hello! i graduated high school about two months ago, and now that i have the time, i'm learning how to drive a car so i can earn my class e license! i've had my learner's permit for approx. two years, and because of that i know plenty about driving except actually doing it haha. so, i'm really seeking to learn some helpful bits to supplement my practicing -- any advice, tips, methods, or techniques while driving are wonderful! additionally, any other car-related knowledge to remember would be helpful, as well

thank you!

Make sure there is plenty of light if you ever need to back up in the dark. Or anywhere really, but I managed to pop some pins out of my front bumper by hitting a hedge and a rock in the dark. So be aware of your surroundings.

Speed limits and things like that are a given, so just don't forget to slow down a little bit for curves. Watch for animals running out in front of you. Also watch for people and cars not paying attention and doing the same thing.

Make sure to signal properly, and make sure to watch cars around you for their signals or lack thereof. Sometimes people don't signal before a turn like they should, then get mad when they almost cause a wreck.

while learning, make sure you have an instructor (be it an official driving instructor or just a family member) who is not only knowledgeable, but also a good and clear teacher. If they're not comfortable teaching you, I can guarantee you won't be comfortable learning from them. Learning from someone who doesn't understand how to communicate lessons, who is anxious, or who has no confidence in your abilities to drive (for whatever reason) will do more harm than good to your learning process - so don't waste any time with them if it can be avoided.

Make sure you have lessons during all sorts of weather conditions, too. The last thing you want during a horrible storm is to realise you have no idea how your car handles on wet roads, for example. Winters can be pretty brutal where I am, so I actually started my lessons driving on snow and ice; summer is a cakewalk in comparison. These are things you're going to need to know eventually, so learn them now before it's a problem.

And, one piece of advice my dad gave me: Always assume the other drivers are idiots who will fuck up at any minute. Keep alert and be prepared for anything.

Good luck!

When on the highway look at least two lanes in the direction to which you are trying to change. Although the lane right next to you may be clear, someone two lanes over could be trying to change into the same lane as you.

Always check your mirrors, even if you're not planning on making any turns or lane changes. It is a good idea to be aware of your surroundings.

Drive slower and break earlier while in the rain. Cars are prone to hydroplaning and skidding in the rain.

First thing my dad ever told me when I got behind a wheel as a teeny teen was:

"You are operating a weapon. REMEMBER THAT."

Otherwise, remember to use your blinkers.

Always leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you, especially in the rain. People will cut in front of you if you leave even the smallest amount of space, so beware of those types.

If you're turning at an intersection and you see someone with their blinkers approaching the intersection, do NOT trust their signal. People can leave their blinkers on or put them on way too early. If you see they're about to turn, then you can go.

Merge points are dangerous. People like to speed up and wait until the very last second to move over. Some people will attempt to ram your side because they ABSOLUTELY have to be in front of you.

Driving is easy... Driving with people on the road is not. Once you drive enough, you'll get a sense of how people in certain areas tend to act. You'll learn to sense the types that will cut in front of you and which ones will drive slower than molasses.

My dad's advice was always ''drive a few blocks ahead.'' This didn't make sense to me at first, however, once you understand the basics of driving and are trying to navigate in traffic it makes a lot of sense and has been extremely helpful. Watch the lights ahead of you so you know when they are going to change, don't rely on the other vehicles' slowing down to tip you off because they might not be paying attention either. Look for construction signs or any sort of obstruction on the road, so you aren't in the wrong lane when the time comes to go around. Keep an eye on the other drivers in case they swerve to avoid something, or if they are just awful drivers so you know that before you get up beside them. Look at the parked cars - look for feet/legs so you see the kid before they see you.

Honestly I could go on and on. For some people it's common sense, but do it consciously so it becomes habit. Always take a look ahead.

Defensive driving. While beginning, you will be hyper-aware of your speed, surroundings, etc. and people will beep at you. Do not let this bother you. It will die down over time as you become comfortable with your driving skills, and the time you spend being extra-careful is well spent, as you will learn a lot about assuming everyone else is on the verge of running a red light or doing something stupid. Leave 1 car space for every 10 mph you're going. If you're going 40 mph, 4 car lengths. Even in traffic. I got into a minor accident because I was following too close (wet roads and confusing traffic circumstances were involved, so don't panic), but it could have been avoided if I'd left more space! Now I know better and I always keep my distance. Leave early. You will never, ever drive your best under pressure. If you need to be somewhere by a certain time, leave early. And never drive tired. Finally, do NOT be afraid of the thru-way, if applicable. I was terrified of it. High speeds, no stopping for lights or signs, lots of traffic? Disaster! Not really, as it turns out. The thru-way is one of the safest places to drive due to the fact that you're not often stopping. The less you change lanes, the better. Merging is the hardest part, but at least around here, people will stay out of the merging lane to make it easier for you, or they will slow down. And once that's over, it's smooth sailing. The thru-way is now my favorite place to drive and I love taking road trips to my friend's town because I get to drive on it for over 2 hours.

Finally, some personal tips: For saving gas, because saving gas is my fav: Don't drive with the windows down (use the a.c. instead), don't have a lot of crap in your car because extra weight burns gas, accelerate slowly and evenly, don't have objects attached to your car that can ruin aerodynamics (i.e. bikes on the roof). For emergencies: Reflective blanket in case you're stranded in freezing weather, flashlight, bandaids, sandwich bags to put in your cupholder and use as a trash bag, medicine such as painkillers and anti-nausea, a hidden bill for emergency gas in case you run out, sunglasses, sunscreen, a car charger, a sweater, spare change, a windshield reflector for hot days to keep your car cooler, and antibacterial wipes.

Other people have mentioned following distance, but I wanted to add that it's important to leave space between your car and the one in front even when stopped. For example, if you pull up behind a car at a red light, you should stop far enough back that you can see where their rear tires touch the ground.

There are two reasons for this. First is that it gives you room to pull forward into the next lane without needing to back up. Let's say you pull up behind a line of three cars stopped in the middle of the road; looking ahead, you realize that the first car in the line is broken down, or maybe there's been an accident. Either way, this line ain't moving. But hey, if you left enough distance between yourself and the car in front, you can easily switch lanes to go around (making sure the other lane is clear first, of course).

The second reason is that, if you are rear-ended by someone behind you, having a proper stopping distance ahead of you makes it less likely that you'll hit the car in front of you. If you do hit that car it means double the impact, double the cars involved in the accident, double the damage to both the car and yourself. Even though these scenarios are uncommon or rare, get in the habit of giving proper stopping distance and you'll be way better off when it eventually happens to you.

One more thing. When you see an animal in the road, you only have a brief window of time to determine the best action. It's important not to panic. Blindly swerving or stopping is not acceptable--swerving or stopping once you've checked your mirrors and surrounding lanes is great. On empty streets at night, I always stop. But if the traffic is heavy and fast, you may not be able to do anything except keep moving forward. It hurts, but you need to rank the safety of human pedestrians and people in your car and those around you higher than the life of the animal. Especially if it's a small critter, there's a chance that it will dodge your wheels and be fine, whereas someone will definitely be hurt if you swerve into another vehicle. You can't predict the exact circumstances before they happen, but thinking about this now helps prepare you to make a choice that harms as few living creatures as possible.

One of my biggest tips is learn how to drive in a parking lot or parkade. I would pick driving on the busiest road in my city in rush hour to driving in a busy parking lot. Parking lots are full of idiots not watching where they're going, pedestrians walking out in front of you without looking, shopping carts and people almost backing into you. Also learning how to turn into tight parking spaces and just generally owning a small vehicle will benefit you a ton.

When merging onto a busy road try to get your speed up to the speed limit of the road you're trying to merge on to, and for the love of god -- do not ever stop in a merge lane, haha! I have seen people do it and unless the merge lane is literally three feet long (or the road you're going on to is severely backed up), you should never have to stop in one.

If it snows a lot where you live, invest in a good pair of winter tires -- mine have saved my ass multiple times. Also if you ever feel yourself slipping on ice, do not suddenly brake or accelerate, let your car peruse for a little bit until you feel you can safely continue driving, or get over into a safer lane. Same goes for water, don't accelerate or try to brake if you feel your car hydroplaning.

All in all, defensive driving is the best skill you can acquire whilst operating a car, and it will save you a lot of grief and allow you to drive a lot more safely even if there are psychos on the road.

The second ten thousand kilometers (i.e. from when you've driven 10,000km to when you've driven 20,000km, total, in your life) are when you're most likely to crash, because that's when your cockiness outweighs your experience.

Never trust children, ever. Grown-ups are idiots too, but children will literally spin on the spot and run into the road for no reason.

Always, always indicate. Even if it's blindingly obvious what you're doing. Even if there's no one else around.

Double-check for motorbikes.

Know your traffic stop rights.

If you're stressed, unsure, inexperienced, in a tight space, or lost, go as slowly as you need to.

If you've had a near-miss, you will go into shock. Pull over if anything outlandish happens and wait for the shakes to go away.

Try to avoid pulling over on the motorway unless absolutely necessary. Hard shoulders are lethal.

A few things I do that I notice some people don't would be checking my mirrors all the time and just paying attention to all the cars around me. Some people don't look over their shoulder before changing lanes which let's you see into your blind spot. Just always assume the worst when driving I guess, without being paranoid. If a car looks like it is going into your lane a bit, move over if you can or just slow down so they won't hit you. If they look like they are going too fast to be turning, then they probably aren't turning. I use my horn all the time when someone makes a bad driving mistake, just to let them know. Hope that helps!

A few things I do that I notice some people don't would be checking my mirrors all the time and just paying attention to all the cars around me. Some people don't look over their shoulder before changing lanes which let's you see into your blind spot. Just always assume the worst when driving I guess, without being paranoid. If a car looks like it is going into your lane a bit, move over if you can or just slow down so they won't hit you. If they look like they are going too fast to be turning, then they probably aren't turning. I use my horn all the time when someone makes a bad driving mistake, just to let them know. Hope that helps!

There is a lot of good advice here (particularly expecting the unexpected!), though I have a tip for you to help you ease pressure off your brakes.

With time, you'll gain a sense for what "going # mph" looks and feels like. As you approach a red light, take your foot off the gas and coast into a stopped position at the light, applying the brakes when you draw near. This will look different depending on how fast you are going. For instance, you will want a lot of distance to coast if you are going high speeds (40mph+) and will need to apply the brake sooner compared to if you are going lower speeds (<35mph) where you don't need as much distance to slow down and eventually brake.

This will sound weird, but the more experience you have behind the wheel, the more you'll begin to feel "one" with the car. You'll be able to predict where a pothole in the road could strike your tire and where you need to move to avoid it, you may "feel" a wheel going flat, and you'll get used to the somewhat short distance between your car and the cars in the lane(s) beside you and sense when they are drifting too close.

If for whatever reason you stop driving for several years on end like I did (went out of the country, went to college, etc), you will keep the knowledge of signage and signaling, but you will lose the feel of driving. When I got behind the wheel after 4 years of not driving at all, it felt foreign. Don't worry though--you will regain this feeling with time and practice.

When learning to drive, what helped me was...

-plan your routes. -always go for the stoplights when crossing if you can -park further back in less packed parking spaces until you get parking down. -Try not driving at night until you get the hang of it. -always double check your mirrors, maybe even a shoulder glance.