehicles or in a bigger city, if possible. I think these are all important factors to teach kids so they are more adaptable and flexible in their driving capabilities.