Drivers Safety & Education

Many would-be teen drivers sign up for driver education courses taught at their high school, often squeezing it into a summer semester. It’s one of the best ways to learn how to drive since you’ll be on a closed driving range safely away from busy highways and byways. Another advantage of driver education is that it can take some of the insurance bite off your parents since a discount is often available. You’ll learn not only the rules of driving, but gain hands-on experience by driving on a range set up to simulate actual traffic conditions.

In the classroom you’ll learn about the responsibilities of driving. You’ll be taught the meanings of road signs and the correct procedures for managing intersections. Some classes even go so far as to teach how to change a flat tire. The rules and regulations are stressed, ensuring that by the time you’ve graduated from the course you’ll understand what’s lawful and what’s not.

A lot of chair time goes toward learning safety behind the wheel. There’s instruction regarding driving in adverse weather conditions, especially those that make roads slippery and dangerous. Students learn defensive techniques for coming out of a spin or a skid. Hopefully you’ll also come to understand the dangers of playing at drifting games with your friends. You’ll learn about the basic issues of remaining alert at all times when driving. It’s not always a matter of what the driver is doing but of what the other driver is doing, so you have to pay attention.  Yes, this means no texting or talking on the cell phone while driving. 

One of the units you’ll study will be about driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Inexperience behind the wheel and intoxication are deadly, and to press home the seriousness of this issue, many driver ed classes will require you to watch a movie depicting the consequences of driving under these conditions. While a teacher might fail to get these points across to the students while lecturing, the visual will get their attention fast. Most students, when asked what they remember about their driver ed class will invariably say, “the movie”.

You’ll become aware of issues surrounding accidents and be taught how to prevent accidents from happening, as well as what to do in case of an accident. Your teacher will impress upon you the importance of maintaining your vehicle so that it runs properly and isn’t a threat to other vehicles or people.

Molding the attitude is one of the most important aspects of these classes. You can’t be cavalier when behind the wheel of a car or truck, you have to be level headed and calm. The dangers of road rage will be discussed, as well as the reasons certain hand signals are not approved by the DOT, and you know the ones I’m talking about.

Driver’s Ed classes have extensive resources available for teaching road skills and practical driving knowledge. They’re taught by professionals so all the important aspects of driving are touched upon. You’ll learn a lot during driver’s ed and you’ll become proficient behind the wheel, making yourself and those sharing the road with you much safer.