There is already a ban on young drivers using high-powered vehicles, and this is yet another step to ensure young people can drive well on our busy roads. All these measures will hopefully aid to curtail the fatality rate in this age group, which is twice that of drivers over 25.

Reverse parking and hill starts will no longer be the main bugbears to master, as they shift down the priority list.

Northside Driver Training believes that high-speed merging into lanes is one of the key aspects to practice in driving lessons and supervised driving. This is because nervous drivers often slow right down while merging, perhaps unsure if others will give way, and may become a hazard to others if hesitant on a busy highway.

Passing your drivers test will become even trickier next year. “About two thirds of the 110,000 tests held in Queensland each year currently score a pass mark, but that is predicted to fall as more novice drivers face rejection under the tougher test”, The Courier Mail reports.

Tip: How to Merge Safely

What is the rule about merging lanes? It depends on if the lane is marked.

Merging with lines. Dept TMR Qld.

On roads where there are lanes marked on the road, if your lane comes to an end, you must give way to traffic already in the lane you are moving to. (See Image 1, TMR, Qld).

Tip from Department of Transport and Main Roads: When entering a motorway, look for a gap between the vehicles in the closest lane and safely build up speed on the on-ramp, so you enter at the traffic’s speed.

Merging without lines. Dept TMR Qld

But, on roads where there are no lanes marked on the road, when lines of traffic merge, you must give way to any vehicle that is ahead of you. (See Image 2, TMR, Qld)

While it is common courtesy to allow a driver into the lane if their own lane ends, it’s always better to take the defensive position on the road.

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People used to have more courtesy on the road, but now everyone is in a hurry to get to school or work. One lady has said that she cannot judge the gaps to get across one road to a main road (Victoria Ave) at 9am because many people are speeding through the 40km/h school zone! There are many young children about and there could be a tragic accident one day.

So what can we do about this problem? Let’s explore two options.

Answer 1: Driving Lessons around Redcliffe area

If you are 17 to 22 or are newly here from overseas, then you might not have much experience on our roads. Driving lessons from a patient, professional instructor is surely going to help you become a skilled and aware driver.

The Government’s ‘Keys 2 Drive’ program also allows one free lesson for new learners, once registered, and it focusses on defensive skills.

Driving schools that are small and caring, like Northside Driver Training, aid new drivers to pass their driving test more easily – but also to be safe on the road. We may advise you to get some more practice before taking the test, and this is the kind of unbiased advice that helps drivers long term.

Answer 2: Defensive Driving Course

If you’ve been driving for years but keep having near misses or small crashes, then an answer for you could be a Defensive Driving course. Or you could just need one lesson to update your defensive skills.
If you’re a nervous driver who wants to learn about driving defensively, then tell your driving instructor on your first lesson. He or she will assess you on your first driving lesson for skills, and teach you low-risk driving techniques in a safe dual-controlled environment.

Whether you’ve been driving a little or a lot, making a safe U-turn is just one of the things you must practice, and later on, defensively merging into a lane is another practical skill.

Northside Driver Training does teach defensive driving methods and gives you practice on our busy Redcliffe and Pine Rivers roads.

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Choosing a Supervisor or Instructor

RACQ also offer sound advice on choosing a Driving Instructor and choosing a Supervisor (you can have both of course). Let’s hope you’ve got access to a patient and helpful supervising driver…  If you haven’t got a regular supervisor who holds a Class C open license for at least one year, perhaps it is best to hire a patient and accredited driving instructor for those much-needed skill-building driving lessons. Look no further than Northside Driver Training, where all our instructors are accredited and have many years of instruction experience.

The RACQ also gives free 12-month memberships to 16 and 17-year olds (called Free2Go) which helps out with roadside assistance, free L or P driver plates, and discounts on vehicle inspections/car insurance, retail discounts, free maps, etc. Free2Go membership with RACQ is also offered half price for 18 and 19 year olds.

Lessen Your Youth Driving Risks

And if you’re a responsible young driver who wants to lessen their risks (and prevent your parents having stress and worry over your driving), then the Risks and Facts guide is for you. Some of the advice for avoiding becoming a road statistic is very straightforward:

• Always watch your speed

• Wear a seatbelt (that applies to everyone in the car),

• Don’t drink/take drugs before driving or allow a driver to,

• Don’t use any mobile phone while driving (even hands-free), and

• Don’t drive when tired.

As an ‘oldie’ it’s been my pleasure to teach many young people to drive and see them graduate through the practical driving skills. But I still remember hearing of the horrific crashes in my teen years and in every case, it was a lapse in one of the above that killed a friend (except for mobiles, we didn’t have them then). Stay safe, and keep alert while driving.

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This type of accident is bound to happen again, considering the many youths in North Lakes, Deception Bay and Rothwell that are bored, unsupervised and careless. We suggest thinking about finding a good North Lakes Driving School for your teen.

If a concerned parent had ensured their teen had driving lessons, then these reckless driving incidents would probably happen less often. The more serious that parents take the driver training of their sons and daughters, including providing some paid lessons and some positive steps towards getting their driving license, the more likely it is that youths won’t need to go careening off in someone else’s stolen vehicle unlicensed, unskilled, and place many lives in danger.

We suggest that paid lessons and help to get a pass on the license test are positive steps towards becoming an independent adult. It may be tempting to hold back that independence, try to ‘save’ on lessons and prevent panel damage to the family car, however, this can have a terrible affect on teens who need that outlet for their independence. Far better to persuade your child to do a Defensive Driving course, take some lessons, and perhaps promise half towards their own jalopy when they get the Provisional licence, than to get some very sad news of them taking their own ‘joy ride’.

While a few hundred dollars may seem a lot now, think of how a reputable North Lakes driving school can result in safer driving, less arguments, and most importantly, the saving of more young lives.

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Transport Minister Scott Emerson commented that younger drivers are more at risk, so they have to be more prepared and educated when it comes to fatalities on our roads.

“Last year 84 young drivers aged 16 to 24 were involved in fatal crashes – five ahead of the previous year,” he told the International Business Times.

So rather than focussing on reverse parking, new checks during the driving test will be on how the driver handles high-risk manoeuvres – such as turning across oncoming traffic and merging safely into busy lanes at high speed.

We at Northside Driver Training applaud these changes, which serves to highlight the focus on defensive driving that we already have in our driving lessons, especially within the busy environ of north Brisbane.

These driving test changes will not come into effect until mid-2014, so there is plenty of time for new drivers to brush up on their high level driving skills.

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