
In the excitement of having passed your driving test, it’s easy to forget basic personal safety when you first start to drive alone. we have put together a list of 14 safety tips for new women drivers. The UK is a safe place for women to drive alone, and serious incidents are very rare – however, for your own peace of mind, check out these simple safety tips.
Safety Tips For New Women Drivers – Before Your Journey
1. Before you set out – and on a regular basis – make sure you perform the routine car maintenance checks you learnt during your driver training.
2. Tell someone where you are going, and roughly what time you expect to be back.
3. Ensure that you take a fully charged mobile phone with you.
4. Check that you have enough fuel to complete your journey. Don’t allow the tank to run down to warning light levels – get into the habit of filling up before you need to.
5. If you can afford to, join a reputable breakdown service, and make sure you have their emergency number in the car.
Safety Tips For New Women Drivers – While You are Driving
6. Keep your valuables out of sight, but keep your phone close to hand in the driver door compartment.
7. Lock your doors and keep them locked. If you have to leave the car briefly, do not leave it unlocked, even for a few moments.
8. In built up areas, don’t open your windows fully – especially in heavy traffic where you are likely to be stationary or almost stationary for extended periods of time.
9. Do not pick up hitchhikers for any reason. Do not stop to give assistance to someone, either – if you see someone in distress, drive on to a safe place and phone the police.
10. You must stop if you are told to do so by a police officer, or if a police car flags you down. However, stay in the car, with the doors locked, and ask for ID to be shown through the window. Only get out of the car or open the window once you are satisfied that the police officer is genuine.
11. If a car flashes you from behind, trying to get you to stop – don’t. If you feel that the car is following you, drive to a busy, well lit place such as a petrol station or supermarket car park. Stay in the car, with the doors locked. If the driver approaches you, open the window just enough to hear him or her – there may be a legitimate reason they need to speak to you.
Safety Tips For New Women Drivers – Parking
12. Park in busy, well-lit areas. If you’re parking during the day but will be returning at night, think about how safe the area will be in the dark.
13. Don’t unlock the car until you are close enough to get in immediately, and then re-lock the doors straight away.
14. Before you get in, however, get into the habit of glancing into the back to ensure the car is empty. You should never allow fear to inhibit your solo driving experiences, but a little bit of common sense goes a long way when it comes to women driving alone.