Rahma Driving School

8 Rules You Ought To Know When Driving Your Car

Driving Skills

8 Rules You Ought To Know When Driving Your Car

By the time one has learned and passed the test for their learners, did several hundred hours of driving lessons and doing on the driving test, there’s still more to learn as a driver. You will never stop learning on the roads even at 40, 50 or 60 years of age. That is why VicRoads has put extra emphasis on increasing your hazard perception skills to avoid all sorts of accidents from developing.

As Australia’s population increases, the cities are getting more crowded every year. More young people join the drivers list and thereby more vehicles are added to the ever crowded roads and streets of every city in Australia. This is also true of other cities in other nations which face similar growing crowd of drivers on their roads.

In this article we present some of the more not well know rules that one should be aware of. Breaking any of these rules is an offense that could be very expensive.

Mobile Phones

Touch_phoneNot long ago now, Australia as a nation introduced laws against using mobile phones while driving a vehicle. This particular rule states that even whilst stationary and the car is in ignition and on the road you are still seen as driving the car.

It is an offense to use your mobile as a driver. So, don’t even bother having it on your lap, that too is considered using the phone. It is dangerous to use a mobile phone as a driver. We’ve seen people using mobile devices who failed to give way.

Orange Lights

Orb-BronzePennyWe all hate traffic but is it worth risking a big fine to save a few minutes of your life? By law, if you can stop safely on an orange light then you ought to stop. If you sped up and tried to pass on orange light and it was safe to stop, and you were stopped by a police officer whilst running the orange light then you have been caught breaking one of the road rules that is not well known to a lot of us. The fine for such an offense is high and it is the same as running a red light.

Throwing Garbage

Recycle2Be a good Samaritan and keep your garbage in your car and take it home or stop near a bin and bin it. It is adding rubbish into the environment and thereby an office that can be expensive. If you caught throwing any rubbish out of your car then you’re looking at more than $200 fine in most states in Australia.

Car Horn and Waving Your Friend Goodbye

glyphicons_073_signalDo you like to use the car horn to say good bye to your friends or even wave you arm out the window? If you do both of these together then you’ll be hit a with double fine. Be warned, it will cost you at-least 2 demerit points and fines.

Obscuring Your Number Plates

glyphicons_052_eye_closeDon’t block out your number plates if you don’t want to lose at-least half of your weekly pay. In Victoria, if you have a bike rack and there is not bikes attached then it is an offense and you will get a fine for that. The rules are there to help the general public from hurting themselves. Mind you, when I first learned about this rule I asked myself that this does not make any sense. But, if you do a little bit of thinking it all comes clear and bright. The bicycle rack is no danger to a lot of people whilst the car is moving but it is a danger when you’ve parked your car.

Do Not Do Drugs and Drive!

glyphicons_298_hospitalHaving any drugs in your blood stream is not only illegal but also very dangerous when driving. This is a law under all states in Australia. In Victoria, the fines for such an offense is 10 demerit points and $455. Not to mention that in order to drive again, you would need to be free of drugs for the next 3 years. It’s sad but the reality is that is needs to be implemented for the safety of other road users. There has been many accidents involving drug use and driving in the past.

Cyclist and Pedestrian

BikeThis is perhaps a very import rule to note. It is a common problem when cars meet cyclist and pedestrians on the roads. Did you know that if you open the car door and accidentally hit a cyclist or a pedestrian who is going past you is an offense and the is $379 in most states.

When next time you drive past a cyclist on the road make sure to give enough space between you and them. You must at-least give 1 metre space at speeds below 60kms/hr and 1.5 metres at speeds more than 60Kms/hr. The fine for such an offense if you caught breaking it is 3 demerit points and more than $300 in most states.

Overtaking a Vehicle

glyphicons_028_carsThe final common road rule I am sure most people are not even aware of but are always breaking it. When a driver overtakes another vehicle and cuts in too early is an office, as is speeding up to avoid been overtaken.

I am sure there are more of these “not very well know road rules” most of us are not aware of.  Drive safe and increase your hazard perception skills.

 

 

Simple tips to help increase your road knowledge

As a professional driving school in Melbourne one has to know their way around on the roads. At Rahma Driving School our driving instructors have many years offering quality driving lessons to learner drivers in Melbourne and more so in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne. Hence, knowing your way around eliminates many obstacles that could have been a hazard during driving or even when teaching to drive.

Increase Road Knowledge

Learner drivers who learn to increase their road knowledge will find that they will become better drivers on the roads. No matter what type of driver you are, whether you’re just a casual driver or someone who has many years of driving experience, your road knowledge of the roads and the routes will give you a better experience and driving abilities.

Internal Driving Compass & Safe Drivers

What makes someone a safe driver is the knowledge and skills they’ve gained throughout their driving efforts. Drivers who learn early and know how to navigate through an internal compass make good and confident drivers. So, learn to increase your internal navigation compass.

Learn your east and west along with north and south. Learning these will help you steer your way home or the place you’re thinking of traveling to. This simple knowledge can help eliminate any chance of you losing your way around at your neck of the woods. Furthermore, your internal compass helps eliminate a lot of uncertainty during your road trips and thereby increasing your safety levels.

In our driving school, we help our learner drivers gain this simple skill to help them locate where they are in relation to home, a landmark or even the central business district (CBD).

If you’re a learner driver or someone who has recently passed their driving test, try to learn these skills as well as your Victorian road rules. They will all benefit you in the long run.

How to be more Road Savvy?

In this article we’ve provided some of the main areas that will help you to become more road savvy. Learn these to increase your road knowledge. It would also help you with your driving lessons if you’ve just started taking driving lessons in Melbourne.

  • Learn to use the street directory to locate and plot a path from one suburb to another. It will not only increase your street knowledge but also create a better navigator.
  • Learn the suburbs where you live and every place you intend to visit by car. This will strengthen your internal compass and suburbs knowledge of your world.
  • Be enthusiastic and pay attention to road names. Learn the major roads and perhaps suburbs along those roads. It is handy to know the main roads because every so often they come up in conversations that help one to understand topics of conversation.
  • Learn where major centers are like the CBD, shopping centers and other main city areas. Having knowledge of these will increase your long term memory of your city.
  • Try to be aware of major events that would may interfere with your driving and driving trip. Knowing about these events will enable you to be more conscious of traffic levels.
  • Know your freeways and tollways and what you need to do before getting on one. Furthermore, knowing where to get on one or where to get off is also something that will increase your driving safety.
  • Anticipate peak and off-peak hours when deciding to drive. Knowing these times will enable you to make better judgement on travel time and hence decrease frustration if you ever are held in traffic.

As driver, your passengers and most likely your family will depend on you for a lot things on the road. So, know where you are and how to get in and out.

Plan your route

If you don’t know your way around whilst behind the wheel then you should stop immediately and plan your route for a more safer trip. Having to exercise this along with your road knowledge and driving skills will give you confidence in your driving abilities.
Rahma Driving School Bundoora

Driving School Melbourne

We are a friendly driving school and operate throughout the CBD and Northern Suburbs Melbourne. If you’re ever looking for a driving school who will be there to not only to help with your driving skills but also road knowledge then give us a call today.