Passing your driving test is a big milestone in life but, in many ways, it’s just the first stage of learning how to drive. You’re probably aware that all you’ve really done is learn how to pass the test, and there’s so much more for young drivers to get to grips with.
And that’s what we’re going to cover here: the things young – and otherwise new – drivers should be aware of and do to become a more able driver. We’ve also got some tips on what you can do to reduce the sky-high insurance costs young drivers face. It’s not an exhaustive guide, but it’ll get you started.
Getting used to driving solo
Some young drivers may relish the prospect of being free from the shackles of having an instructor or supervisor in the car, but it can be daunting for others. Which is understandable. You’re entirely responsible for your own actions and decisions, there’s no-one to advise or intervene.
The only way of getting used to driving solo is going out on the road as often as possible to develop your skills – and your confidence in them. But it can also be helpful to periodically go out with an experienced, competent driver in the passenger seat and have them point out any aspects for your driving that could do with some improvement.
Reducing young driver insurance costs
You’ll be well aware that insurance costs for young drivers can be astronomical – because there’s a higher risk of them making a claim. However, there are some ways you can reduce your premiums.
Having the insurance policy in your parents’ name, with you as a named driver, isn’t one of them. Insurance companies are wise to that scam and will cancel any policy they think is being abused that way. However, having your parents listed as named drivers can reduce the premium because it implies you’ll be doing journeys together and therefore on your best behaviour.
A solution many insurance companies now favour is having a black box fitted to your car. The box records when and how you drive, and the insurer crunches that data to determine how safe a driver you are. If you’re very safe, your premium will go down. If not, your premium will go up. We have a full guide on how black boxes work and the perks of having one. Some insurance companies also offer discounts if you use a dashcam.
You can also keep costs down by getting a car that’s inherently cheap to insure because it has a low insurance group rating. Group 1 is the lowest and there are loads of great cars in it. However, you could also get a car that few young people drive. The cost of insuring a given car is partly determined by how many drivers of your age crash them. So a car that’s less popular among your age group may be considered lower risk and therefore carry a lower premium. That theory doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot.
Head to Parkers Compare where you can find out more about reducing your insurance premiums as a young driver and get a quote from a range of leading insurers.
Take a Pass Plus course
A Pass Plus course is designed to improve your skills and help you drive more safely. A fully licensed instructor takes you out for a long drive of at least six hours, covering a greater variety of roads and situations than you probably experienced before you took your test. Things like motorways, busy city centres and so on. It’s particularly useful if you live in an area without easy access to those sorts of things – and can help lower your insurance premium.
Stiffer penalties for breaking driving laws
In the 12 months after passing your driving test, there’s a limit of six penalty points allowed on your driving license before you’re banned from driving (the limit rises to 12 points in the second year). Not only that, the number of penalty points issued for breaking driving laws doubles. So common infractions such as speeding or using a phone incur a penalty of six points rather than three. And because you’re limited to six points, you only need to get caught once to lose your license.
Use a P plate
The green P plate – it stands for ‘probationary’ – indicates to other drivers that you’ve recently passed your test. Having one is entirely voluntary and insurers don’t require them. So why have one? It lets other drivers know that you might not be as confident as they are and might take a bit longer to do things such as pulling out of junctions. If want to signal that, then definitely use one.
Getting used to older cars
It’s likely that you learned to drive in a car that was no more than five years old, but your first car will probably be much older. And that means it won’t have some of the tech that your instructor’s car did. Your own car will probably have a manual handbrake lever, for instance, and not have a hill hold function. That makes executing a hill start much more difficult.
There may be other differences. Your car may have much heavier steering, the sightlines for road positioning and parking will be different, the brakes and gearbox will feel different, the buttons will be in a different place and so on, and so on.
As such, you should endeavour to spend as much time as possible in your car, so you become completely familiar with it. How it feels to drive, how it behaves on a variety of roads and in all weathers, and where every button, dial and switch is.
Get your eyes tested
Many people get to their late teens and early 20s without having had their eyes tested in years. It’s easy to not realise you need glasses/contact lenses for driving but, if you do, you’re legally required wear them. Signs you might need glasses include persistent headaches and a slight fuzziness in what you’re seeing – both of which could affect your ability to drive safely. It’s worth noting most of the Parkers team needs glasses for driving.
Practice the manoeuvres
Parking and reversing are real skills and it’s possible to lose the knack if you don’t do them often. So take every opportunity you can to practice. But there are other manoeuvres that are very useful, but you might not have been taught because they’re not required on the test any more. Specifically, we’re talking about three-point turns and reversing round a corner. Practice them whenever you can, especially if you learnt in a car with parking sensors and your own car doesn’t have them.
Having friends in your car
Young male drivers in particular are more likely than their female counterparts to have an accident with passengers in their car. But it’s such a problem among both male and female young drivers that the government periodically considers restricting young drivers’ ability to carry passengers.
Regardless, carrying passengers is a skill in itself. Not only do you have to resist any peer pressure, they can be very distracting and their weight can make your car feel very different to drive. You also need to drive in such a way you won’t cause car sickness. Staying focussed on the road with all that going on can be a real challenge and it does need practice.
Get used to driving at night and in bad weather
You may only have had limited opportunity to drive at night and in different types of bad weather while learning to drive. So it’s useful to get out on the road in those conditions whenever you can because each one throws up a unique set of challenges that you need to be able to cope with. Take a more experienced, competent driver with you if you think it would help. In the meantime, Parkers has comprehensive guides on driving in snow, driving in fog, and driving in heavy rain that explain what you might face and how to deal with it.
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