Did you get a driver's license? Whether you're a teenager still in high school or you're an adult who has decided to learn to drive later in life, there are things you need to know about taking care of your auto. Here are three things that you need to know.

1. Stay on Top of Brake Maintenance

One of the first things your driving instructor will teach you is how to properly brake. You want to make sure that you're going to be able to continue doing that while you're out on the road. Brake failure is responsible for a lot of car crashes in America — according to Dyer, Garafalo, Mann & Schultz, there are roughly 300,000 of them a year due to this.

This means you need to be keenly aware of how your brakes are acting. If you notice any sluggishness, strange sounds (like metal on metal), or other unusual things from your brakes, you need to bring them in to a shop for a professional look. That'll make things safe for both you and others on the road.

2. Stick to the Maintenance Schedule

There are a lot of tow trucks on the road today in America — 31,154 of them according to Zippia. They are always picking up vehicles that have broken down on the side of the road. While there are a lot of reasons why this could happen to those drivers, one of the main ones is that they didn't take their vehicle in for regular maintenance.

Read your vehicle's owner's manual. It should outline when you should bring it in for various things, like oil changes. That way, you can help ensure that it will continue to run smoothly and any issues can be found early on. If you wait too long, then you could be the one on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck to come to pick you up.

3. Pay Attention to Your Dashboard

Your dashboard isn't there to just tell you how fast you're going. It's also there to tell you about the state of your vehicle. Modern vehicles have displays that can tell you about your tire pressure level, among other things. It can also tell exactly how much oil you have left until you need a change. Pay attention to what it says, especially when it comes to fuel. Again, you don't want to be sitting on the side of the road, waiting for that tow truck.

If you do ignore the warnings, don't be surprised when you need to pay for repairs. 75% of those repairs are done at independent auto repair shops, according to Porch Group Media. That means that you're not going to pay the same price for certain repairs. While you might pay less for one, you also want to make sure that they are reputable. That's where having a smartphone can come in handy — you can do research right there on the side of the road while you determine who to call.

Final Thoughts

Having a new vehicle can be both exciting and bewildering. There are so many things to know, including what documents you need to get, like the title if you own your vehicle. You can use the internet to research these things, or you can talk to other drivers in your family who have gone through the same thing. They can help you build up your base of knowledge about driving and owning a vehicle.

While these are just three things, they are important ones. Use them as a foundation to learn other things about driving. Then, you'll be safe on the road and have a good time while you're doing it.