As a new immigrant/driver you are going to be faced with a multitude of new behavours from drivers & it is most important to learn your best survival techniques. Customs, driving habits & rules are most likely going to be quite different from your homeland & for your own safety & the safety of others you should learn these differences in a controlled, safe environment. This is especially true if you are switching from right hand drive to left hand drive as well.
Although it may sound very daunting, taken step by step you should be able to complete a safe course of driving in a matter of a few weeks from a competent driving school. I strongly recommend that before starting any lessons you visit your local library & look for books on safe driving techniques.The best book I ever used in my teaching was called "The Smith System." This book focuses mainly on survival, safety & defensive driving allowing you to foresee a possible accident in the making & take corrective action.
OK, so you are not the most skilled driver, you don’t understand all the rules & you’re afraid you won’t be able to cope with traffic conditions, what do you do? First off, you have to be willing to learn. Attitude & ego are 2 of the biggest problems on the road today as it is someone’s ego or impatient attitude that escalates into more serious problems & accidents. No matter how good a driver you are you still have to share the road with all the other ‘Bad’ drivers & whether or not an accident is or is not your fault you will still be just as hurt or just as dead! I’m sure graveyards are filled with tombstones that could quite easily read - "He only had one accident" so adjusting your driving attitude could be the most important change you make. This is where the education comes in. Knowledge is power & the more you know about driving the safer you will be.
Read everything you can about the rules in your State or Province. Most motor vehicle departments will have publications to help you learn everything from Road Signs, Road Rules & Driving Techniques. You will most likely have to learn how to drive in snow or slippery conditions if you are from a warm climate & there are courses across the country for skid control. Most driving instructors are trained to be patient with nervous & elderly students so unless you are handicapped or have other special requirements you should do fine. Just remember to take one step at a time & build on each lesson as your skills & confidence grows.
Road rules are made to try & accommodate all types of vehicles in use & of course we all know that most people get away with bending the rules as much as they can. Speed limits are rarely observed unless there is a Police Officer pointing a Radar Gun at you, Stop Signs are for the "Other Guy" etc. To avoid accidents, insurance claims, repairs, tickets & injuries my advice is to learn & observe the rules. After all, if you are involved in an accident & followed the traffic rules you are already one step ahead of the guy that was bending them.
Be a Professional! Driving safely should be everyone’s priority, instead getting to your destination is usually #1 with safety taking a backseat. You can help by starting a trend of safety first. Arriving alive & unstressed will make driving for you & your passengers a pleasure. If everyone started driving like a professional & making safety a priority our roads would become much safer, accidents would be less severe, lives would be saved, pollution would be reduced, our dependance on foreign oil would be reduced, medical costs & insurance rates would go down along with Taxes & you would have more cash in your pocket from the fuel saved. It really is a win/win for everyone so pressure your local politicians to start implementing the changes necessary in your area.
