Learning to drive is a milestone in life and many people want to share the process with their friends and family members. However, having a friend, parent, or sibling teach you to drive is not the best idea. Aside from the fact that socializing may end up taking precedence over focusing on the road, these so-called teachers may have forgotten proper driving techniques or may not be able to express them clearly. Merely having a driver license does not qualify a person to be a driving instructor.
Professional driving instructors are specially trained to provide driving lessons. A good driving school is staffed with instructors who deliver high-quality driver education as evidence by a high initial pass rate on student driving examinations. Instructors tap into multiple levels of skills when teaching a student to drive. Friends or family members simply expect the newbie to get behind the wheel and give the car some gas, never focusing on the knowledge and skills required to safely operate an automobile.
Instructors introduce each skill and then talk through the process involved. Once the instructor has answered questions from the student and verified understanding of the concept, the student demonstrates the skill as the instructor watches. If the student does something incorrectly, the instructor points this out and the student repeats the skill. This process continues until no errors are made.
Students are provided ample time to practice the skills they learn during the lesson, with the instructor observing the process. Once a student is able to complete all driving skills without any mistakes, it is time for the driving test. Some students master driving skills more quickly than others do so driving instructors must have patience and provide the required level of guidance.
Driving lessons cost money but that is no reason to settle for having a friend or family member serve as a driving teacher. A professional driving instructor is far more qualified to teach the correct driving techniques. In fact, some friends and family members could benefit from taking a lesson or two based on the way they behave on the roadways.
The best driving instructors use a methodical process to convey essential driving skills. They gauge student comfort level and skill mastery and adjust their pace of instruction as necessary. The result is a new driver who is comfortable operating an automobile in various situations and is prepared to pass a road test.
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