by Linda Cecil
Dear Loveland Area Residents,
I took my child into the BMV this past week to get her driving temps and it dawned on me that we have more novice drivers on the road right now than at any other time in my life.
Between parents putting off getting temps for winter birthdays due to weather and the COVID shutdowns – BMV being closed for the past 3 months, along with the BMV testing center for licensing still being closed, all in-car driver’s ed classes being closed and just everyone generally staying in, we have 4 -6 months of new drivers on the road right now.
As I take my child out, she keeps pointing out to me other new drivers on the road that she knows.
I would ask that licensed drivers be especially patient and assume that if a teen driver is at the wheel with an adult in the car that they are inexperienced.
Please don’t tailgate, rush up on a car in front of you, honk impatiently or zoom by these drivers. Please give a new driver extra space and pay extra attention when you are driving.
It may take until fall for the glut of new drivers to get through driver’s ed and be licensed.
Right now there is 4-6 times the normal number of inexperienced drivers on the road and we all need to be aware of it and act accordingly.
Pedestrians also need to pay extra attention when crossing streets, new drivers may not stop in the same way an experienced driver would, and this advice goes double for being on the bike trail and crossing a road.
We need to pay extra attention to nighttime driving and bad weather driving. We need to not only pay attention to our own driving but pay extra attention to other drivers.
Please help everyone to stay safe and avoid accidents.
