Getting behind the wheel for the first time can be pretty exciting! Many people look forward to learning hands-on driving skills like how to start the car, how to turn, and how to park. What’s sometimes a little less exciting is the classroom portion of your driving journey. While driving itself is an engaging experience, learning the ins and outs of traffic laws and safety can be a bit boring at times. If you’re getting ready to start driving school but you’re not so sure about the classroom portion, you’ve come to the right place!
How to Make Driving School Successful
1. Take an online course!
Unlike in-person classrooms, online courses allow you to learn at your own pace. Even though most states set a required number of hours of driving school you have to take, you have the opportunity to spend as much or as little time on certain topics as you need to. For example, if you’re a pro at naming road signs, you might breeze through that portion of the course. And if you’re having a hard time learning right-of-way, you can spend more time on those sections.
This isn’t possible with in-person courses because instructors in traditional classrooms have to accommodate everyone in the class regardless of their learning style. It isn’t productive for in-person instructors to spend extra time in one area when the rest of the class is ready to move on. Here at Safe2Drive, we appeal to all learners by using a combination of videos, illustrations, games, and stories to teach you important driving skills and traffic laws. If you take your course online, you can learn in the way that works best for you, whatever that may be.
Online driving school is also great because you can take the classroom with you anywhere you go! Instead of spending extra hours in a classroom after school, you can take the course on the bus ride home on your phone, or in the school library during your free period-anywhere with an internet connection. Learning in your own environment, where you’re most comfortable and have time to focus, will make your time in driving school much more successful than if you were sitting in a classroom, struggling to stay awake.
2. Take notes.
Driving school isn’t a class where you can memorize information, ace your test, and then forget everything you just studied. You have to apply what you learn in driving school out on the road for the rest of your driving career.
One of the ways we help our online driving school students take notes is by previewing the topics that will appear in each lesson, and providing a summary at the end each lesson. A great way to take notes in online driving school courses is writing down the topics previewed at the beginning of the lesson, then making note of a few important points about each topic.
When you’ve reached the end of the lesson, compare your notes with the short summary. If there’s anything in the summary that looks unfamiliar or that isn’t in your notes, go back to that section of the lesson and review the information. This style of note-taking will keep your brain awake while you complete the course, and help you pinpoint what topics you need to focus on moving forward.
3. Read out loud.
Okay, this one sounds silly, but trust us. Driving school will require some reading on your part, and one of the best ways to retain what you read is to say the words aloud to yourself as you go along. Sometimes our brains skip over words, especially if you’re reading something that isn’t so exciting. Reading aloud helps you focus on the words you’re reading, helping you understand the material better. It’s also easier to remember information once you’ve read it aloud.
This is useful for studying, too! As you practice learning your road signs, try using flashcards and say the answers out loud. Maybe even try it in a funny voice! Next time you’re on the road and see a sign that you don’t recognize right away, remembering the way you said it out loud while studying might help jog your memory.
4. Ask questions, then check the answers.
Chances are you know an experienced driver or two. Here’s the thing: experience doesn’t always equal skill. For example, adults who took driving school 20+ years ago might tell you to keep your hands at "10 and 2" on the steering wheel. Well, that might have been true when they learned how to drive, but we’ve learned that a safer position is "8 and 4" or "9 and 3."
This is another reason why it’s important to take notes. If you ask another driver a question, they may not have the most up-to-date answer, or they may have learned something incorrectly in the first place. Always ask questions when you need help, but keep in mind that your best asset in driving school is the professional driving instructor who is teaching your course.
Our online driving school courses are created by professionals in the field, and we’re always updating our courses as new information and techniques come out. You can count on our online courses to answer your questions correctly the first time.
5. Never stop learning!
Driving school covers a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time. The way to make driving school a success is to remember that driving is a lifelong learning journey-it doesn’t stop once you’ve gotten your license.
We want to help you succeed in driving school and out on the road. That’s why we offer our free driver resources center to all drivers, including current, past, and future students. We want you to succeed way past just acing your driving test. Bookmark our driver resources center and come back to it often. We’re always adding new and useful articles to help you succeed in and out of driving school.
If you want to succeed in driving school, keep these strategies in mind. Good luck out there!
Are you interested in learning more about traffic safety?
Are you looking for defensive driving and traffic school courses? Do you want a discount on your auto insurance? Do you know a teen who’s ready to take an online driver education course?
Safe2Drive is here to help! We offer convenient online courses for drivers of any age! Visit our website today to learn about the online courses we offer in your state.