How to Navigate Your Car for New Drivers

At a young age, I always loved cars. The sound always thrilled me and the feel of being in the front seat and seeing the open road always gave me a feeling of wanting to do things and go the distance.

But as a young driver at seventeen, the thought of being in charge of this machine terrified me. As I grew with the experience of driving and learning to go through life, I learned the machine is not as scary as the person behind it.

So here is some good advice for the young driver.

The owner's manual is your friend.

I have learned from experience that the owner's manual is essential to study before you know what you are getting into. This information is excellent for learning about your octane rating or your required gasoline level for engine performance. If you ever had a question about those octane ratings on gas pumps, then you know it applies to how your engine was to perform. For example, my current Ford Focus requires two different types of octane ratings. One is 87, which is standard unleaded gasoline. The other is E85 or ethanol 85, which is pure corn and used to flush the system from any impurities following oil changes or basic tune-ups.

The owner's manual also includes things such as what the lights on your dashboard indicate when something happens. Some very common examples to see would include the low tire pressure indicator which looks like a flat tire but it means you either have a leak from a nail or you have a change in pressure causing air to leak. Another example are the old lamp can and an engine light. The old lamp means that the oil change needs to be done on the vehicle because you have gone over the three to five thousand mileage that the oil would be able to keep metal shavings and contaminants from the vehicle engine. The engine light means that something is wrong internally and needs to be looked at by an experienced technician or your vehicle's dealer.

The driver's side door always has the right answer.

The statement above is very true. When I worked for an AC company, I was dumbstruck by the amount of technicians who had no idea about their tire pressure or size. The driver's side door usually contains the information about the psi (pounds per square inch) for pressure and radial size. The tire size is important because they often work in new construction sites where nails and other items could impact the tire or cause a potential blowout or replacement.

If you ever have a situation where this is needed, you can always check the driver's door. This is a good tool for women drivers in case they have low tire pressure and need a boost of air pressure. Trust me, I've even surprised some auto techs because I took the time to look over my vehicle and ensure the information was correct before they helped me with my tires. Other times, they don't take my word and just open the door and perform the work.

Calm and collective is best under duress.

Anytime you have a blowout or you get stuck because of something with the engine, it is important to ensure that the panic and surprise from the situation do not affect the way you can work on the problem at hand and ensure that you have a clear knowledge of what to do.

This example is personal because it happened to me. My sidewall blew out of my tire on the way from Miami to Tampa. It was the first time it happened and it scared the daylights out of me. I tried working on getting the tire off but because of how much I was shaking and upset, I was not calm or collected to get the task done. Dad came to the rescue and we were able to get home in a longer length of time but we got the car safe and sound to the nearest mechanic.

Hopefully, this helps anyone learning to drive. Please stay safe on the road and come home alive. More young drivers are losing their lives for reckless decisions behind the wheel than keeping a calm head and trudging on.