7 Main Tips for New Drivers from Professionals

Parallel parking.

Two words that struck fear into my heart the moment I started Drivers Ed.

The saboteur that caused me to fail my driving test…twice!

Well, now that I’m “a little” older and I have much more driving experience under

my belt, let me share some of my tips with you so that you’re cruising and parking

in style!

Ok, no guarantee on style but definitely in comfort!

Let’s start with the easy stuff.

The things you probably take for granted or just fallen into the habit of forgetting to

do if you’ve been driving for a while, like…

- Adjusting your seat: This should be the first thing you do when

Adjusting your seat

getting behind the wheel.

Making sure your seat is positioned the best way for your body will make driving safer

and less exhausting – even on short trips.

You want to adjust the height of the seat so that you can see the dash panel and the

road clearly.

If you happen to be a bit on the shorter side and can’t see over the dash even after doing

everything the seat will allow, get a cushion or wedge to sit on.

As for the seat’s incline, keep it at about 100-110°.

I know it looks super cool when you’re leaning way back like a boss, but, again, comfort

and safety over style, folks.

comfort and safety

The headrest should be adjusted so that your head is right smack-dab in the middle of it.

This will help prevent a bad neck injury in case of an accident.

- Next, mirrors: Starting with the driver’s side.

Once your seat is adjusted, lean left and get as close to the side window as you can.

Then adjust the mirror until you can see the rear fender.

Once you’re sitting correctly, you should just barely see the side of the back bumper.

Moving on to the passenger side mirror – here you want to stay in the driver’s seat and

lean to your right until your head is just about in the middle between the two front

seats.

Now, adjust this mirror so that you can see the back fender too.

Again, when you move back to a normal driving position, you should just get a glimpse of

the side of the rear bumper.

Finally, we get to the rearview mirror.

I know, it’s beginner stuff, but this mirror gets bumped and re-positioned all the time.

It’s always a good idea to take just a second to adjust the rearview mirror and make sure

it shows a perfectly centered view of your back window.