Congrats! I remember like it was yesterday the thrill of getting my learner's permit and driver's license. I lived in a small town. Car equaled freedom. I've had many close calls, made many mistakes and am prone to backseat drive so here's input, in addition to what's already been offered, that I would give my nieces:

1) Equip to Survive. In other words: buckle up..... Each and every time, before you put the key in the ignition.

2) Equip your mind to survive. In other words: drive defensively. Anticipate..... Prepare by leaving room to stop or evade. Assume all of the other drivers on the road are distracted, because many of them are. Use your turn signals, always, because it's safer and polite. But don't assume other cars see your signal. Assume they don't.

3) Situational awareness: Check your mirrors, rear and both sides - often - especially before changing lanes. Don't assume that because you saw your light turn green, that the drivers going the other direction saw their light turn red. Double-check that the other cars are stopping before you go into the intersection. Know that it will take your car a lot longer to stop when the roads are wet (especially if they've been dry for a long while, giving slippery oil and grease time to accumulate on the pavement). Keep the stereo volume low enough that you can still hear a fire truck siren or honking.
Situational awareness = no phone calls, e-mails or texting.

4) Maintain your vehicle: Keep your windows -- especially your windshield -- clean. Keep the wiper fluid topped off. A dirty windshield can blind you when the sun hits it at the right angle. Have good windshield wipers -- worn wiper blades will impair your vision when it rains. Should probably get new ones a couple times a year. Proper tire inflation -- check often and look at your tires, all of them, every time you get into the car. Brake lights, turn signal lights, headlignts - check them often. Know your car.

3) One second. Know -- really know -- that one second, just one second, can change your life, forever. If you must take the phone call or text -- pull over to do so. No call or text is worth risking your life, or anyone else's.

Six months after my sister's 16th birthday she took her eyes off the road for a moment, just a moment, to reach behind the seat to keep a box from falling on her new hat. In that moment her hand on the steering wheel moved, ever so slightly, as she reached for the hat. Her car drifted, just a couple of feet. Just enough to catch her passenger-side wheels in a shallow gully and steer her car directly into a tree. She was going a mere 35 mph. That was Monday, April 4, 1983. A beautiful spring day. She was in route to a softball game where she was to be the starting varsity pitcher. She never played another game. Twenty-seven years later she's still dealing with the aftermath of a broken neck and brain injury (which requires anti-seizure medication for the rest of her life).

Just be careful. Kudos to you for soliciting the opinions of others and having the patience to read through them. If everyone were so thoughtful as you before getting into a car, we'd all be a lot safer on the road.

You are very wise for someone so young. Heck, you're wise for any age. You're going to do great.

:-)