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Practice Lesson

Practice Lesson

Your student driver will progress faster with additional practice outside of class. If possible, we'd like to see the students driving every day for twenty to thirty minutes. Below are some ideas of some "lessons" you may do with your new driver.

Just Starting Out:

Find a vacant parking lot (i.e., a mall on a Sunday morning) and let the student get the feel of driving without having to worry about other traffic. Practice straight-away driving. Later add right and left turns and backing up.

Getting Better:

Go to "quiet" residential streets with minimal traffic. Drive carefully and practice turns. The student should be focusing his/her attention forward using skills we cover in our classrooms. We call this the "IPDE Process." IPDE is a four-step tool for decision-making for safe driving. It works like this:  


Step 1: IDENTIFY

Use visual search patterns to identify open and closed zones, specific clues, other users, roadway features and conditions, and traffic controls.

 

Step 2: PREDICT

Use knowledge, judgment, and experience to predict the actions of other users, speed, direction, and control.  


Step 3: DECIDE

Decide to use one or more actions to change or maintain speed, change directions, or communicate.  


Step 4: EXECUTE

Execute your decisions to control speed, steer, communicate, or combine actions.  


More Practice:

This would be the time to start introducing the student to driving in moderate traffic conditions. Lane changing and merging can be practiced. The student should continue to use the IPDE Process. Assist the student in determining safe "zones" around all four sides of the vehicle. Angle and parallel parking can also be practiced.

I hope that this has been of use to offer ideas for practicing with your son or daughter. If you have other ideas for practice or lessons, please contact Bill Lech or the student's driving instructor.