Every learner driver has a lot to learn before they can get behind the wheel of a car on their own. The prospect is both exciting and daunting. Once you get that license, you are free to go anywhere you want. Still, you can get that license without enough hours of training.
While many will learn the skills from friends and family, most find that professional lessons are the best option. There are plenty of driving schools in Connecticut ready to help you learn all you need to know. Why are these lessons so beneficial, and how do they compare to learning from a parent?
Do You Need Professional Lessons?
The simple answer here is yes. There isn’t a legal requirement to work with a professional driving company. All they ask is that you receive 40 hours of training from someone with 4 years of experience and no suspensions.
That could be a parent, friend, or mentor at work. The problem is that this amateur approach can only get you so far. You will learn so much more with a professional teacher. When you enroll in a local CT driving school, you gain access to all the following information.
What Do You Learn In Driving Lessons?
1) Basic driving skills
Professional driving lessons have to start with the basics. Even if you have spent time learning some skills with friends and family, you need to hear it from a professional. After all, can you be sure that what you were taught was the correct and most effective way to do something? Would a driving examiner still pass your parents these days?
Basic driving skills start with an understanding of the accelerator, brake, clutch, steering, and gears. The latter is important if you ever find yourself in a manual rather than an automatic. If you can drive down a road at the right speed without stalling or swerving into things, you’re off to a good start. From there, you can learn the finer details about where to put your hands on the wheel, how to check your mirrors, and how to signal effectively.
2) How to park
This one is something that many drivers could use a refresher course on. You can watch some people failing to back into a space at a parking lot and wonder how they passed their test. There is a trick to it, with timing and control when reversing and lining up the car. This all assumes that you’re good at reversing around a corner too.
That’s something you need to learn, and a good instructor will be patient enough to help you master it. Parallel parking is another skill many drivers struggle with. Again, professional instruction should help you get by here.
3) How to be observant on the road
This is something that’s easily overlooked when thinking about driving skills. However, safety and road awareness is crucial at all times. Driving is dangerous. All kinds of external variants can impede your journey and pose a hazard. You need to be aware of all potential risks, such as looking out for red lights, pedestrian crossing, children playing by the road, cars on blind corners, railroad crossings, and more.
The more of these you can simulate with an instructor or experience firsthand, the better your understanding. You can learn how to perform emergency brakes, what to do in icy conditions, and other ways to deal with hazards. On that note, you should also learn how to put your hazard lights on. The added benefit of doing this with a trained instructor is that you have someone with dual control of the car – just in case of an emergency.
4) How to handle different environments
The more time you spend out on the road with a professional driving instructor, the more experience you can get. The problem with going out with friends and family is that you might go around the same neighborhoods and parking lots all the time. You need the chance to get out and try new areas and conditions.
For example, if you’ve spent all your time in a quiet suburb with limited traffic, you need to get out into the city and learn about heavy traffic and junctions. You can head out to the countryside, where there are different road signs and rougher tracks to contend with. You can also do some highway driving practice with the best driving schools.
5) How to respect other drivers
This last point is another one easily overlooked. When you go out for a driving lesson, it is easy to focus on your car and your driving. However, you can’t ignore all the other drivers on the road. You need to learn how to drive in a considerate manner that keeps everyone safe and shows respect.
Respect toward other drivers is more than refraining from giving hand gestures if you get cut off. It means learning the right of way in various situations, how to dim your headlights, how to maintain the right speed, and how to keep your distance from the car in front. Again, this is something that parents may not think to add to a driving lesson of their own.
Building Skills And Confidence With Professional Instructors
When you find a driving instructor you can trust who has ample experience, you have a better chance of passing. The right teacher can help you gain a lot of confidence out on the road. They will test you to your limits as you tackle everything you need to know over those 40 hours of training. However, as tough as this is at local driving schools, it isn’t the same as working with your parents.
Parents may think they are giving you an easy ride, but that isn’t always a good thing. They may neglect to teach you things along the way. They may also fail to give you constructive feedback on your lesson because they want to be supportive and kind. The risk here is that you pick up bad habits and don’t improve enough to pass the test.
Alternatively, you might find there is extra pressure to do well and protect the car because this is your parent and not a stranger. They might be more anxious and protective, pulling you up on every flaw and mistake. This can be draining.
So, the best option for any new driver really is to trust professional instructors and book those 40 hours of expert tuition. You can learn so much more this way and get a comprehensive overview of driving skills. You will be more prepared than ever to handle anything on the road and finally get that new license.