NH (US) - Driver's Education
In NH, you need to be 15 and a half to learn to drive. You need a birth certificate and an adult over the age of 25.
http://granitestatedrivingschool.com/ is based in Salem, NH, and offers a great course. The instructors take the time for every student to make sure they learn what they need to know to be good, safe drivers.
In addition, you need to complete 40 hours of driving with an adult over the age of 25, 10 of which must be at night. The hours are logged on this sheet http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/forms/dsmv509.pdf.
Skills Practiced / Notes
- Shifting Before learning to drive, I taught my daughter how to shift. We started in a school parking lot, then moved to an industrial park, during non-business hours. Finally, we worked on shifting on hills. Don’t go on the road if you can’t shift consistently. Use the air conditioner or turn the defroster on, because some newer cars use the air conditioner as part of the defroster, which adds some load on the engine and affects the shifting.
- Instructor’s recommendations While attending the course, after each driving hour, the instructor suggested areas to work on. We did.
- Adjustments Once the new driver has adjusted the car, try to leave it as they set it up. It’s easier for an experience driver to adapt than a new driver to readjust all the settings.
- Time of day New drivers are much more comfortable when there aren’t many cars on the road. Early morning and later evening are safer. Rush hour is a bad idea for a new driver.
- Thinking A list of written directions, specifically street names and directions reminds new drivers that they have to be able to read the street signs as they are driving, and react accordingly.
- Parallel parking The ability to parallel park isn’t just about parking, it shows if a driver can maneuver the car in a limited area. This is best practiced in an empty parking lot, whether or not there are parallel spaces. The tires and rims of your car will appreciate it if you choose an area without a curb for the first few practices.
- Bad intersections A bad intersection is a place where two or more roads come together and it’s difficult to safely proceed. Unfortunately, there are many, and every driver encounters them occasionally. It is important that new drivers go through some bad intersections to learn how to get safely through them (patience and care), and how to avoid them by choosing alternate routes.
- Weird paths Weird paths are a series of turns, merges, and transfers that are unusual. New drivers need to recognize weird paths and learn how to pass through them safely (patience, read the signs, be extra alert, and be ready to take a wrong turn if you can’t proceed safely in the direction you want to)
- Local highways In addition to the basics of highway driving, it’s important to teach students about lanes that merge and exit, so they aren’t surprised. Most people use the same segments of area highways over and over, so new drivers should spend a good amount of time on those sections, both during the day and at night.
- Road variety Although most people use the same roads over and over, it’s vital that a variety of roads are traveled for practice. Hilly, windy, narrow, bumpy, visibility restricted, one way, and multi-lane roads should be visited.
- Rush hour Once the new driver is competent at controlling the car and reacting to road conditions and situations, they should drive during rush hour. Other drivers are tired, hungry and often cross. It’s important to be careful, courteous, and patient, because often the traffic is heavy and slightly faster where possible.
- Night Drive at night, use the brights. Learn where animals are likely to cross, especially those like moose and deer, as well as frogs, which can make the road surface very slippery.
- Gauges Running out of gas is a hazard, new drivers need to learn how to read the gauges, including what the normal measures are for the temperature and alternator.
- Owner’s Manual Knowing where the owner’s manual is (hopefully the glove compartment), and that it contains all sorts of vital information is important. Most people don’t have to change a flat often enough to remember the correct sequence of actions. In addition, differentiating between a solid check engine light and one that’s flashing can avoid stranding a new motorist.
- Signals Teach drivers that signaling is extremely important. It’s the only way other drivers know what they want to do.
- Parking lots Avoiding pedestrians is extremely important. New drivers need to learn where pedestrians are more likely to be (near the store entrances and exits) and that they often appear from between cars unexpectedly.
The instructors had another important reminder. The more time you spend practicing with a new driver, the safer they should be. Once they’re licensed, they will still need practice and reminders.