For newly-licensed drivers, the open road is a new and exciting place—but it’s also a dangerous one. Kilani Fender is an auto body collision repair shop in Wahiawa, HI, and they’ve seen all kinds of wrecks involving drivers both new and old. Most of them could have been prevented with the right driving practices.

They’re here with some tips for new drivers to avoid a trip to the auto body center:

• Minimize Distractions: New drivers, especially young ones, tend to allow themselves more distractions than older ones. Whether it’s a burger balanced in your lap, your favorite song on the iPod, or a group of friends chatting in the backseat, each distraction takes your mind away from the road. Even hands-free cell phone use contributes to accidents, so when you’re behind the wheel, focus on driving and driving alone.
• Maintain Good Habits: With the right habits, safe driving practices become automatic. Bad habits, on the other hand, are hard to break. That’s why early drivers should work on establishing safe habits early. These include signaling for all turns and lane changes, consistently checking your blind spot, maintaining a safe speed, wearing seat belts, using the left lane for passing, and braking early for stops.
• 360 Degrees of Awareness: Driving is about keeping your eyes on the road and everything else around you. Check mirrors often, look both ways, and don’t assume other motorists will drive safely or predictably. If everyone drove safely all of the time, we wouldn’t need auto body collision repair shops!
• Know Your Car: When you sit down behind the wheel of a car you’ve never driven, learn where all the controls are. You need to know exactly where to find all the key elements like blinkers, headlights, wipers, and hazard lights.

Even with the safest habits, the occasional fender bender—or worse—will probably strike at some point. When it does, come to Kilani Fender. They are Hawaii’s car restoration specialists, performing everything from car scratch repair and dent removal to full auto body collision repair work. Visit website to learn more about their BBB-accredited business, or give them a call at (808) 621-4888 to set up an appointment for an estimate.