Holiday roads and traffic are not for learner drivers

According to the CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, offering new drivers or those with a learning licence, an opportunity to drive their car on your holiday trip, requires careful consideration.

“The answer is to be selective when deciding. Gaining experience on a trip like that can be invaluable in creating a confident and safe driver, however, putting your learner behind the wheel on Van Reenen’s Pass, which is notorious during the festive season, is unwise at best.

“Use your discretion to decide whether a new driver has enough skills and experience to manage a driving situation that might be more challenging than what they are accustomed to. While gaining this experience under your watchful eye is preferable to them driving these routes in the near future with equally inexperienced passengers, be cognisant that certain situations are simply too dangerous for new drivers.”

Should you decide to co-drive, your attention should be on the road as if you were driving. The purpose is to advise and warn the driver of possible dangerous or developing situations.

“When you select a portion of the trip for a new driver to take the wheel, it is not to take a rest from driving but to create a learning experience. Help them develop the ‘muscle memory’ you already have from years of driving so you can let them drive alone in 2023 with a great deal more confidence than if you never had this opportunity to share your skills.”

“New drivers simply lack the situational awareness experienced drivers have. Studies show experienced drivers are capable of perceiving and recognising potential hazards much faster than inexperienced drivers – a few minutes delay can have tragic consequences.

“Young drivers are also at higher risk with friends in the car. A study by the AAA foundation for traffic safety said a teen driver’s risk of death increases by 44% every 1,6km with one teen passenger and quadruples if there are three. The risk is simply too high and there are many safer alternatives.”

So – err on the side of caution and be particularly careful on the following routes.

Roads with high accident rates:
•     Mbizana on the R61 in the Eastern Cape
•     Mount Alyliff on the N2 in the Eastern Cape
•     Mankweng on R71 in Limpopo
•     Musina on the N1 in Limpopo
•     Harrismith on the N3 in the Free State
•     Middelburg on the N4 in Mpumalanga
•     KwaMhlanga on the R573 in Mpumalanga
•     Potchefstroom on the N12 in North West
•     Nongoma on the R66 in KwaZulu-Natal

Source: MotorPress