Experience counts when it comes to safe driving. Passing a driver’s test
alone does not mean that a young driver is “experienced.” There is no
magic number of miles or hours that signals experience.
A teen’s greatest lifetime chance of crashing occurs in the first six to 12
months after receiving a license. After that time the risk diminishes, but
remains twice the rate of adults until they reach their 20s. Every teen is
unique in how long it takes them to become experienced. Skills and
decision-making abilities come only after many hours behind the wheel.
Have you ever taken piano lessons or played organized team sports?
Do you remember the hours you spent in lessons, then in practice
refining those skills over and over again? Research has shown that
to be merely competent at complex skills requires at least a thousand
hours of structured practice. And to be an expert requires at least ten times that
much. How successful do you think you would be playing the piano in front of friends
and family after only a few hours of practice and instruction?
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Providing practice to develop the skill of driving is even more important.What were to
happen if you made a mistake at the piano? What are the consequences of a mistake
behind the wheel? The consequences of a driving error could be fatal.That’s what we
all hope to avoid. Being proficient at driving requires practice, practice and more
practice. In many states, likeWashington, the young driver is required to have at
least 50 hours of supervised driving practice.
For beginning drivers, practice the following
skills in varying routes:
• Turns: speed and use of signals
• Braking smoothly: gradually slowing to a stop
• Accelerating smoothly: steadily increasing to a safe speed
within the posted limit
• Approaching intersections controlled by stop signs or lights
• Determining right of way
• Single-lane and multi-lane roadways (low speeds)
• Changing lanes
• Maintaining appropriate speed
• Scanning for and identifying hazards
• Keeping a safe following distance
• Sharing the road with cyclists, pedestrians and
school buses
• Driving in a school zone
• Reacting to an approaching emergency vehicle
• Using turning lanes
PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE
A
s you have learned, Graduated
Driver Licensing (GDL) laws are a proven
strategy to prevent teen driver crashes and
deaths.They work by keeping new teen
drivers out of high-risk driving situations,
such as driving at night, to give them the
needed time to develop skills in lower-risk
situations, such as driving during the day.
Under Washington State’s GDL law, you
cannot drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. for
the first 12 months unless you are with a
licensed driver age 25 or older.
Sources:Vehicle Dynamics Institute,securitydriver.com,
Washington State Department of Licensing
