Taking a safe driving course to learn how to drive responsibly is a great idea. The important thing, however, is to be clear about what safe driving means and what are the characteristics that a course must have to be really useful. Here are some tips for future riders with their heads on their shoulders.
Having a driver’s license in your pocket does not mean being a good driver . Likewise, being technically capable behind the wheel does not necessarily imply that you are able to carry your car or motorcycle safely . It often happens, in fact, to meet people exceptionally capable of dominating their own car, perhaps even whizzing at high speed or in unfavorable conditions, however, precisely because of this excess of confidence, they implement very unsafe behavior , both for themselves and for any passengers or road users. Safe driving , therefore, is a very different concept from sporty driving or driving skills, and to implement it you don’t have to be professional pilots . Not surprisingly, there are real theoretical-practical courses to learn how to drive safely , open to anyone with a driving license.
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What is meant by safe driving
To be more precise, the definition of safe driving includes a plurality of capabilities . Some have to do with technical aspects of car or motorcycle driving, while others have particular cognitive abilities. In summary, safe driving means:
- Ability to control the vehicle in situations of poor grip with the road surface (such as in the case of wet asphalt or covered with ice)
- Ability to control the vehicle in poor visibility situations (fog, heavy rain and the like)
- Ability to prevent dangers and to behave in order to avoid or overcome them
- Ability to self-assess one’s driving ability (omitting to get behind the wheel if too tired or not perfectly lucid)
How it works and how much does a safe driving course cost
To learn the fundamentals of safety behind the wheel , the best way is to take a safe driving course . There are many on the market, some even officially organized by the ACI , at different locations. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza also frequently hosts events dedicated to safe driving. However, to choose the right course and not be attracted only by advertising, you need to pay attention to the program, which must mix both theoretical lessons and practical exercises in a balanced way. In addition, a serious safe driving course must include basic concepts from various fields : physics of movement, physics of materials, electronics, sociology, psychology. Only a multidisciplinary approach, in fact, can give that complete overview of the car (or motorcycle) and of oneself that is necessary to drive safely.