Questions to ask yourself:

• How much do I know about automobiles and traffic laws?
• Can i skillfully maneuver my vehicle?
• Do I drive with a calm, courteous, patient, foreseeing and mature attitude?
• Do I understand defensive driving techniques?

Three key points to defensive driving:

• Know what to look out for and when to look out for them
• Keep a safe distance away from all surrounding vehicles
• Communicate with other road users (i.e. properly using signal lights)

Preparations before driving:

Question:

Is it safe for someone who is ill either mentally or physically to drive a vehicle that has problems or a vehicle with which s/he is unfamilar?

• Only drive when you are in good mental and physical health
• Familiarize yourself with the vehicle you drive - know the controls, meters, gauges, lights, etc.
• Properly adjust the seat, headrest and mirrors
• Keep the front and rear windshields as well as side windows clean to maintain a clear field of vision
• Check all around the vehicle in a counter-clockwise direction
• Properly secure your seatbelt

Basic driving techniques:

• Keep your eyes moving, be observant
• Turn carefully and steadily
• Signal appropriately
• Whenever possible, stay in the right lane
• Do not exceed the speed limit

How to safely cross intersections:

• Strictly follow directions at intersections controlled by traffic lights, yield signs or stop signs
• Strictly follow traffic laws at intersections without traffic lights, yield signs or stop signs; courteously yield to vehicles with the right-of-way

How to correctly stop your vehicle:

• Stop behind the white stop line where they are present
• Stop behind the pedestrian crossing line where stop lines are not present
• Stop behind the intersection border where neither of the above are present
• Stop at least 5m away from railroad crossings
• Stop at least 20m away from school buses with flashing stop lights

What are the direction-changing maneuvers?

• Left turns, right turns
• Reverse
• Turning around: U-turn, 3-point turn, 2-point turn

What are the position-changing maneuvers?

• Lane change
• Passing from the left side (complex lane change)
• Passing street cars from the right side

Basic parking types:

• Parallel parking
• Head-in, back-in, 45-degree parking
• Hillside parking
• Roadside parking

Key points to Highway driving:

• G1 licence holders can only drive on the highway accompanied by a licensed instructor
• Make sure to achieve the appropriate speed when entering the highway
• Stay alert
• Carefully choose your exit and slow down when exiting the highway (the next exit could be several kilometers away!)

How to properly handle special and emergency situations:

• Road construction - Focus on the signs and directions given by the construction workers while maintaining appropriate speed
• Animals on the road - Pay attention to warning signs, as animals could endanger the safety of both vehicles and their drivers; slow down and circumvent only small animals when it is safe to do so
• Ambulance, fire engine, police car - Yield; try to stop at the side of the road to let it pass; do not follow within 150m of the emergency vehicle
• Night driving - Look in the forward right direction to prevent glare from incoming traffic; use low/high-beam lights appropriately
• Driving in fog - Slow down and proceed with caution; turn on your low-beam lights
• Driving in rain - The best way to prevent skid is by reducing speed; try maintain a clear line of sight
• Flooded sections (i.e. under bridges) - Make sure the water depth is below exhaust pipe before proceeding; be aware that some engines will stall from the excessive water, so take an alternate route if possible
• Sideslip - Release the throttle; AVOID braking; turn toward the slipping direction to regain control of the vehicle
• Driving on ice and snow - Drive slowly and carefully; assess your surrounding environment at all times; try to predict the movement of traffic before it happens so you can react early
• Brake failure - Remain calm; pump the brake a few more times as it probably still has some functionality left; make use of the hand brake and shift to a lower gear; grind the wheels against the curb when absolutely necessary
• Throttle failure (uncontrollable acceleration or unable to accelerate) - Switch to neutral gear; stop the vehicle somewhere safe and try to repair the problem
• Dysfunctional headlights - Check the switch; safely stop the vehicle when possible and try to repair the problem
• Break-down on the highway - Park safely on the shoulder of the road with emergency lights on; place warning signs/pylons/flares behind the vehicle and call the police or the CAA
• Accidentally drove off-road - Remain calm; do not accelerate; do not steer hard towards the road; return to the road when the vehicle is under control and the road is clear
• Flat tire - Remain calm; do not accelerate; do not brake (the flat tire will slow the vehicle down by itself); firmly grasp the steering wheel and steer the vehicle off the road when it has slowed down