Is it normal for beginners to have car accidents?

[DelBryce]

It is normal for beginners to have car accidents. Tips for beginner drivers: Stay calm mentally, find someone to boost confidence, and be well-prepared. Precautions for new drivers: Adjust the seat position and rearview mirror before driving, fasten the seat belt, turn on the ignition key without starting the engine, wait for the computer self-check to complete (about three to four seconds), then start the engine, check if all instruments are normal, warm up the engine at idle for about half a minute before driving, ensure the handbrake is released before driving, keep the heel on the floor when pressing the pedal, release the clutch slowly and press the accelerator gently when starting. Before setting off, carefully check all four tires, preferably adjusting the tire pressure at a professional repair shop. Especially, do not forget to check the spare tire to ensure it is intact and properly inflated.

[LeTheo]

I've been driving for 20 years, and when I first got my license, I scraped walls and hit trees. New drivers don't intentionally crash; driving relies on muscle memory. It takes hundreds of hours of practice to coordinate your eyes, hands, and feet to avoid mistakes, especially since slow reactions in emergencies are common. The right-angle turns taught in driving school aren't enough for actual narrow roads, and with all the lane-cutting and sudden lane changes on the streets today, it's normal for beginners to panic. The key is to stay calm and analyze every scrape: Did you mix up the gas and brake? Or misjudge the car's width? Remember, statistics show 60% of new drivers have an accident in their first year. My old Ford didn't truly become an extension of me until I'd driven it over 8,000 kilometers.

[DiRebecca]

Having been a driving instructor for 11 years, I've taught no fewer than eight hundred students. To be honest, car accidents are an inevitable phase for beginners. It takes about 1,500 kilometers of driving for the human body to develop an accurate perception of speed. In the first three months, the probability of scraping walls while reversing exceeds 75%. Last time, a student hit the curb three times in a row while parallel parking—it turned out the seat was adjusted too high, affecting visibility. My advice for beginners: keep speeds below 15 km/h in residential areas, roll down windows and check wheel clearance in narrow lanes, and practice driving at night in spacious industrial zones first. Installing a reversing camera can reduce accident rates by 70%, but the key is to break dangerous habits like steering with one hand or checking phones while driving.

[StDamian]

I just spent 4,000 yuan at the 4S store last week to get my car repainted, so I definitely have a say in this! Minor scratches and bumps are totally normal for beginners—just two days ago, I cracked my neighbor's BMW headlight cover while reversing. Now, I'd rather take a longer commute route every day than drive through the narrow alleys of the urban village. The three scratches on my rearview mirror's plastic cover are like badges of honor. A friend suggested putting a 'New Driver' sticker on the passenger side, but delivery trucks still cut me off like crazy. Honestly, the most important thing to practice is the muscle reflex for emergency braking—last time I rear-ended someone because I hit the gas instead of the brake. Planning to borrow my dad’s pickup truck this weekend to practice reverse parking; even if I bend the iron bumper, I won’t feel too bad.

[KaiMarie]

From a safety officer's perspective, novice accidents are concentrated in three periods: within one month of obtaining a driver's license, the first two weeks after switching to a new car, and driving at night in rainy or foggy conditions. There is a 30° blind spot in the driver's seat field of vision, and failing to develop the habit of checking by turning the head can easily lead to scrapes. The key is to establish defensive driving awareness: actively yield to food delivery electric bikes, maintain a distance of more than five meters when following a vehicle, and slow down three seconds in advance before a crosswalk. It is recommended that novices avoid driving on elevated roads for the first three months, and there's no shame in making multiple attempts at sharp turns in residential areas. Attaching reflective strips to plastic parts of the steering wheel can improve distance judgment at night, and installing a tire pressure monitoring system can also reduce sudden loss of control.

[AliyahMarie]

To be honest, as a young office worker, the repair costs for my used Volkswagen over the past two years have amounted to half a year's fuel expenses. The first collision happened when I scraped against a fire hydrant while entering the company's underground garage—the pillar was right in the blind spot of my rearview mirror. Now, I've developed these habits: always rolling down the window to listen when turning, turning on hazard lights and reducing speed by 20% in rainy weather, and keeping a reflective warning triangle in the trunk. The most practical item is the small convex mirror I bought for 30 yuan on Taobao, which I stuck on the rearview mirror to completely eliminate the right-turn blind spot. Remember to take photos first after a scrape before moving the car—unlike me, who forgot to gather evidence after being honked at by the car behind. Recently, I've found that using Amap's AR navigation to assist in judging curves has significantly reduced my chances of collisions.