Driver's Ed Drive Students People Learning Driving Learn

In most states, people can get their "learner's permit" (permission to drive under the supervision of an adult) at age 15. They spend the next year learning how to drive, and when they are 16 they can try to pass the written and driving tests to "earn" (get something through hard work) their driver's license. Most people learn how to drive with the help of parents or an older "sibling" (brother or sister), but many also take "driver's ed" or "driver's education" classes.

Many "insurance companies" (companies that make payments if one gets in an accident, in exchange for monthly payments) will lower the "premium" (the amount paid per month to have insurance) for drivers who have completed driver's ed, so there is a significant "incentive" (reason or motivation to do something) for parents to put their teenagers in driver's ed. Some larger high schools offer driver's ed courses for students, but in most cases families pay for driver's ed classes offered by local businesses or a community college.

In a driver's ed course, students learn "the rules of the road" (laws about how one should drive) and the importance of becoming a "defensive driver" (a driver who is always looking ahead for potential problems and doing things to avoid getting into accidents). Once students have "mastered" (completely understood) the basics, they "get behind the wheel of" (drive) a "modified" (changed; adapted) car. The instructor sits in the passenger seat, but has access to emergency controls to stop or turn the car as needed, in case the student gets into a dangerous situation.

Students begin by driving in empty parking lots, learning how to "accelerate" (increase speed), "brake" (slow down or stop), and park. Then they go onto regular roads, but the car is marked with the words "student driver" so that other drivers can be "cautious" (careful).