Driver's Test

The driver's test is a strange test. It's a test that you have to drive perfect for just you can never drive like that again. It's also very awkward to have someone sit in your car, tell you what to do, and write stuff down. I failed my first driver's test. Apparently, I wasn't scanning enough, even though I felt I did scan sufficiently. That's part of the hard part. You have to be very animated. The proctor isn't looking at your pupils, just your head. Be sure to exaggerate everything (in a good way).

What To Bring To Your Driver's License Test

Here's a quick list of what you need to bring to a California DMV driver's license test. Be sure not to lose any of these.

• Your learner's permit
• Parent's signature to verify 50 hours of driving practice
• Certificate of completion of behind-the-wheel training (typically orange)
• Certificate of completion of driver's ed (pink for online and blue for classroom)
• Proof of registration for vehicle
• Proof of insurance for vehicle
• Passport or original birth certificate
• Social security card

Driving To School

If you feel like you need more driving hours, be sure you try driving to your school. I recommend driving earlier to allow for driving the way a student driver should and to avoid stress and accidents. The other day, by leaving early, I missed an accident by minutes. The accident caused so many people to be late to class. Always leave early...

Flooring It On The Freeway

On my last driving lesson, I was told to slam my foot on the gas and floor it and to not stop until my instructor told me so. Believe it or not, this is a very good skill. It helps in a situation where you're in a blind spot of a large truck and you have nowhere to go but forward. Sometimes the strangest things can be lifesavers...

What To Do When You Get Pulled Over

I'm not saying I was pulled over yet, but in my last driving lesson, my instructor told me this. So basically, the first thing you want to do is put on your emergency blinkers, acknowledging that you will cooperate with the peace officer. If you're on a freeway, get off of it and go to a side street or parking lot where the peace officer won't get hit easily. Then, after you've pulled over, turn off the engine, put both hands on top of the steering wheel, and lower your window. When asked for your driver's license and registration, calmly say, "Officer, my license is in [location of the license] and my registration is in [location of the registration]. May I get them?" This acknowledges that you will get your license out of the wallet in your back pocket, not a gun. Hopefully, these tips can get you out of a ticket. Maybe I'll write when I get pulled over... That's for another time...

Anti-lock Brakes

I had another driving lesson yesterday, and I got to try out something called the Anti-lock braking system, or ABS. It makes a car stop quicker on a dry or slippery surface. It was fun testing it out. I would speed up to 50 MPH on a side street (o_O) and slamming my foot on the brake as hard as possible. It proves essential for wet weather (which rarely happens in my area) needing a hard brake, should I need to.

Yielding Left Turns

One of the situations in driving is a yielding left turn.  It's when you stop in the middle of an intersection before turning left to let someone going straight go through first. It's a bit awkward because 75% know what a yielding left turn is. The other 25% will just honk at you. Anyways, those are my thoughts on yielding left turns.