Three factors make up a good driver – technical driving skills, the amount of driving experience, and complete knowledge about road rules. Even if you have learned how to merge safely and parallel park your car with ease, a valuable driver education program is what you need to be as safe as possible on the road.

Although it may seem unimportant, driver’s education is immensely helpful for anxious teenagers who are waiting to get behind the wheel. Such training teaches the students how to operate a vehicle on busy highways, at night, and also during uncertain circumstances and weather conditions.

Driver’s education lays down a lot of emphasis on small yet extremely significant things such as adjusting a vehicle’s steering wheel, seat, and rear and side-view mirrors; safe entering and exiting from traffic; using turn lanes; changing lanes; and controlling vehicles’ speeds. Plus, it develops the ability to foresee hazards well ahead of time and escape unsafe situations before it gets too late.

Besides, the driving rules and regulations change with time and attending a driver’s education class works as a refresher. Thus, even experienced drivers avail a great amount of benefit when they attend these programs.

Here are five reasons why you also should opt for a driver’s education program from a renowned driving school this year:

1. To Gain Confidence In Your Driving Ability

You may think you know everything about roads and driving rules, but when you enroll for a driver’s education course, you gain a better understanding of cars and safety regulations. As a result, you obtain great confidence and sufficient level of faith in your abilities to drive in all sorts of difficult situations.

• To Inculcate a Sense of Responsibility

Students that take driver’s education classes are told that any mishap or accident is their personal responsibility. They are constantly reminded that they have to take care of the safety of themselves and passengers. This gives birth to a strong awareness in them and curbs an unfair sense of freedom.

• To Learn Defensive Driving Skills

The best part about driver’s education programs is that new as well as experienced drivers are taught how to drive defensively; which is extremely important to promote their well-being on roads. The emphasis of such techniques is entirely on maintaining safety on the streets and not becoming an aggressor anyhow.

• To Acquire Mechanical Knowledge

Despite having years of experience in driving, many drivers fail to handle basic mechanical issues of their car. They don’t know how to change the tire or handle an overheated engine. Neither do they have any knowledge about the radiator nor about the oil pan. But, having such information is crucial and proves to be highly valuable when something goes wrong when the driver stands all alone on the road.

• To Avail Auto Insurance Premium Discounts

A majority of car insurance companies in the United States provide discount rates at as high as 25-30% for drivers who complete a driver’s education course; hence, saving you a substantial amount of money in the long run.

When it comes to the driving test, many fail it because of nervousness, or shortage of knowledge, or improper guidance, or lack of practice. The pass rate even lowers for those who appear in the driving test for the first time. 

However, reasons for failing the driving test are not restricted to the ones mentioned above. There are many specific mistakes that drivers make during the test. 

If you are also going to appear for your driving test, then you might be fretted of committing the blunders that can stop you from clearing the test. Experts recommend learning from the mistakes of others. So, in this article, we have listed the common reasons for which people fail their driving test. 

1. Not having the expertise to control the vehicle – Your ability to control the vehicle matters because it is one of the things your testing official will notice carefully. Try not to drive with one hand as it can leave a negative impact on the examiner. Have a firm grip over the steering to make sure that you are in full control throughout. 

• Not using mirrors properly – Driving test is all about checking whether you are a safe driver or not. It means you have to be attentive all the times and see what’s going on around you. And to stay alert, it is crucial to make constant use of all the three mirrors. Every time you change the direction, apply the brake, start or stop the vehicle, keep scanning the mirrors. Remember your examiner will be noticing every minute action of yours. 

• Not driving within the speed limits – Drive too slowly or drive too fast; both will be counted as negative points. So, the secret to clear the driving test is to know the speed limit. Also, don’t drive below the speed limit as the examiner can assume that you don’t have the right knowledge about what the speed limit is. 

• Not observing at junctions – Every year, many accidents occur just because people pass the junctions carelessly. Please don’t do it! Be attentive and cautious while making a move. Observe the road mindfully before crossing. 

• Not coming to a complete halt – Not stopping the car completely when you should, such as at red light or stop sign can be a silly mistake. Just slowing down is not enough at such points, and the examiner can give you a negative for it. 

• Not applying the brakes correctly – Applying the brakes carefully is an indication of a good driver. Also, when it comes to braking, different vehicles have different levels of sensitivity. To make sure that you are good at using the brake, practice driving as much as you can. 

Taking the road test preparation course can be your saviour.

• Not responding to road signs – Ignoring the road signs is the biggest mistake you can commit during your driving test. So, never do it! Learn everything about the traffic signals and road signs before appearing in the driving test. 

Further, if you want to clear the driving test the it is highly recommended to take the professional driving tuition. It will boost your confidence.

Roads in the USA have never been so busier the way they are today. With increasing disposable income in the country, more and more people are investing in their personal vehicles and relying less on public transportation. This automatically makes driving on congested roads a big challenge and calls for the learning of defensive driving skills, especially for first-time drivers.

Defensive driving simply means to drive in a way that you are able to defend yourself against possible collisions and prevent the chances of accidents. Equipping oneself with defensive driving skills helps in identifying potential hazards on the road and acting immediately. Such adeptness not only gets you to the destination safely but also save you hundreds of dollars on auto insurance.

When you are on the road, you can never make assumptions about other drivers’ intentions or anticipate what they might do next. So, instead of getting tensed up and waiting for an accident to happen, implement the following techniques and be ready every time to defend yourself:

1. Keep Yourself Calm

Almost every one of us is guilty of driving wrong at one time or another because of an unstable state of mind. What we feel inside is how we react to others on the road. That is why an attitudinal change is required, particularly when driving to work. Focus on being in a perfect frame of mind before you step with your vehicle on the road and be completely relaxed when you arrive at the office.

2. Pay Attention to the Road Rules

This may sound like a no brainer but a lot of drivers actually don’t care about the road signs, the speed limit, and the traffic signals. They either end up driving rashly or go the wrong way on one-way streets. They forget that whatever they would do would affect the driver who is ahead and behind and can cause an accident really quickly. Thus, make sure you obey all the traffic rules and lights and stay within your prescribed speed limit.

3. Plan Ahead for the Unexpected

When you drive, you cannot control people’s actions but can surely make a plan to keep yourself safe and act immediately for the safety of others. When you learn defensive driving, you develop a keen eye to scan the road ahead and look beyond the foreground. This allows you to be well-prepared for what is to come and give you ample time to react.

4. Learn to Drive on Special Roads and in all Weather Conditions

Weather is a major culprit in most motor vehicle accidents in the USA. The weather conditions change pretty soon and unless you are a defensive driver, you cannot adapt to them. So, it is best to undergo an advanced driving course if you wish to drive on special highways and in bad weather conditions or during the night.

When it was your childhood, your parents looked after you. They gave you everything you needed for a good life – food, shelter, care, and love. But as the years pass by, the responsibility gets swapped. Your elderly parents become dependable on you and their deteriorating health becomes a point of concern.

With time, seniors encounter degenerated vision and slow reflexes that highly impact their driving ability. Driving is no longer safe for them, especially for the ones having age-related health conditions such as dementia. That is why it becomes essential for you to regularly monitor their driving abilities.

An important point to note is that all drivers are different and the time to stop driving for each one of them may be different. There are many senior drivers who can put the younger drivers to shame with their quality of driving and there are many others who are victimized by severe health ailments and are forced to leave driving at their early age.

So, look out for the following signs before you prevent your older family to get behind the wheel:

1. Hearing or Sight Loss

Getting older doesn’t automatically mean that your elderly parent should stop driving. However, if you see them struggling with road sign reading or ignoring the honks of vehicles behind, it is an alarming situation. They may persist on getting hearing and visual aids but there comes a time when such aids can do very little in mitigating the potential risks while driving on the road. Explaining them the scope of damage that can happen is the only way out.

2. Dull or Slow Reactions

If you see your parents or senior family members running the red lights and the stop signs or failing to brake when an animal comes out suddenly on the road, it is a warning sign. It could be a child next time. Hence, you have to help them understand that they need to give up on their driving, not as a punishment but for their and others’ safety. 

3. Reduced Concentration

It is normal for the seniors to start forgetting and abandoning their minor tasks, but what if the same happens in the case of driving? Well, there can be disastrous consequences. Elderly people tend to get easily distracted by a conversation, changing of radio channels, or adjusting the temperature controls of the car. So, such tasks should be delegated to the person sitting by and let them focus on the road entirely. If these precautionary measures don’t help, it is strongly recommended by driving experts to ask the seniors to stop driving.

4. Dented or Damaged Car

Those minor dents on the car bonnet, cracks on the wing mirrors and broken tail lights are the outcomes of small crashes that your parents may not be even noticing. Older people face a hard time getting in and out of the parking space and often bump into the vehicles behind them. This may lead to a more serious accident in the future. Thus, ask them to be more careful next time or simply get over driving.