Hey everyone, long time no see! As you guys know, I am a
high school junior
. There is so much that goes into junior year — lots of homework, a bunch of projects, and at least a few tests everyday. It can get super stressful! And with such a busy schedule it’s really hard to fit in driving. Here are some ways I have found to squeeze driving into a busy school schedule:
- Ask your parents to let you drive to or from school . In California, more than half of the kids don’t have buses available to them, so depending on how far it is to school, this drive can be a great way to add on some minutes to your driving record. I live about a fifteen-minute drive from my school so it’s an easy and convenient way to rack up hours.
- Use the weekends to your advantage , usually on the weekends my family goes to the movies, or the beach, or a special outing, or something of that nature. Since I have gotten my permit I have always asked to drive. Experience is everything when it comes to driving, so ask to drive as much as possible.
- Suggest a family outing once a week. Offer to drive the family somewhere to gain practice once a week, like going out for ice cream on a Sunday evening. This will also help you break out of your routine and develop other driving skills, such as nighttime driving.
- Always offer to drive. Lastly I think this serves as a good blanket rule to follow — always offer to drive! Like I said before, experience is everything, drive as much as possible, and as often as possible, to prepare for your driving exam. Practice makes perfect, so try to drive a lot before you take you test.
When you have a busy schedule, it can be hard to find time to drive with your parents, but there are lots of ways to fit it in. Of course, you need to make sure some hours are in the evening, some during the day, and to be really good (if you live in an urban area, like my home city of Oakland, Calif.) your driving experience should include some of the tough passages like the MacArthur Maze, which is two miles from my house and where four freeways meet! It isn’t where I started driving the first couple of months but gradually I have taken on these tougher routes.
If you’re still looking for some extra help while you practice, don’t forget to download the new Mentor for Families by eDriving app which tracks your driving hours, performance, and provides helpful training tips to improve your driving skills. Happy driving!
Read more from DriversEd.com’s teen blogger Jett Roberts:
- Teen blogger Jett Roberts talks 1-on-1 with a DriversEd.com driving instructor
- Teen talk: 5 Stars for Mentor, eDriving’s new app!
- Teen Blogger Jett Roberts Picks up Defensive Driving Tips in his Interview with a DriversEd.com Instructor