I'm 19 and just passed recently. I'm thinking of taking a trip down the coast this weekend with a friend, but I've never driven on the highway. What precautions should I take? Is it a good idea to start like this?
Ideally, you should do some short highway drives during the day first with a colleague or someone experienced before you jump into a weekend road trip! Fatigue and the nerves of driving new routes combine and can work against you. If you do it anyway, drive during daylight hours, rest every two hours even if you don't feel like you need to, and don't speed or do risky maneuvers just because others are doing it.
Does your colleague have experience driving or are they also new to this?
Look, it's exciting to have a freshly obtained license, but starting with a long coastal trip has risks. It's not impossible, but you need to be realistic: highway driving is very different from practice sections. I'd recommend starting with shorter trips first, maybe 1-2 hours, so you can get comfortable with speed, lane changes, and traffic flow. If you still want to try it this weekend, only do it if your colleague is a good driver and can take turns, and if you plan to drive during the day (no early mornings).
Basic precautions: check the car thoroughly beforehand (brakes, tires, fluids), don't drive if you're tired and don't drive more than 2 hours straight without stopping. Keep distance from other cars, don't speed or do unnecessary overtaking, and forget about your phone completely. If you feel nervous at any point, don't be embarrassed to pull over, get out and take a breath. Also don't eat anything complicated while driving.
Honestly, it'd be more sensible to practice on local routes first and do that coastal trip in a month or two. But if you go for it, don't drive alone and be super careful 🚗
Most accidents involving new drivers happen in the first few months, so taking a long road trip right after passing your test does come with some risk. What'll work better for you is doing a couple of short routes first (30-40 minutes max) on regular roads, nothing on the motorway, to build confidence with the car and your reflexes on the actual road, because the test is a whole different thing.
When you go on the trip, take turns driving every hour or hour and a half, rest at least every two hours, and always drive during the day for your first trips. And keep your phone on silent, make sure the car battery is fully charged, check your tyres and mirrors before you leave - people forget that stuff and it's what saves you when you need to react fast.
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