Learning to Drive a Car

From LoveToKnow Cars

Each year, additional young drivers take to the road in their first effort learning to drive a car. The process of driving doesn't have to be complicated if you follow a few very basic guidelines.

New Drivers: Learning to Drive a Car

In most states, the average driving age is about 16. For many of these teen drivers, driving a new or used car is an intimidating experience. The following guide will provide you with a simple outline of the basic rules to remember when you're learning to drive a car with an automatic transmission. Print it out and use it as a study guide before you start practicing.

Preparing to Drive

Checking and getting your oil changed regularly is good, preventive maintenance that will insure that your car lasts for many years. Other basic things to monitor include brake fluid, transmission fluid, coolant and obviously washer fluid. Check these at least once a month.

When you get in the car, press the brake pedal all the way to the floor and turn the ignition key only until you first hear the engine start. Holding the key too long can cause starter damage with most cars, so be careful. Once the car is started, run through the following list.

  • Adjust the rearview mirror so you can see well out the back window
  • Adjust the side mirrors so you can see well behind the car on both sides.
  • Slide the seat so that you can comfortably reach the pedals and turn the wheel.
  • Lower or lift the wheel so that it's comfortable, if it's adjustable.
  • Buckle your seatbelt and make sure when you pull it hard it catches properly.

Safety should always be the number one priority not only when you're learning to drive, but all the time.

Steering

Once the car is started and you're ready to roll, keep your foot on the brake and shift the transmission into forward or reverse, depending which way you need to go. Some vehicles may have a button on the handle of the shifter that allows you to shift. As you start driving, pay attention to the following factors that can affect your steering.

  • The faster you drive, the less effort you need to expend to turn the wheel, even with power steering. So when you're driving fast, be gentle with the steering wheel.
  • Try to brake before you enter a curve so that you don't need to brake while you're turning. This can cause excessive strain on the car steering mechanisms and reduce the life of your car. The perfect curve is braking completely to a slow speed before the curve, coasting into the start of the curve, and then accelerating gradually out of the curve.
  • Remember to use your turn signals any time you change lanes, turn at an intersection, or turn off the road into a driveway. Always use your turn signals!

Parking

Parking is another aspect of driving you'll need to master before you can get your driver's permit. Again, even parking has very simple rules. With practice, you can become a parking pro, long before you have to take your driving test.

  • Parking On a Hill - Stopping
    • Turn on your right blinker.
    • Slowly release the gas pedal and using your brake, come to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road.
    • Keep your foot pressed firmly on the brake pedal so you don't roll backward.
    • Shift into Park.
  • Parking On a Hill - Leaving
    • Keep your foot on the brake
    • Turn on your left blinker.
    • Shift the transmission into "Drive."
    • Turn around and look for oncoming traffic.
    • If your lane is clear, quickly shift your right foot from the brake to the gas pedal and apply enough gas to keep the car from rolling back, then gradually accelerate and continue up the hill.

You'll know you've successfully completed this type of parking when you can do it without the car rolling backward even a little bit. The other type of parking many new drivers are terrified of is parallel parking, where you need to park on the shoulder of the road between two vehicles. However, once you understand the rules of parallel parking, your car will practically park itself.

  • Put on your right blinker long before you get to the parking spot.
  • Stop so your rear bumper is lined up with the rear bumper of the first car.
  • Turn your front wheel all the way to the right.
  • Drive very slowly in reverse (with your foot on the brake) until your car is just about 45 degrees (a perfect half-angle) to the first car and then stop.
  • Completely straighten out the front wheel.
  • Drive slowly backward until your right side mirror is about lined up with the corner rear bumper of the first car and stop.
  • Turn your front wheel all the way to the left.
  • Drive slowly backward, being careful not to let the front of your car hit the back of the first car or bumping into the second car in back of you.
  • If you've followed the first few steps, your car will line itself up parallel to the curb and perfectly spaced between the two vehicles.

Practice Makes Perfect

Other driving skills you'll learn in driving classes include how to handle 4-way intersections, how to drive through rotary circles, and how to get on and off the interstate. All of these procedures have their own set of rules that you need to understand when you're learning to drive a car. Be sure you learn about and practice all of those procedures before you take your driving test. If you do, you'll pass it with flying colors.

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