5 Tips for teenagers after passing the driving exam in Florida

Are you a teenager and just passed the driving exam? Well, congratulations for passing and getting ready your new license! However, driving is a big responsibility, and especially for teenagers who are just starting out, it could be deceiving, because they think they really know how to drive just for passing the driving exam. Here are 5 tips to help you stay safe on the road:

1. Avoid Distractions: Distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes, especially among young drivers. Keep your phone out of reach (yes, you know it, but admit it, you do it), avoid eating or drinking while driving (many times is not considered that dangerous), and focus on the road (sounds very obvious, but it is a forgotten very often).

2. Follow Traffic Rules: Obey traffic signals, speed limits, and other rules of the road. Don't take risks, it is always worthy to get a few minutes late than late with a ticket or even worse, not arriving at all because of a crash.

3. Wear Your Seatbelt: Buckle up every time you get in the car, and make sure your passengers do the same. In Florida, many people get tickets because they don’t know that any person under the age of 18 inside the car (in the front or rear seat) not wearing the seatbelt is against the law. Seatbelts save lives and reduce the risk of serious injury in a crash.

4. Practice Defensive Driving: Always be aware of your surroundings, check behind every time you brake and anticipate other never trust other drivers. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles, especially large trucks and buses.

5. Avoid Driving Under the Influence: Did you know that a DUI will be in your record for 75 years? Did you know that some DUI cases have cost the driver almost $9K? Drinking and driving is a serious offense, and it puts yourself and others at risk. Don't get behind the wheel if you've been drinking, and never ride with someone who has.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, drivers ages 16-19 have the highest crash rate of any age group in Florida. In 2019, there were 37,150 crashes involving drivers in this age group, resulting in 144 fatalities and 23,724 injuries. The first year of driving is particularly risky, with young drivers being 3 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over age 20.

It's also important to note that there are legal consequences for breaking traffic laws and/or causing a crash. Speeding, running a red light, and other traffic violations can result in fines, points on your license, and even license suspension or revocation. If you are at fault in a crash, you could be held liable for damages and injuries

If you ever said or thought this line: “that’s not gonna happen to me”, my friend, you are more vulnerable than many out there driving with the same experience you have. Don’t be part of the statistics!!!

Be careful when someone else moves loose cargo

We’ve seen many times and for sure you too, not only on city streets but on highways; people driving all over the places with loose cargo in the back of their pickup trucks, trunks or even worse on the top of a sedan with some ropes.

This “very common” event has caused many accidents and some fatalities in our roads. Purely negligence, makes our roads insecure and the lives of many in risk, just for the ignorant pride of a few thinking they can defy the forces of physics when they need to move stuffs from one place to another. Most of the loose cargo you could see will be furniture, household items, tires, appliances, mattresses, surfboards, bicycles, woods, etc. just to mention some of them.

The bad consequences of transporting loose cargo could happen to you and anyone out there, when inexperienced individuals often over-pack and neglect to secure cargo properly, and after a few minutes exposed to the forces of winds generated by the movement of the vehicle, the load becomes unstable, producing serious, costly and potential fatal results.

Once untied from the vehicle, any of these objects can become a projectile to other vehicles behind and a potential menace to its surroundings. Something is clear, this object in “motion” can go in any direction without control, and if we are lucky, it will stop on the grass on the side of the highway or another “safe place”.

In other cases, you will see the weight distribution is not even, making the vehicle transporting the load to roll easily. Excess weight is another common mistake, this can cause stress in the brake system, making it vulnerable and insufficient if an emergency situation arise.

It doesn’t matter how safely you can prepare your trip, the actions and decisions of others could always turn things around. So, if you see something similar on the road, just keep yourself as far as possible from that vehicle (never behind) and whenever possible, overtake it minimizing the time you need to be next to it. Leave yourself a way out, in the event that something flies out the vehicle and may cause a reaction in the drivers around you.

It’s simple, never be behind (if needed, do it as far as possible).  Stay safe!!!