How Long Should a Beginner Drive Before Going on the Highway?
3 Answers
Typically, the novice period is one year. If a new driver who has held a license for less than one year wants to drive on the highway, they must be accompanied by an experienced driver with more than three years of driving experience. The following abilities are required to drive independently on the highway: 1. Fully master the basic skills of high-speed driving: When driving on the highway, it is essential to have a good grasp of basic driving skills, especially for manual transmission vehicles. This includes correctly performing operations such as starting, accelerating, upshifting, and downshifting. It is also important to develop the habit of checking the rearview mirror before changing lanes. 2. Fully understand traffic regulations, particularly those specific to highways, and be familiar with various highway signs. Many drivers, once on the highway, struggle to take appropriate measures due to their lack of knowledge or familiarity with high-speed traffic rules. This not only affects their own safety but also poses risks to other vehicles. Special attention should be paid to highway signs and road markings. 3. Have a good understanding of highway conditions and entry/exit points: Before entering the highway, drivers should have basic knowledge of the route, including entry and exit points and distances. This information helps enhance driving safety. For example, when passing highway entrances, drivers should be cautious of merging vehicles, and when approaching exits, they should change lanes and decelerate in advance to avoid sudden braking. 4. Possess strong psychological resilience: Many drivers lack experience with high-speed driving and may feel nervous when the car's speed increases. This nervousness can lead to a loss of precise control over the vehicle, which is a significant factor contributing to issues faced by first-time highway drivers. 5. Have a proper understanding of the performance of the vehicle being driven: Experienced drivers typically test a new car by pressing the accelerator and brakes a few times to get a general sense of its overall and braking performance. Based on this assessment, they maintain an appropriate following distance on the highway, allowing for early deceleration. 6. Choose the correct lane and maintain an appropriate speed—neither too slow nor too fast. Many new drivers believe that driving slower is safer, but this is incorrect. The safest speed on the highway is one that matches the flow of traffic. Driving too slowly increases the risk of being rear-ended, while driving too fast may lead to improper handling and potential rear-end collisions.
For the first two months after getting my driver's license, I only dared to drive around the city. Later, my colleagues encouraged me to take the first step. From personal experience, it's safer to drive at least 500 kilometers independently on city roads before attempting the highway. The key is to see if you've developed conditioned reflexes—like signaling while checking mirrors and blind spots when changing lanes, or smoothly braking when encountering sudden hazards. Before hitting the highway, it's best to try urban expressways first to get a feel for driving at 80 km/h. I remember sweating profusely the first time I drove on the highway, especially fearing missing an exit and making sudden turns. It's advisable for beginners to practice two or three times with an experienced driver in the passenger seat to get familiar with the deceleration rhythm when entering and exiting service areas. Don't be misled by the 120 km/h speed limit; driving steadily at 80 km/h in the rightmost lane is the safest.
According to the 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses,' drivers during their probationary period must be accompanied by someone with at least three years of driving experience on highways. However, I believe that actual driving proficiency is more important. There's a simple self-test method: if you can navigate smoothly through heavy traffic like that on Jiefang South Road during evening rush hour without panicking, it indicates you have the anticipation skills needed for highway driving. Remember, the terror of highways lies in their low margin for error—on city roads, a sudden jerk of the steering wheel might only cause a scratch, but on the highway, it could lead to loss of control. When teaching my son to drive, I had him drive with hazard lights on during two early morning highway runs at 3 a.m. when the roads were empty. This gradual approach is far wiser than directly challenging holiday highway traffic.
