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The Driving Book: Everything New Drivers Need to Know but Don't Know to Ask
Even after taking Driver's Ed and passing that dreaded road test, there are so many things new drivers need to learn about the practical aspects of driving that will only come from experience.
Handing over the keys is a traumatic rite of passage for parents, and they will sleep better knowing that The Driving Book is in their teens' glove compartments. Covering virtually every scenario a new driver may face, from changing a tire to negotiating privileges with parents to handling a car in bad weather, Karen Gravelle helps teen drivers navigate through tricky new territory-on the road and at home.
Handing over the keys is a traumatic rite of passage for parents, and they will sleep better knowing that The Driving Book is in their teens' glove compartments. Covering virtually every scenario a new driver may face, from changing a tire to negotiating privileges with parents to handling a car in bad weather, Karen Gravelle helps teen drivers navigate through tricky new territory-on the road and at home.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
133 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 15, 2025
4 Stars
Definitely learned a lot from this book! Great tips and tricks for new drivers like me. 😊 There is information, though, that is no longer new to me and is logical, like you need to have a credit card handy all the time in case the gas station doesn't accept cash, but it was good information still. I also love the fun illustrations included. Kudos to the artist!
Definitely learned a lot from this book! Great tips and tricks for new drivers like me. 😊 There is information, though, that is no longer new to me and is logical, like you need to have a credit card handy all the time in case the gas station doesn't accept cash, but it was good information still. I also love the fun illustrations included. Kudos to the artist!
August 25, 2022
This is my “outside my comfort zone” book for SPL’s Book Bingo because I never learned to drive and am trying to start this year (at 27)! It’s surprisingly difficult to find books sharing driving advice; I thought this one was pretty good, offering a rundown of many situations you might find yourself in on the road (inclement weather, road rage, speeding tickets, etc). I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that this book was heavily aimed toward teenagers, but I would have definitely preferred if the “what to do if you get in an accident” advice was more robust than “say your parents’ policy is to not have this conversation without them.” Still, I think I got some good nuggets out of it—and thought it was a cute/fast read.
January 11, 2022
My boyfriend gave this book to me from when he was a new driver. Even though I’m a little old, this was really helpful. It was a tad cheesy but it was super helpful and fun to read, didn’t feel like a textbook but rather a helpful guide to driving.
May 27, 2020
Even though it wasn’t necessarily a fun book to read, it was very helpful, and I will probably turn to it for tips for years. It doesn’t tell you how to drive, but it tells you how to do certain things in certain situations, and that’s why this book deserves five stars.
July 22, 2012
A great gift for any new teenage driver, this book doesn’t repeat drivers ed., but instead tells you about things you should have in your car, cautions about driving with too many friends and/or kids, reviews car maintenance, etc. There are many short stories sprinkled out from teenagers about why certain things are important.
March 18, 2020
This book is heavily informational and is based on teenagers driving in modern time in the 2000's. There are no main characters, but rather an author plus short stories from teens in the United States. The book is intended to help junior drivers as they learn the important concepts and responsibilities of driving a car.
As a teen learning to drive, this book was quite valuable. Some aspects of the book would be more relatable once you have had some more experience driving, and already have your licence. However, the book was still impactful for a youth with a permit that is learning to drive. The book really impacted me particularly in learning that there are so many car maintenance responsibilities that go into driving. Because I learned about these things, I will now make sure to be prepared for the physical condition of a car when I use, or have a car. The book influences the world, because it's educating youth drivers about many crucial details of driving a car, that some people wouldn't think to ask about until the moment happens. Teens are fairly new inexperienced drivers, and educating the young drivers that will be on the road can help prevent car accidents, and provide responsible adolescent drivers on the roads.
Some minimal negative feedback I would give is that the book talk more about dealing with stress while driving, mentions more detail about safety and airbags in a car, and finally mentions tips for parking a car. The book is well written, but including more important topics such as these would improve the book even better!
Questions for the author would be: Was there a significant experience that involved driving which promoted the author to write this book? Out of teens that have read this book, how many were prepared and knew what to do in an emergency? How did the author narrow down which topics to include in the book?
Overall, this book was useful and practical for kids learning to drive. I suggest you read it if you have your permit, or recently have gotten your licence.
As a teen learning to drive, this book was quite valuable. Some aspects of the book would be more relatable once you have had some more experience driving, and already have your licence. However, the book was still impactful for a youth with a permit that is learning to drive. The book really impacted me particularly in learning that there are so many car maintenance responsibilities that go into driving. Because I learned about these things, I will now make sure to be prepared for the physical condition of a car when I use, or have a car. The book influences the world, because it's educating youth drivers about many crucial details of driving a car, that some people wouldn't think to ask about until the moment happens. Teens are fairly new inexperienced drivers, and educating the young drivers that will be on the road can help prevent car accidents, and provide responsible adolescent drivers on the roads.
Some minimal negative feedback I would give is that the book talk more about dealing with stress while driving, mentions more detail about safety and airbags in a car, and finally mentions tips for parking a car. The book is well written, but including more important topics such as these would improve the book even better!
Questions for the author would be: Was there a significant experience that involved driving which promoted the author to write this book? Out of teens that have read this book, how many were prepared and knew what to do in an emergency? How did the author narrow down which topics to include in the book?
Overall, this book was useful and practical for kids learning to drive. I suggest you read it if you have your permit, or recently have gotten your licence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2021
Have you ever wanted to know about driving but you don't know how to ask? The Driving Book: Everything New Drivers Need to Know but Don't Know to Ask by Karen Gravelle is a great starter for new and existing drivers. I ended up reading the updated version of this short book, which was published in 2015, and I am suggesting that you read this book. This book does not talk about some of the basic things you learn in a Drivers Ed class, however, you learn a lot more about "life on the road" (everyday driving and driving experiences) than you would from Drivers Ed. From road rage, driving in bad weather, getting gas, and driving in unknown areas you've never driven on before, this book mentions all of it.
There's a lot more you learn and can remember about driving with this book, "[...] even many experienced drivers have trouble remembering everything," so it's always a good idea to keep this book and even better, read it (Gravelle 1). This is one of the reasons why I am suggesting this read to anybody who is learning to drive or needs to remember what to do on the road (for example, if your car breaks down on the road), and plus, you can always keep this book with you in the car; "[...]The Driving Book is small enough to fit in your glove compartment" (Gravelle 3). As a new driver, I have used this book as a mentor and learned a lot more about driving because of it.
There's a lot more you learn and can remember about driving with this book, "[...] even many experienced drivers have trouble remembering everything," so it's always a good idea to keep this book and even better, read it (Gravelle 1). This is one of the reasons why I am suggesting this read to anybody who is learning to drive or needs to remember what to do on the road (for example, if your car breaks down on the road), and plus, you can always keep this book with you in the car; "[...]The Driving Book is small enough to fit in your glove compartment" (Gravelle 3). As a new driver, I have used this book as a mentor and learned a lot more about driving because of it.
October 22, 2022
Pretty good but baseline information, like all the other reviews. With that being said, I do wish one thing was addressed:
So much of the book was about other people's peer pressure to drive them or drink or do drugs or how the driver fights with their parents and wants to drive so bad, but I really wish there was a section addressing "what if you don't want to drive" or anxious driving that wasn't just post-accident because I think that nowadays there are a lot more people who feel like driving is a burden, anxiety inducing, and not a freedom that they really want. Advice on how to get over driving anxiety or parental pressure to drive when you don't feel ready would have been super helpful and left a stronger impact than the book ended up leaving on me.
So I guess this is to say, although there's some solid advice, the social parts felt dethatched, dated, and didn't resonate with me or hold my attention.
So much of the book was about other people's peer pressure to drive them or drink or do drugs or how the driver fights with their parents and wants to drive so bad, but I really wish there was a section addressing "what if you don't want to drive" or anxious driving that wasn't just post-accident because I think that nowadays there are a lot more people who feel like driving is a burden, anxiety inducing, and not a freedom that they really want. Advice on how to get over driving anxiety or parental pressure to drive when you don't feel ready would have been super helpful and left a stronger impact than the book ended up leaving on me.
So I guess this is to say, although there's some solid advice, the social parts felt dethatched, dated, and didn't resonate with me or hold my attention.
February 10, 2020
I finished reading the book The Driving Book by Karen Gravelle and I liked it a lot, the book is non-fiction so it is meant to help people. The entire book is helping out new drivers or people who wants to learn more before driving. This book is very handy to read before going out and driving on the busy streets and high ways.
I would give The Driving Book by Karen Gravelle, a 4 out of 5 stars because it is very helpful and very handy. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about driving and what to do in many situations that the book explained what and what not to do. I like how the author Karen Gravelle explained everything in detail and what to do like if your car breaks down or if you ever get a ticket. Gravelle gives every important detail about what to do to make sure that if the reader gets into a situation that happens in the book. But there were parts where it got boring and it went on for a while and it over-exaggerated some parts of the book. Although it’s very handy to know a lot of information about driving if it goes on for too long some people may forget what the author said earlier in the book.
In some parts of the book, it has some jokes in it that makes it more amusing and interesting for the reader it takes some real-life people in the same situation as the part of the book that it is at like when she is explaining what to do when you get into an accident she takes a person that’s been in the situation and they say what they did and then she says if it’s a good idea to follow what she said and or what to do instead.
The driving book hits every mark on what to do about anything it has to do about driving from getting out of the driveway, getting gas, and driving on the expressway. I think that that is very important information that any driver should know and I think that anyone who is first getting into driving should get this book and read it all the way through to learn important information about driving. The book is very well written it’s very understandable and gets straight to the point, the entire story is about teaching the reader about driving and what to do in situations. (getting gas, driving on the highway)
I think this book will help a lot of new drivers I highly recommend it.
I would give The Driving Book by Karen Gravelle, a 4 out of 5 stars because it is very helpful and very handy. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about driving and what to do in many situations that the book explained what and what not to do. I like how the author Karen Gravelle explained everything in detail and what to do like if your car breaks down or if you ever get a ticket. Gravelle gives every important detail about what to do to make sure that if the reader gets into a situation that happens in the book. But there were parts where it got boring and it went on for a while and it over-exaggerated some parts of the book. Although it’s very handy to know a lot of information about driving if it goes on for too long some people may forget what the author said earlier in the book.
In some parts of the book, it has some jokes in it that makes it more amusing and interesting for the reader it takes some real-life people in the same situation as the part of the book that it is at like when she is explaining what to do when you get into an accident she takes a person that’s been in the situation and they say what they did and then she says if it’s a good idea to follow what she said and or what to do instead.
The driving book hits every mark on what to do about anything it has to do about driving from getting out of the driveway, getting gas, and driving on the expressway. I think that that is very important information that any driver should know and I think that anyone who is first getting into driving should get this book and read it all the way through to learn important information about driving. The book is very well written it’s very understandable and gets straight to the point, the entire story is about teaching the reader about driving and what to do in situations. (getting gas, driving on the highway)
I think this book will help a lot of new drivers I highly recommend it.
May 14, 2019
A good book, but definitely aimed at the under-18 crowd. Very well organized, with lots of illustrations and short chapters on everything from maintenance to accidents to insurance and dealing with that want you to become their personal chauffeur. A lot of the consequences for missteps are put in terms of "your parents will probably rescind your driving privileges if you are caught doing X". There were several items in here I hadn't considered, such as being careful not to borrow a car from a friend who tokes, or lend them yours. It aims to cover the widest possible audience and situations, however, so make sure you verify some of the advice with your state or province's laws.
August 10, 2018
This is a great book for teens to read before (or shortly after) they start driving. Some of the topics covered include: what items you should always have in your car and why, how to change a tire, what to do in the event of an accident and even suggestions about how to deal with your friends in regard to anything car related. My daughter will be storing this read in the glove-box in case she needs to double check something or to tell any passengers to read if they need to be distracted so she won't be.
June 29, 2020
I’m not old enough to drive yet, but this book was helpful. Some of the things mentioned were obvious, but that might just be because people in my family are mechanics. I think people should read this even if you can’t drive. It included helpful tips to be a good passenger not just a good driver. I liked how to book shared stories of people in these situations helping you to learn from them. It covered everything I think a driver should know. I think this book would be an important one to keep in the glovebox.
July 11, 2022
this was fairly helpful, I wanted to read it straight through and just have a general knowledge of what info it had. It's pretty easy to read, and definitely has some information I haven't heard before... but I wouldn't say its got to much in-depth info that I would need if I was in some sort of car-related emergency. So I might recommend to new drivers who want a general overview of all the things that could go wrong but I wouldn't recommend as something to keep in you car at all times in case of emergency because most likely your phone or car manual will be of more use than this :)
March 6, 2018
Thus isn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a driver's manual and in a format easy for teens to read. It was geared toward teens but lots of paragraphs and not any specific state driving test information. I got this for my 10 year old who devours everything about cars. He liked it. I can't imagine an older teen reading it.
August 13, 2021
Good book very helpful to new drivers I am going to start my classes in September this year. Back to the book it's very well thought out and holds a lot of information like tailgating and driving at nighttime. Great job on the book Karen Gravelle
January 18, 2022
Has a lot of cartoonish doodles for a teen age group; though almost seems too young for even teens. It doesn't really go into depth on any driving topic. It gives lots of short summaries on several things while not really teaching anything of value.
February 20, 2023
As a new driver, this was certainly informative and covered what to do in a lot of relevant emergency situations. However, do keep in mind that it assumes an existing level of driving knowledge and will not cover technical driving rules — rather, more conceptual ideas.
September 13, 2023
It was helpful in some way, but it didn't include the street signs and what they do and stanned for. I am taking drivers ed next year and I think that this was helpful for that class, but I think that you'll need to do more research for driving but that's to be expected.
June 16, 2018
Meh. Maybe good for teens who don’t know anything about driving.
December 12, 2018
I will soon have 2 teenage drivers. Ugh. This book had good tips and info that make for good preparation and discussion. I read it in under 2 hours, so a quick read as well.
July 11, 2019
Not bad. Not great. It has a few great suggestions in the beginning, but can be quite repetitive of the things we learned in the written test for driving.
December 2, 2019
A book for every driver in the road
not your typical boring book of instructions, a must for every driver. Tips & tricks reality in the road. 5 star
not your typical boring book of instructions, a must for every driver. Tips & tricks reality in the road. 5 star
February 1, 2020
This book is absolutely incredible for anyone who wants to learn more about driving!! I recommend it!! ☺️
November 1, 2020
I'm new to driving so this has been very helpful.
Want to read
December 23, 2020i think this a great book
March 21, 2022
Good review. Intended for teens.
June 18, 2023
I gave it to my 16 year old grandson and 15 year old niece. They both said it was funny but also had great advice and tips.
July 15, 2023
Decent but dated.
October 24, 2023
Boring, but informative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews