You may know how to drive well, but there are things you can keep in mind that will make your driving test go more smoothly.

Before you ever leave home, check your turn signals, brake lights and headlights. These will be tested before you ever leave the parking lot for your road test. Make sure you have any paperwork that must be turned in, and take your learner’s permit with you. Travel to the testing location with a licensed driver. Getting turned down and rescheduled is not an auspicious beginning to this banner day in your life.

Get to the testing location on time. Most license bureaus are quite crowded and there are sometimes long waits beyond your appointed time. Bring a book to keep you occupied in the lobby if this happens to you.

Either leave your cell phone at home or turn it off. The middle of your road test is not a good time to receive a phone call. Try to relax with your examiner. Be friendly, but let him do most of the talking. Remember, he does not know you, and he is about to go into traffic not knowing if you can drive safely or not. He may be as nervous as you are!

Listen to your examiner carefully. He will not ask you to do any maneuvers you haven’t already become familiar with in your driving manual. Hopefully you’ll have studied it and practiced a great deal. If you are unsure what it is he wants you to do, ask for clarification. He would rather you understand his request than have you do something wrong, or dangerous.

Keep your eyes on the road as much as possible when you are driving. Check your speedometer often but briefly. Do the same with your rear-view mirrors. Your examiner needs to know that you are aware of the traffic around you. This tells him you are prepared to react in case of an accident or unexpected move by another vehicle.

Brake as evenly as you can. Use your turn signals at all times when making lane changes, or right/left turns. Do what the examiner asks you to do with as much finesse as you can muster.

Be prepared with the maneuvers many people have trouble with. Practice parallel parking every chance you get until it becomes second nature to you. Three-point turns are also difficult for some. Go over these and anything else that gives you trouble. Remember the rules for three- or four-way stops. Go to a location where you can practice these, but remember to watch out for other drivers. They aren’t as freshly tutored in the rules as you are.

Stay calm and trust the examiner. If you have practiced your driving sufficiently and you know the rules well, you’ll have no trouble passing the driving portion of your test. Congratulations, new driver! Now go get your picture taken. You won’t like the way it turns out, but that won’t stop you from showing it proudly to your family and friends every chance you get.

In the classroom you’ll learn about the responsibilities of driving. You’ll be taught the meanings of road signs and the correct procedures for managing intersections. Some classes even go so far as to teach how to change a flat tire. The rules and regulations are stressed, ensuring that by the time you’ve graduated from the course you’ll understand what’s lawful and what’s not.

A lot of chair time goes toward learning safety behind the wheel. There’s instruction regarding driving in adverse weather conditions, especially those that make roads slippery and dangerous. Students learn defensive techniques for coming out of a spin or a skid. Hopefully you’ll also come to understand the dangers of playing at drifting games with your friends. You’ll learn about the basic issues of remaining alert at all times when driving. It’s not always a matter of what the driver is doing but of what the other driver is doing, so you have to pay attention. Yes, this means no texting or talking on the cell phone while driving.

One of the units you’ll study will be about driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Inexperience behind the wheel and intoxication are deadly, and to press home the seriousness of this issue, many driver ed classes will require you to watch a movie depicting the consequences of driving under these conditions. While a teacher might fail to get these points across to the students while lecturing, the visual will get their attention fast. Most students, when asked what they remember about their driver ed class will invariably say, “the movie”.

You’ll become aware of issues surrounding accidents and be taught how to prevent accidents from happening, as well as what to do in case of an accident. Your teacher will impress upon you the importance of maintaining your vehicle so that it runs properly and isn’t a threat to other vehicles or people.

Molding the attitude is one of the most important aspects of these classes. You can’t be cavalier when behind the wheel of a car or truck, you have to be level headed and calm. The dangers of road rage will be discussed, as well as the reasons certain hand signals are not approved by the DOT, and you know the ones I’m talking about.

Driver’s Ed classes have extensive resources available for teaching road skills and practical driving knowledge. They’re taught by professionals so all the important aspects of driving are touched upon. You’ll learn a lot during driver’s ed and you’ll become proficient behind the wheel, making yourself and those sharing the road with you much safer.