Learning to drive at a petrol bunk is a bad idea. This is exactly what a student driver did in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, the learner driver lost of the Tata Indica hatchback he was driving and rammed into multiple obstacles before running over the fuel station attendant. And the entire incident was caught on CCTV.
Luckily for the fuel pump attendant, the crash just left him with minor injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he’s currently undergoing treatment. As for the student driver, this is one lesson he’ll never forget for the rest of his life. It could have easily escalated into something that costed the fuel attendant his life.
In this particular crash, it appears that the learner driver of the Indica panicked, and stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. This is evidenced by the thick plume of smoke from the car’s exhaust. This is a mistake that beginners often make.
Meanwhile, there are many safe driving practices everyone who is learning to drive a car needs to practice, for their own personal safety and also for the safety of other road users,
- Never learn driving in a car that does not have clutch and brake controls for the driving instructor. So, it’s always advisable to learn how to drive in a car specially designed and designated for ‘driving school’ use. Such cars have adequate signage that also warns other road users that a learner is driving. Moreover, these cars have clutch and brake controls for the instructor as well, who can stop the car in case of an emergency.
- Naturally, it follows that learning to drive without an instructor is very dangerous. Your father/brother/friend, who owns a car and is willing to let you learn driving is NOT an instructor. It’s an unsafe practice that should not be encouraged.
- Thirdly, before learning how to drive, familiarize yourself with road and traffic rules, and also the controls of the car you’ll be handling. It’s good to learn how to drive in an empty parking lot or a playground rather than regular roads.