Driving

Introduction of the automobile

The world's first long-distance road trip by automobile was in August 1888, when Bertha Benz, wife of Benz Patent-Motorwagen inventor Karl Benz, drove 66 mi (106 km) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, and returned, in the third experimental Benz motor car, which had a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 km/h), with her two teenage sons Richard and Eugen but without the consent and knowledge of her husband. She had said she wanted to visit her mother, but also intended to generate publicity for her husband's invention, which had only been taken on short test drives before.

In 1899, F. O. Stanley and his wife Flora drove their Stanley Steamer automobile, sometimes called a locomobile, to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire in the United States to generate publicity for their automobile. The 7.6-mile (12.2 km) journey took over two hours (not counting time to add more water); the descent was accomplished by putting the engine in low gear and much braking.

Driving skills

Driving in traffic involves both mechanical vehicle operation and the application of traffic laws to regulate sharing of roadway with fellow drivers. It generally requires vehicle handling skills and adherence to road safety regulations

Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road. Driving over a long distance is referred to as a road trip.

In many countries, knowledge of the rules of the road, both practical and theoretical, is assessed with one or more driving tests, and those who pass are issued a driver's license.

Physical skill

A driver must have physical skills to be able to control direction, acceleration, and deceleration. For motor vehicles, the detailed tasks include:

• Proper hand placement and seating position
• Starting the vehicle's engine with the starting system and ignition switch
• Setting the transmission to the correct gear
• Depressing the pedals with one's feet to accelerate, slow and stop the vehicle and
  • If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission, to modulate the clutch
• Steering the vehicle's direction with the steering wheel
• Applying brake pressure to slow or stop the vehicle
• Operating other important ancillary devices such as the indicators, headlights, parking brake and windshield wipers
• Speed and skid control

Mental skill

Avoiding or successfully handling an emergency driving situation can involve the following skills:

• Observing the environment for road signs, driving conditions, and hazards
• Awareness of surroundings, especially in heavy and city traffic
• Making good and quick decisions based on factors such as road and traffic conditions
• Evasive maneuvering
• Understanding vehicle dynamics
• Left- and right-hand traffic

Distractions can compromise a driver's mental skills, as can any altered state of consciousness. One study on the subject of mobile phones and driving safety concluded that, after controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, drivers talking on a phone exhibited greater impairment than drivers who were suffering from alcohol intoxication. In the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is estimated that 537,946 drivers used their cell phones while driving during daylight hours as of 2024. Another survey indicated that music could adversely affect a driver's concentration.

Seizure disorders and Alzheimer's disease are among the leading medical causes of mental impairment among drivers in the United States and Europe. Whether or not physicians should be allowed, or even required, to report such conditions to state authorities, remains highly controversial.

Safety

Safety issues in driving include:

• Driving in poor road conditions and low visibility
• Texting while driving
• Speeding
• Drug–impaired driving and driving under the influence
• Distracted driving
• Sleep-deprived driving
• Reckless driving and street racing

Teenagers

There is a high rate of injury and death caused by motor vehicle accidents that involve teenage drivers. There is evidence that the less teenagers drive, the risk of injury drops. There is a lack of evidence as to whether educational interventions to promote active transport and share information about the risks, cost, and stresses involved with driving are effective at reducing or delaying car driving in the teenage years.

Driveability

Driveability of a vehicle means the smooth delivery of power, as demanded by the driver. Typical causes of driveability degradation are rough idling, misfiring, surging, hesitation, or insufficient power.

Driving laws

Drivers are subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which they are driving.

International conventions

Some jurisdictions submit to some or all of the requirements of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949.

Additionally, the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals standardises road signs, traffic lights and road markings to improve safety.

Local driving laws

The rules of the road, driver licensing and vehicle registration schemes vary considerably between jurisdictions, as do laws imposing criminal responsibility for negligent driving, vehicle safety inspections and compulsory insurance. Most countries also have differing laws against driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Aggressive driving and road rage have become problems for drivers in some areas.

Some countries require annual renewal of the driver's license. This may require getting through another driving test or vision screening test to get recertified. Also, some countries use a points system for the driver's license. Both techniques (annual renewal with tests, points system) may or may not improve road safety compared to when the driver is not continuously or annually evaluated.

Ownership and insurance

Car ownership does not require a driver's license at all. As such, even with a withdrawn driver's license, former drivers are still legally allowed to possess a car and thus have access to it. In the USA, between 1993 and 1997 13.8% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes had no driver's license.

In some countries (such as the UK), the car itself needs have a certificate that proves the vehicle is safe and roadworthy. Also, it needs to have a minimum of third party insurance.

Driver training

Drivers may be required to take lessons with an approved driving instructor (or are strongly encouraged to do so) and must pass a driving test before being granted a license. Almost all countries allow all adults with good vision and health to apply to take a driving test and, if successful, to drive on public roads.

In many countries, even after passing one's driving test, new drivers are initially subject to special restrictions under graduated driver licensing rules. For example, in Australia, novice drivers are required to carry "P" ("provisional") plates, while in New Zealand it is called restricted (R). Many U.S. states now issue graduated drivers' licenses to novice minors. While graduated driver licensing rules vary between jurisdictions, typical restrictions include newly licensed minors not being permitted to drive or operate a motorized vehicle at night or with a passenger other than family members, zero blood alcohol, and limited power-to-weight ratio of the vehicle.

Driving bans

It is possible for a driver to be suspended or disqualified (banned) from driving, either for a short time or permanently. This is usually in response to a serious traffic offence (for example, causing death due to drunk driving), repeated minor traffic offences (for example, accruing too many demerit points for speeding), or for a specific medical condition which prevents driving, pending a future assessment (for example, a traumatic brain injury).

Some jurisdictions implement road space rationing, where vehicles are banned from driving on certain days depending on a variety of criteria, most commonly the letters and digits in their vehicle registration plate.

A few countries banned women driving in the past. In Oman, women were not allowed to drive until 1970. In Saudi Arabia, women were not issued driving licenses until 2018. Saudi women had periodically staged driving protests against these restrictions and in September 2017, the Saudi government agreed to lift the ban, which went into effect in June 2018.