Getting accustomed to driving a vehicle takes patience and determination. But it can be extremely fulfilling once you get the hang of it.
This is especially true in the state of Victoria, where there’s a diverse mix of countryside and coastal roads as well as urban highways that can serve as viable practice grounds for student drivers and P-plate licence holders.
That said, the road to becoming a proficient driver isn’t a walk in the park. It requires you to form healthy driving habits that are meant to keep you, your passengers, and other drivers safe on the road.
Whether you already have hundreds of miles behind your name or are still starting out, this guide will provide you with six tips to help you build driving confidence in Victoria.
Let’s jump straight into it.
- Get Supervision from a Driving Instructor
New drivers need to familiarise themselves with driving on the road before they go on a solo drive, especially a major one like a road trip. To get to that level, getting driving lessons from a qualified instructor can be a huge help.
A driving instructor helps you understand both driving theory and driving practice. They are trained to be patient and helpful when guiding their students, which can promote a conducive learning environment for learners who are still on the path to proficiency.
Furthermore, they can also help correct your mistakes and bad driving habits early—making it easier for you to become a better driver. They’ll also know to teach you about the different Learner and P plate restrictions in Victoria to ensure that you’re using your vehicle legitimately and within the bounds of your licence.
By enlisting the aid of a driving instructor, you’ll be professionally guided to drive and navigate through Victoria roads with ease. They will also be able to correct your mistakes when driving, which can accelerate the learning process and get you up to speed in due time.
- Keep a Safe Distance From the Next Car
As a learner licence or P licence holder, you likely don’t have enough experience on the road to estimate the time it takes for the next car to stop in front of you.
Cars can suddenly brake for a variety of reasons, from obstacles in the road to a sudden traffic light change. In many of these cases, you won’t immediately see the signs of them braking—causing you to overcompensate as you brake in return.
Even so, it’s not impossible to still hit the car if the space between you two is just a small gap. And even if you do manage to avoid the collision course, the sudden brake may cause you and your passengers to propel forward uncomfortably.
It’s essential to have enough space between you and the car in front of you to ensure that you have enough time to brake smoothly. Without enough space, your vehicle can bump into the one in front of it—which can lead to a whole song and dance on insurance claims and who’s at fault.
Keeping a safe distance is the best way to avoid this scenario from playing out entirely. This is especially important for new drivers, as they may not have enough experience to estimate the car’s brake speed or to bring the car to a halt smoothly.
As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to follow the two or three-second rule. This rule states that you should allocate two to three seconds of leeway before you can pass the car in front of you. This gives you enough time to react accordingly to safely avoid a potential accident.
- Watch Your Speed Limits
In Victoria roads, there will be speed limits posted along the road or highway that you should strictly observe. These limits aren’t arbitrary numbers; they’re set based on a large number of variables, such as traffic lane configuration, housing density, patterns of crashes, traffic signals, and other road conditions.
Furthermore, these speed limit signs don’t discriminate against the driver—provisional licence holders, learner drivers, and fully licensed individuals must all drive according to the speed limit posted on the road.
In many urban districts within Melbourne, the speed limit is typically set to be around 50km/h. The speed limit will be higher on wider and more suburban roads, typically anywhere between 60km/h to 100 km/h. That said, these speeds may vary, so check the signages on the specific road you’re passing through to get the full picture.
Furthermore, it’s essential to watch out for zoned and school area speed zones as well. Some speed limits in the same zone will differ based on the time, so be sure to take note of this when driving along public roads. Failure to follow speed limits can incur a fine or demerit points.
- Be a Defensive Driver
As a new driver, you’ll quickly realise that your inexperience isn’t the biggest risk in your driving sessions—it’s often the other drivers and their vehicles instead.
As such, it’s key to drive defensively and take the mistakes and reckless actions of your fellow drivers into account. One way, of course, is to not tailgate other drivers—a three-second following distance is ideal.
Another way to practise defensive driving is to not exceed or approach the road’s speed limit. This will give you enough time to react to sudden road conditions like a car immediately turning from an intersection onto you or a kangaroo suddenly popping out of nowhere onto the road.
By being a defensive driver, you can limit the number of accidents you could potentially find yourself in. This can create a driving experience that’s safe for you, the other drivers, and your passengers.
- Always Wear a Seatbelt
Wearing your seatbelt while out on the road isn’t just a recommendation, it’s also legally mandatory in Melbourne and all of Australia. Getting caught without wearing one can leave you at risk of incurring fines or strikes against your licence.
There are reasons why there are legal ramifications for not wearing a seatbelt in Australia. In short, it’s all for your benefit.
A seatbelt helps keep your internal organs intact as it prevents excessive motion in case you need to suddenly brake or collide with another vehicle or object.
It also keeps you from being ejected from the car in case of a full-on crash. Your head and neck will also be protected from immense impact as you’re tightly fastened by your seatbelt. This increases your chance of survival and a full recovery.
Statistics have shown that drivers wearing a seatbelt have a higher chance of survival than those who don’t wear one. It only takes a few seconds to don one, so if you value your life, make it a habit to wear one whenever you’re out on the road.
- Understand Right of Way Rules
Every new driver should know the order of priority when passing through an intersection, roundabout, or fork in the road. This helps keep the flow of traffic running smoothly, clarifies the order of turning to the drivers, and also prevents crashes from happening.
For instance, if you and another driver are in an intersection, with one facing a Give Way sign and another facing a Stop sign, there should be a silent understanding of who acts first. In this scenario, it’s the car facing the Give Way sign that should make a turn, followed by the car facing a Stop sign.
In T-intersections that bisect a major road, the car on the bisecting road should give way to the car passing on the major highway. When it’s clear, that’s when they can make a move.
Besides intersections, it’s also essential to know how to navigate and use turn signals on roundabouts. This is crucial when driving around Victoria, as there are a lot of roundabouts that you’ll inevitably have to go through to get from place to place.
