2 Driving Dangers That Teens Should Know About

Driving is a skill that requires a lot of practice and experience. As with any skilled activity, you can’t get good at it without actually getting out there and doing it. The most dangerous period for all drivers is just after getting their driver’s license when they start driving on their own. Sometimes the road can throw you a few curve balls that you might not have been taught about or haven’t encountered so far in your driving experience. Here are two of them. 


Others Don’t Always Drive the Way You Think They Will 


Drivers don’t always drive the same way that you do and may have a completely different sense of judgment from yours. Sometimes this can cause problems. For example, you may decide to go through a yellow light because it has just turned yellow and you are very, very close to the intersection. However, the car ahead of you may make the opposite decision and hit his brakes hard in order to stop at the intersection. If you don’t react quickly enough, a rear end collision is possible. 


The problem occurred because an assumption was made that the driver ahead of you was going to go through the intersection and that you would do the same thing. This is avoided by never basing your driving on assumptions or predictions about what other drivers will do. Your driving should be based on the current situation as it actually is and you should always allow plenty of distance ahead of you so that you have enough time to react. 


High Speed Exit Ramps Can Have Dangerous Traffic Backups 


Interstate highways are built with exit ramps designed to give you plenty of distance to slow down. Many of these are curved and go through blasted rock. The curved road through the rock limits the distance that you can see ahead. If a lot of cars are stopped on this ramp, you may find yourself rounding the curve at a high speed and suddenly come upon these stopped cars with very little time to come to a stop. 


Exit ramps usually have an advisory speed limit sign. These should always be adhered to but they may not take into account extreme traffic backups. Always keep this in mind when using an exit ramp where the entire ramp can’t be seen. 


These are just two of the many dangerous situations that you may encounter while on the road. These types of situations are especially treacherous when driving conditions are poor. You should develop a habit of driving defensively and never allow yourself to become distracted or complacent when driving. 


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