Getting Your New Driver Out of the Parking Lot!

A great space for your new driver to acquire some basic driving skills is a parking lot. Keep in mind though that parking lots do have busy times, so be sure to select a quiet time for that particular parking lot. Next step, you and your new driver will want to experience the street scene.
Here are some tips to keep safe! Choose an Appropriate Area – Taking a new driver from the parking lot to a busy road with too many distractions will overwhelm and stress you both! Find an area that has a few parked cars, a slow speed and fairly straight roads without blind curves or hills. Your residential area is generally good as they are familiar with the surroundings.

How to Keep Your New Driver Centred in Their Lane – Practice having your new driver look well ahead down the road, this is a good rule for them to be seeing what is going on a full block ahead. Have them talk to you while they are driving. Ask them what they are seeing. Get them to talk while they drive, which helps you know they see any potentially dangers they could encounter. An example is: “I see a bus pulled over to the side of the road” or “I see a pedestrian waiting to cross the street” or “I see a car backing out of their driveway”. As their co-driver, your job is to ensure they have time to act appropriately. Scan Every Intersection with L.C.R. – An important set of letters to learn to drive through an intersection are L.C.R. - LEFT, CENTRE, and RIGHT. Have your new driver scan EVERY intersection (with traffic lights and without). The scan should be completed before they enter the intersection. If they are stopped at a red light, always have your new driver scan LCR:

1. WHEN the light turns green.
2. BEFORE they enter the intersection.

This allows for a brief pause before entering the intersection which is a potentially life saving move. Most cars running a yellow or red light would have been through by the time your new driver enters.

Consider having a Professional MTO Approved Driving School Train your New Driver - The benefit of proper training is the creation of life saving habits. The best way to create new habits is by doing and practicing skills until they become engrained. Simulation training is one solution to help establish these habits. The aviation industry understands this principle as simulation training is an integral part of a pilots training program. The combined approached of simulation training as well as on-road training provides the best foundation for keeping new drivers safe and collision free. DriveWise driver training program uses the simulator as a learning tool during the classroom training time. The new driver will be taught basic skills like hand over hand steering and proper left and right hand turns on the simulator first which is then re-enforced on road in-car with their driving instructor. This combined with plenty of practice builds the foundation of proper habits. Simulation training goes beyond basic skills delving into more advanced driving techniques and showing new drivers how to handle all emergency scenarios while safely in the classroom. The simulator helps build the new driver’s confidence which in turn gives the co-driver the confidence to take the new driver out of the parking lots!