Curriculum Outline
Student Course | Instructor Course
Student Course
INTRODUCTION:
MODULE 1: Knowing Your Travel Laws
The complete State Driver Handbook presented by Virtual Instruction
- Your license to drive: applying for a learner’s permit & testing, State laws and related issues,
- Right of way concepts: intersections, merge area's, special situations, highway rail grade crossings,
- Traffic control devices: signals, signs, channelizing devices, pavement markings, signaling,
- Controlling traffic flow: passing, turning, stopping, standing, parking, speed limits, following distances, headlight, freeway driving concerns, problem situations, winter driving,
- Drinking and driving video,
- Cooperating with other users: sharing the road with bicycles, trucks, and motorcyclists, safe driving, crash evolvement, and safety concerns.
MODULE 2: Preparing to Operate a Vehicle
- Pre/post drive tasks, check outside, under the hood checks, driver readiness security/seating/restraints/mirrors, starting/securing tasks,
- Symbols and devices: alerts and warnings, symbols and controls,
- Occupant protection: force of impact, energy absorbing designs, safety belts,
- Operating vehicle control devices: steering columns, wheel adjustment, parking brakes, pedals, cruise control, all devices instruments accessible to the driver.
MODULE 3: Basic Maneuvering Tasks
- Vision & perception: targeting, useful vision areas, speed & effect on vision, preventing blind spot crashes, mirror glare, blind zone elimination demonstration
- Basic maneuvers: entering roadway tasks, moving onto a roadway, curb, or backing up,
- Reference points: limitations, lane positions,
- Understanding vehicle balance: seat adjustment, steering techniques and control, evasive steering, changing balance form side to side, front to rear, and rear to front.
MODULE 4: Basic Maneuvering Tasks/Low
- Risk and reduction: what is risk, risk factors, driving behaviors which increase risk, guidelines for collision avoidance, keys to reducing risk,
- Space management: search management, space cushions, traffic lights, handling other drivers,
- Changing lanes: reasons and steps for change lanes, advanced planning, steering control, gap selection,
- Turn/Abouts: protected/unprotected turns, right and left turns, special turns/methods, choosing a parking space, curb, angle, perpendicular, parallel and special parking.
MODULE 5: Driver Readiness
- Driver attention/distractions: types of distractions, tips for safe driving, distraction ranking/articles,
- Developing good driving habits: processing habits, top 11 novice driving errors, 15 habits to safe driving,
- Curves/Hills: intersections, lane flows, shared lanes, mirror usage for these,
- Passing: passing/being passed, passing considerations, no-passing situations, multilane roads, as well as, laws for overtaking, passing, and related subjects.
MODULE 6: Highway Driving
- Characteristics: expressways, exits, types of interchanges (clover leaf, diamond, trumpet), expressway signs,
- Entering/Changing/Exiting: entering, changing, multi-lane passing, roadway exit, trip planning,
- High speed considerations: potential dangers, reducing risk on multilane expressways,
- Environments: heavy traffic, rural driving, road and surface changes, mountain driving, and desert driving.
MODULE 7: Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Introduction to alcohol: effects, men vs. women, teens, symptoms of problem drinking, driver responsibilities, responsibilities of friends, behavior as a result of consumption, why teens drink, did you know, myth and facts, occurrences/ consequences, reasons and ways to say NO,
- BAC factors: what is BAC, stages, absorption, bloodstream, drink content, state laws,
- Body and mind: body's response to drugs and alcohol, psychological effects, alcohol abuse, DUI,
- Substances: other drugs, club drugs, what is marijuana, why do teens use it, short and long term effects, impact on driving, inhalants, tobacco, and over the counter drugs.
MODULE 8: Driver Performance/Personal Factors
- Emotions and how they affect driving: controlling them, attitude and our driving, stress,
- Dealing with driver fatigue: causes of fatigue, dealing with or delaying fatigue,
- Road rage: identifying/preventing road rage, errors and road rage, do you drive aggressively?, handling road rage, avoiding conflict,
- Protecting occupants: safety belts, restraints, restraint laws.
MODULE 9: Adverse Conditions
- Extreme weather: night time driving, low water crossings, flooding, hot weather, cold weather,
- Roadway/Vehicle technology: highway design, automotive technology, vehicle performance,
- Emergencies: off road recovery, emergency swerving, roadway hazards, collisions, vehicle malfunctions,
- Traction loss or skids: road surfaces, traction loss causes, traction loss considerations, and tractions loss corrections.
MODULE 10: Personal Responsibility
- Litter: definition, litter laws, litter prevention and environmental issues, impact on health,
- Trip planning: extended trip, trip/cost planning, map reading,
- Insuring/purchasing a vehicle: ownership responsibilities, insuring, buying a car,
- Maintaining your vehicle: why maintain, keep it running smoothly, vehicle item checklist.
FINAL ASSESSMENT
- 90 question final assessment

Parent Course
LESSON 1: BASIC TECHNIQUES
- pre-post drive procedures
- occupant protection
- operating vehicle control devices
- basic driving maneuvers
LESSON 2: CITY DRIVING PART 1
- targeting, focus vision area
- following distance
- blind zones
- entering roadway tasks
- moving to the side of the road
- backing up
- reference points, lane positions
- seat adjustment, steering wheel control
LESSON 3: CITY DRIVING PART 2
- space management
- communications
- traffic lights
- handling other drivers
- changing lanes
- parking
- turns
LESSON 4: GENERAL DRIVING PART 1
- divided attention/distractions
- intersections
- rules for lane flow
- driving on curves and hills, entering a curve
- passing: 2 lane road, illegal and unsafe passing,
LESSON 5: EXPRESSWAY DRIVING PART 1
- entering the expressway
- changing lanes
- roadway exit
LESSON 6: EXPRESSWAY DRIVING PART 2
- heavy traffic
- course principles on expressway
LESSON 7: GENERAL DRIVING PART 2
- limited visibility
- low water crossing
- highway design features
- automotive technology
- collisions
- traction loss/skids
- off-road recovery
- mechanical failure
- various driving environment
LESSON 8: SUPERVISED DRIVING
- ideas and suggestions for completing the 55 hours of supervised driving
FINAL IN-CAR EVALUATION GUIDE
ANSWER SHEETS AND ALL FORMS |