TL;DR - Our version of "I'm not reading all that, *SparkNotes pls."
- Know the Rules of the Road: Understanding South Africa’s road regulations is your first step to staying safe and avoiding fines. Study the rules and practice defensive driving.
- Get Comfortable with Your Car: Familiarise yourself with your vehicle’s controls, from the basics like indicators and wipers to more advanced features like ABS and cruise control.
- Parking and Manoeuvring: Practice parking, parallel parking, and three-point turns until they become second nature—these skills will save you stress in tight spots.
- Emergency Preparedness: Learn how to handle unexpected situations, such as changing a flat tire or knowing what to do in case of an accident.
- Mind Your Speed: Speed limits are there for a reason—keep to them, especially in residential areas and near schools, to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
Taking L’s is never fun… unless it’s on your rear windshield. For the 35 and above gang, L’s means losses.
This scarlet letter is the universal symbol for a learner driver. It also tells other motorists to be patient with you; fumbling motoring manoeuvres are inevitable in a newbie's life on the road.
So, we've created this helpful guide to help you become a confident and capable driver. We’ll explore key elements that teach you how to become a competent and responsible motorist.
Buckle up, baby.
Pineapple’s taking you on the ride of your life!
Taking Control: Mastering Vehicle Operations
Before we get into our three essential skills, the first step, or rather step zero, is actually having your licence!
First, your learner’s—the permit that shows that you’re ready to take on any open road, with the appropriate supervision, of course—followed by your driver’s licence, which is when the training wheels really come off.
Here are three vital skills for new drivers in South Africa:
- Control your car (especially on a hill start). The one time your control issues aren’t a red flag is when you’re behind the wheel. Mastering steering, braking, and smooth acceleration is the first step to becoming a good driver.
- Road awareness. Being present isn’t just about living a mindful life; it matters when driving, too. Know and follow the traffic signals and signs, be aware of your surroundings and anticipate potential hazards.
- Defensive driving. We don’t mean the toxic behaviour of attacking others to take the attention off of your own mistakes. Defensive driving means minimising distractions, maintaining a safe following distance and avoiding reckless driving.
Steering Like a Pro:
“We’ll do our best not to steer you in the wrong direction!” – Team Pineapple.
Driving on SA’s roads is like going through an obstacle course; if you’re not dodging random jaywalkers, you’re avoiding potholes.
So, it’s safe to say that steering is probably the most crucial part of driving, as it helps you control the car. Remember to indicate responsibly to avoid swerving in a panic without performing the proper observations.
Smooth steering starts with proper hand placement.
Experts recommend placing your hands firmly on the steering wheel in a ten-to-two (10 to 2 o’clock) or nine-to-three (9 to 3 o’clock) position, with your palms and thumbs on the circumference of the steering wheel.
These two positions provide optimal control and help drivers respond accurately and promptly, thereby assisting you in avoiding a crash.
The only time both your hands aren’t on the wheel should be when you’re shifting gears, signalling or operating other controls. Even then, one hand should always be on the wheel! And if you’re driving an automatic, there’s really no excuse.
When it comes to turns, they typically fall under two categories:
1) Wide turns. To ace this turn, you’ll need to signal your intentions well ahead, remembering to check your mirrors and blind spots.
2) Tight turns. Tight corners require a slower approach, indicating your intention (to turn) well ahead of time and maintaining your lane position. Sort of like meeting your partner’s parents for the first time.
P.S. Steering is easier, less stressful and safer when going to the legal speed limit. It's the law for a reason.
Mastering the Brake Pedal:
“Let’s pedal to the metal (apparently it’s not ‘medal’, who knew?)” – Team Pineapple.
Slow and controlled braking is an art; by the time you’re through this section, you’ll be an artistic genius. The key is to start breaking well in advance so you can slowly and steadily come to a gentle standstill.
Apply gentle, steady pressure to the brake pedal to bring your car to a smooth stop.
In the event of an emergency stop, employ decisive and firm pressure instead.
However, please be wary of overlying on this function: an emergency stop should not be used unless it is an emergency (hence the name). It can damage your vehicle if consistently misused.
Thankfully, most modern vehicles have abs (we’re not referring to a six-pack, by the way). ABS (Automatic Braking System) helps prevent wheel lockup during hard braking.
Acing Acceleration:
“Accelerate your progress with our valuable tips.” – Team Pineapple.
If you’re driving an automatic transmission vehicle, this next one isn’t for you, but feel free to stick around because this information is still interesting, and we worked really hard on it.
Like braking, acceleration is all about smooth and steady application. Gradually pressing the accelerator pedal will ensure a comfortable ride.
After reviewing this section, my manager Nichole also thought it would be a good idea to mention the following:
“If you're a newbie, you'd rather pull your handbrake up, especially on a hill. Clutch control, while more convenient for some, if not done correctly, can burn out your clutch.
Also, if you have not mastered the art of clutch control, you can easily roll back on a hill, endangering yourself, your car and the person behind you and their vehicle.”
Lastly, mastering gear shifting requires some practice, so find a quiet place to familiarise yourself with coordinating clutch control, effortless acceleration, and gear changes.
With gear shifting, it’s crucial to listen to your car.
You can hear and feel when it is time to shift gears, and you can also see when it’s the appropriate time by looking at your speedometer. But loud music can prevent you from being ‘one’ with your car. So, as cranky old people would say, “Keep it down!”
Seeing the Bigger Picture: Road Awareness Is Key
Decoding the Road: Understanding Signs & Signals
Understanding road signs and signals should be easy enough–this is one of the things you learn when getting your Learner’s licence, after all. Don’t you just love the K53 manual?
Familiarise yourself with what each symbol and signal means–from yield signs, no entry and pedestrian crossing–and ensure you can identify them on the road.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Checking Blind Spots
Sometimes, other cars can appear out of thin air, except they didn’t–they were probably in your blind spot the entire time.
A blind spot is an area that’s not visible through any of your car’s mirrors.
One would usually have to look out their back seat windows on the left and right to ensure that there aren't any vehicles that one might have missed by relying only on the side and back mirrors.
So, before you change lanes or turn, check and adjust your mirrors and blind spots!
Sharing the Road: Respecting Other Drivers, Cyclists & Pedestrians
Respect your fellow road users. No one likes a selfish road user, so don’t be that guy (or gal). Be courteous to other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Do this by maintaining a safe following distance (2-3 seconds) and yielding to pedestrians on zebra walks.
To test whether your following distance is adequate, you should typically be able to see the car in front of your rear wheels and some road between your car and theirs.
Staying Alert: Defensive Driving Techniques
Keeping a Safe Distance: The Importance of Following Space
As previously mentioned, the recommended following distance is 2-3 seconds. In adverse weather conditions, when driving at night or when towing a trailer, it’s best to double the time, a.k.a pretend there is an invisible car between your vehicle and theirs.
Avoiding Distractions: Staying Focused on the Road
Distractions like eating, loud music, your phone, or the super hot passenger in your car can be dangerous. According to the South African Road Traffic Act, no driver can use a hand-held communication device.
Thankfully, a lot of newer vehicles have Bluetooth functionality.
So you can answer calls safely without having to hold your phone. If you’re a millennial, boomer, or older, you’ll likely remember CD slots and map books. Luckily, this is all digital, available on your phone, and can be used hands-free!
The price of distracted driving is your life, and that’s simply too high of a price to pay.
So, put the takeaway meal down, choose your playlist before taking off, but remember to keep that volume low, respond to the person on the other line when you’re safely parked and kick that hottie to the curb (we’re only half-kidding).
Anticipate & React: Handling Unexpected Situations
Driving responsibly (and legally) while alert means you can react quicker to unexpected situations, such as a sudden stop, an animal crossing the road, or encountering a driver who did not read this article.
The best way to handle something like this is to stay calm, scan the road ahead, and maintain the driving distance we wrote about earlier.
Mastering Manoeuvres: Parking Like a Pro
Parallel Parking Made Easy:
Even after successfully securing their licence, many South African drivers still struggle with parallel parking. It is so daunting it even has a name: parallelophobia!
But the best way to overcome your fear is to face it head-on. Thankfully, parking is getting easier thanks to new technology like sensors and reverse cameras in newer car models.
Here’s how to park so well you could put a valet to shame:
- Find the right parking spot.
- Align your car's rear bumper with the front car's rear bumper. Make sure your car is parallel 1 metre from the side of the parked car.
- Turn your wheels all the way to the right and back up until you can see the back car's license plate.
- Straighten the steering wheel and back up until the front of your car passes the bumper of the first car.
- Turn your wheel all the way to the left and roll backwards until you are behind the car.
- Straighten the wheel and centre the car
Sidebar: don't trust the word of a parking attendant or your fancy sensors. People make mistakes, and while unlikely, tech can malfunction.
Thankfully, these simple steps will help make a parking expert out of you.
Reverse Parking with Confidence:
Many fun little YouTube tutorials teach you how to reverse park with ease. Plus, reverse cameras help relieve some of the pressure.
Still, here are a few basics when it comes to reverse parking:
- Find your empty parking spot.
- Line up your rearview or side mirror to the parking space line closest to it.
- Turn your steering wheel all the way in the direction opposite to the parking spot and drive forward.
- When the corner of the parking space appears in the rearview mirror, turn the steering wheel all the way to the other direction (opposite direction to the one mentioned above).
- Shift into the reverse gear, then back up to the end of the spot.
- Straighten the steering well and put the gear in neutral.
Note that these generic steps are great for standard reverse parking. However, specific manoeuvres like alley docking, which is commonly used in tight spaces, may require a different type of precision.
Before you ask, yes, there is a difference. All alley docking is reverse parking, but not all reverse parking is alley docking.
So, the next time you find yourself in an alley or garage, take extra precautions!
Sidebar no.2: don't trust the word of a parking attendant or your fancy sensors. People make mistakes, and while unlikely, tech can malfunction.
These simple steps should help make a reverse parking legend out of you.
Get an Obligation-Free Car Insurance Quote Today!
Now that you know how to drive safely and are ready to hit the road confidently, there’s only one thing left to do…
The main step to being a pro on the road is to get insured so you are comprehensively covered.
Pineapple understands how nervewracking the open road can be. That’s why our insurance coverage is made with young drivers in mind.
Our comprehensive cover protects against accidents, theft and hijackings while providing round-the-clock support thanks to our 24/7 roadside assistance.
Our benefits don’t stop there; we also offer free 24-hour flat battery, flat tyre, no fuel, breakdown, windscreen and window repair, and lost key assistance.
You can get a quote in minutes without ever speaking to anyone; we’re 100% digital. However, there is an option for human assistance, and our supportive agents are very supportive.
Whatever your insurance needs, Pineapple’s got you.
Click here to get a quote today!
Here are some other Pineapple articles you might find interesting:
- The Ultimate Guide to Car Insurance for Teen Drivers in South Africa.
- Ditch the Sticker Shock: Understanding Young Driver Car Insurance.
Please Note: The information provided above is for informational purposes only; you should not construe any such information as legal or financial advice.
Pineapple (FSP 48650) is underwritten by Old Mutual Alternative Risk Transfer Insure Limited, a licensed Non-Life Insurer and authorised FSP. T&Cs apply.
Team Pineapple
Team Pineapple comprises our company’s top talents, who are dedicated to creating clear, high-quality content on essential vehicle insurance topics. This diverse group, including actuaries, accountants, data scientists, and insurance professionals across South Africa, collaborates to produce enlightening and empowering articles.
Each piece is thoroughly researched, factually accurate, and rigorously reviewed to ensure quality.
*We say they’re the finest because we want them to keep writing for us!
