Though it might not be as romanticized as earning your actual license, your permit still represents an important milestone in your driving career. Your permit test is your opportunity to demonstrate your applied knowledge away from a vehicle. It’s so important because someone who doesn’t know the basic rules of the road shouldn’t be trusted behind the wheel. These are six driving tips to know before taking a permit test.
1. Right of way
A great way to avoid accidents is by knowing about the right of way. Right of way is important to know in situations such as turning and proceeding at a four-way stop. A good way to understand when you have right of way is considering if going first would catch other drivers off-guard and potentially cause an accident. Road laws are in place to keep people safe, including pedestrians. When you earn your permit, you need to remember the right of way rules you’ve been studying. Things can really add up when you realize just how much of a difference it can make to follow the rules and let someone else go before you.
2. Changing lanes
Changing lanes requires following every step every time. This means putting on your turn signal, looking in your mirrors and doing a proper check. Once you’ve ensured that you have space, you can change lanes. You need to keep these practices up no matter what the situation is. Even if you’re on an empty road, you should still demonstrate good driving discipline. There’s never a time when safe driving practices are uncalled for.
3. Three-point turns
A three-point turn is a very common and practical maneuver. This should only be done when there’s little or no traffic around. Examine your mirrors and look behind you to make sure that you’re not going to collide with anyone or anything. Review every aspect of the three-point turn before going into a driving test.
4. Bad weather driving
Your permit test might have questions pertaining to driving in bad weather. These could be about what to do when it starts raining or how to get out of a skid. You need to study these extensively, as they could end up saving your life.
5. Merging
Even if you don’t drive on the interstate for your license test, you still need to know how to merge. Proper merging involves getting up to interstate speeds, signaling, and checking over your shoulder. While your permit test might be more focused on city driving, an understanding of interstate driving is essential. When you merge properly, you help to make the highways safer and do your part to prevent traffic jams.
6. School bus encounters
A stopped school bus is readily identifiable and will likely require you stopping. Make sure you review your state’s handbook to see what exactly you need to do. It’s typically common sense, such as stopping a certain number of feet away and waiting for the bus to proceed before you do. Showing consideration to all citizens is one of your biggest responsibilities as a driver. Don’t let anyone try to bully you into doing something illegal or inconsiderate. Your patience means that you’ll be able to show you deserve to have a license.
There are more than six things to know before taking a permit test, but these are some of the most important ones. While some of it is common sense, other aspects require repetition to really stick with you. Once you have your permit, you can focus on practicing for your license test and look forward to being able to drive on your own.
