First Steps to Driver's Education that Will Put You in the Right Lane

Sooner or later, every teenager is going to face their biggest challenge in school. A challenge that requires them to learn crucial skills that ensure their safe travels later on in life. Success gives them exceptional freedom, while failure is met with often-bloody results. And mastery of these skills can literally mean the difference between life and death.

No, I'm not talking about enlisting in the Army or Navy. I'm talking about learning to operate a motor vehicle - an important skill in today's world that we rely on day in and day out. Driver's education is a common and necessary part of our automotive-crazy lifestyle that prepares people for the everyday task of driving to and from just about anywhere.

But in order to get started, there are several specific procedures to be followed. Successfully preparing for your driver's education course requires studying the state driving manual, checking your vision, getting medical approval and getting your learners permit. Oh, and be sure to shop around for the best course fees for the money. You never know where you might save a buck or two - money that could be better saved for the car purchase that awaits you when you pass the course.

With that said, here are the procedures to be followed to start off in the right lane in learning to drive.

1. Obtain and study your state driver's manual and other state-required material.

Before going any further, it is necessary to do some preparatory work. Go to your local driver's license office and obtain the required materials - starting with the driver's manual isued by your state. In particular, you want the manual that covers general motor vehicle operation - although manuals for motorcycle, moped and commercial vehicle operation are also available in case you will need them in the future, these have their own rules and regulations involved and are therefore beyond the scope of this article. For our purposes, an operator's permit will be necessary - and you usually must take a road-knowle=dge test to get your permit, so these materials are necessary from the start. (We'll have more details on that later.) And while you're at it, ask for a medical release form in case a doctor's examination is necessary to show a safe ability to operate an automobile as some disabilities may interfere with safe driving.

2. Study the manual, and study it hard.

Yes, you heard right, STUDY THAT MATERIAL!!! While you may think flipping through the driver's manual is a bunch of baloney at this point, you need to have a general idea of the basics before going any further. You'll see why in a couple minutes. And if the state put in self-tests (as some do) use them to check your comprehension of the material, just as you would an a school homework assignment.

3. Scedule a physical examination with your physician.

You may also be wondering why this is so important, but since certain disabilities may affect your safety behind the wheel - especially if you have epilepsy - or have even lost consiousness at some point for some odd reason - and these need to be checked to see if they will be a problem behind the wheel. Your doctor will be the one to weigh your medical history against what is required by your state as far as safe driving ability and can advise if you should go any further. Bottom line: if your doctor doesn't recommend that you drive cars, STOP READING NOW AND GET OFF THE ROAD!

Another important reason to go to the doctor before proceeding is because you may need to have your eyes checked for vision problems. This is important because you A) need to be able to see where you're going; B) you need to be able to see to the sides without turning your head (although mirrors are okay to a certain extent if you don't); and C) you may need to see an optometrist and get glasses or contacts if necessary, and that requires yet another medical exam. That's beyond the scope of this article as well, so you're on your own in this situation - however, I highly recommend it, because you never know if your vision is defective until it becomes a problem. Period.

4. Take the knowledge exam and get your permit.

Now that you've gone over the driver's manual a gazillion times and (hopefully) have your doctor's permission to proceed, the next step is to actually get your learners permit. For that, its time to return to the driver's license office and request a learners permit. This is where all that studying comes in handy, because right off the bat you not only get a final vision screening (this time an electronic one where you read off symbols and identify flashing lights to check your distance and side vision for licensing purposes) but you also have to take an exam that covers the rules of the road. And by God, I hope you studied hard because you can only miss so many questions before you flunk and have to come back later. When I took the test, I could only miss seven out of thirty or so questions safely, and I still missed six of them. You can either take the written variety or an electronic version administered on a toch-screen computer terminal. If you fail, study a little more and go back next week. But if you pass, you're that much closer to hitting the road - you pay a fee, get your photo taken, sign your name and you're off! Now you can drive with your parents (not by yourself just yet, obviously - you're still learning the skills you need) and can now take a driver's education course.

5. Shop around and sign up for a driver's education course.

Speaking of driver's education, that's where we are now - and its time for the hard part of the process. First, find a course that fits your needs and budget. If you're still in high school, your district board of educators may have a driver's education curriculum of its own, or may contract out to an independent driving school - so these should be your first choices. Otherwise, just pick and choose! Then study hard, pay attention to the instructor and master the material and you should pass the course easilly. At that point you should receive a completion certificate that you can take back to the driver's license office for your full license. Depending on your age and your state of residence, full licensing may only be available at a certain age - and may require that you go through an intermediate licensing phase with slightly loose restrictions (such as not being allowed to drive in the middle of the night) until you turn at least 17 (though some states make you wait until your 18 before they lift the final restrictions on your driving priveleges, unless you wear glasses, prosthetics, etc. in order to drive safely). All that's left to do is enjoy the ride! You deserved it.