Country driving safety tips for Victorian P-Platers

Then you will absolutely need to heed these safe driving tips.

Actually, the Melburnian drivers pay extra attention as you are surprisingly more likely to be involved in a motor accident due to unfamiliarity with country driving and road conditions.

Yes, while it's excellent to have your independence and be able to drive unsupervised, it's incredibly important that you stay safe on the road no matter whether you’re driving through city centres, regional townships, or alpine highways.

Driving safely is essential to avoid an accident and any risk to yourself or others, especially across country roadways in Victoria where road conditions can change in the blink of an eye.

Today, we'll share our top country driving safety tips for Victorian P platers so you know how you can keep yourself and others safe on country roads.

Read on to learn more.

Never Drive Without Car Insurance

Car insurance is an absolute necessity for all Australian drivers.

Ensuring that you are adequately insured before getting behind the wheel is a major part of protecting yourself, your car and other people's property and their vehicles from any damage.

There are different types of vehicle insurance policies to choose from, but for those looking to travel regularly through regional areas and across isolated country highways, we have to recommend comprehensive car insurance.

As its name suggests, comprehensive insurance provides a more complete insurance cover for your vehicle, ensuring that any damage you cause to other vehicles or third-party property as a result of your driving as well as any damage to your car is looked after.

Depending on your policy, you might be insured for the market value or agreed value of your vehicle.

Contrastingly, third-party insurance cover only provides cover for damage caused by you to third-party property – but not damage to your vehicle.

This is why for country driving, comprehensive car insurance cover is guaranteed to provide better value for young drivers.

Without an insurance policy of any sort, you may find yourself personally liable for the costs associated with any damage caused by you while driving.

This could range into the thousands or more, depending on the severity of the incident and the type of property you damage.

Imagine if you crashed into an expensive sports or vintage car or damaged a high-end shopfront like a clothing store or restaurant in your country town.

In this regard, car insurance can help ensure your financial stability over a lifetime of country driving, as accidents can and do happen to even the best drivers.

Obey The Road Laws At All Times

Part of being a safe country driver in Victoria means following and obeying all the road laws.

This includes stopping at yellow and red lights, completely stopping at stop signs, giving way at give way signs and roundabouts, and merging when appropriate and safe.

It's your responsibility as a P plater to obey all these relevant laws, and ignorance of the law is no excuse in the eyes of the justice system.

If you're not familiar with all road laws and feel that you’re in need of a refresher, then consider investing in a few more driving sessions with a certified instructor before driving by yourself.

Driving instructors don’t just work with L plate drivers, after all.

Drivers of all ages should feel comfortable refreshing their driver knowledge with hands-on lessons or even in road safety classes.

Obeying road laws also means driving cautiously through signed wildlife crossings to protect local fauna, stopping to let passengers cross at designated crossing points, and not double-parking or stopping in no-standing zones.

You can face hefty fines, criminal convictions and even jail time for breaking road laws, depending on the severity of the offence.

Also, it's worth mentioning that you should not drive if you have been drinking or have reason to believe that there are any illicit drugs in your system.

Remember that the legal limit for P platers is zero.

Put Your Phone Away

Using your mobile phone while driving can be incredibly dangerous.

All it takes is a mere split second of distraction for disaster to occur on the road.

This includes checking and replying to text messages, choosing music to stream, or dialling a number.

This is also why P platers in Victoria are prohibited from using hands-free device technology while driving.

This even includes using voice controls or interacting with wearable technology like smartwatches.

So put the phone safely stashed away while you drive on country roads.

Be Wary of Driver Fatigue

Did you know that driving while tired is just as dangerous as driving while drunk?

When you haven't had enough sleep for the night, your judgment, response time, reflexes, and ability to make quick decisions are all impaired.

And it goes without saying that you need all of these faculties to drive safely as a P-plater.

With that, young people should keep in mind that they should never get behind the wheel while sleep-deprived.

This includes during weekends if you've been up late on your Friday or Saturday nights or even if you've embarked on a road trip with mates and have been driving for hours upon hours.

In fact, it's recommended that you take a break of at least two hours if you've been driving for 8–10 hours at a time.

Keep this in mind for your next trip to the city or another state.

After all, it is much safer to arrange to stay somewhere for the night, such as a friend's house, or even book a motel, or perhaps take a nap in a truck stop rather than driving while tired – especially on country roads that are typically dead straight and very easy to zone out on and end up in a terrible accident.

Uphold your Responsibilities on Country Roads

By keeping these safe driving tips in mind when navigating country roads, you can help ensure you’re doing your part as a responsible driver in protecting not only yourself but also pedestrians, wildlife, and fellow drivers who share the roads with you.