You’ve passed your test, you’ve nabbed mum’s car for the night and you have agreed to take your mates out for a drive. This is the first time you’ve been out with a few pals and this is no time to blow that valuable driver training, take care and avoid these dangerous actions.

Thumping music

Stay focused when you take pals for a drive. Yes, it’ll be tempting to crank the music up nice and loud but this is more than likely going to cause a distraction.

Bang the music out with speakers melting in their mounts and you might not hear warnings from other drivers, it could impair your concentration levels, you’ll be less responsive and this could severely affect your driving skills.   

Mates mucking about in the car

Have a strict code when you are behind the wheel. Tell pals not to mess around, ask them to remain seated with their seatbelts on, any kind of crazy ‘in-car’ distraction could divert your attention away from what you are doing.

There’s a time for acting daft and the inside of your car isn’t the appropriate place.  

Mates drinking in the car

Alcohol and driving is a bad mix. People are more inclined to do crazy antics when they are intoxicated.

Sure, you might volunteer to be the designated driver on some occasions and stay on soft drinks all night, but steer clear of alcohol in the car - it’s a ticking time bomb that could have devastating results.  

People tampering with your controls

You’re the driver, you’re in charge, therefore, tell passengers to leave the controls along thank you very much.

People shouldn’t be messing around controls when you are driving, whether that’s changing the station on the radio or adjusting the heating and ventilation in the car, their actions could be a distraction and you might take your eyes off the road.

Answering your mobile whilst driving

There’s a time and a place to answer mobile phones and doing this whilst you are driving is neither of these options. Use a hands-free kit if needs be, connect your phone wirelessly to the car if it’s fitted with a media device, but leave the mobile alone if the only way you can answer it is by picking it up with your hands.

Driving a car comes with a great deal of responsibility. Be sensible and enjoy driving for many years to come.

This advice is from Driving Instructor Jason Thorne. based in Solihull. Contact Jason to find out how he can help you pass your test, his driving lessons are designed to suit your specific requirements whilst also ensuring a full syllabus is covered or if you have passed successfully why not sign up for a Pass Plus Course?