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Tennessee driving lesson · Vehicle Control & Defensive Driving

Fit to drive

A 3-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Vehicle Control & Defensive Driving
Checkpoint questions
5
Source pages
112, 113

Your ability to drive safely depends on being in shape to drive: seeing clearly, being rested, being healthy and calm, and being free of alcohol and drugs. Even temporary conditions like anger, worry or a cold can make you unsafe.

Know the rule

Vision is a must. You need side (peripheral) vision, good night vision, and practice judging distances and speeds. Have your eyes checked every year or two.

Handbook p. 112 ↗

If you wear glasses or contacts

  • Always wear them to drive, even on short trips
  • Restriction Code 01 means you must wear them — or risk a ticket
  • Keep a spare pair in the car
  • Avoid dark sunglasses or tinted lenses at night
Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

Hearing helps warn you of horns and sirens, but hearing-impaired drivers can compensate with their vision; their driving records are just as good.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Avoiding fatigue

  • Get a normal night's sleep
  • Eat lightly before a long drive
  • Don't take medicine that makes you drowsy
  • Stop every hour or more often — walk, get fresh air
  • Avoid driving late when you're normally asleep
  • Never drive sleepy — stop and sleep a few hours
Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

Epilepsy under medical control generally isn't a barrier: in Tennessee you may drive if you're under a doctor's care and have been seizure-free at least six months.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

Diabetics on insulin shouldn't drive when there's any chance of an insulin reaction, blackout, convulsion or shock (for example, after skipping a meal). People at risk of fainting or a heart attack shouldn't drive; ask your doctor.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

Even small problems — a cold, a stiff neck, a sore leg — can affect your driving. If you're not well, let someone else drive.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

If you're worried, excited, afraid, angry or depressed, give yourself time to calm down before driving. If you tend to be impatient, leave extra time for your trips.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Know the rule

Driving should always be alcohol- and drug-free. No one, however skilled, drives safely when 'buzzed'.

Handbook p. 113 ↗

Put it into practice

You had a fight with a friend and you're still shaking with anger. Before driving home, take a short walk or listen to some music until you've calmed down — an angry driver makes risky, impatient choices.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

If your driver license shows Restriction Code 01, you must:
  1. Wear corrective lenses to drive
  2. Only drive during daylight hours
  3. Avoid driving on the interstate
  4. Have a passenger present at all times

Answer: Wear corrective lenses to drive

Restriction Code 01 requires you to wear corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) at all times when driving.

Handbook p. 113 ↗
A driver with epilepsy may generally be permitted to drive if they:
  1. Have been seizure-free for at least 30 days
  2. Are under a doctor's care and seizure-free 6 months
  3. Have been seizure-free for at least two years
  4. Drive only during daylight hours

Answer: Are under a doctor's care and seizure-free 6 months

In Tennessee, a driver with epilepsy may drive if under medical care and seizure-free for a minimum of six months.

Handbook p. 113 ↗
How does fatigue mainly affect your driving?
  1. It mainly makes you drive faster
  2. It matters only on trips over eight hours
  3. It matters only if you have also been drinking
  4. It slows decisions and dulls alertness

Answer: It slows decisions and dulls alertness

Fatigue slows decision-making, reduces alertness, and increases the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Handbook p. 113 ↗
Diabetics who take insulin should avoid driving when there is a chance of:
  1. An insulin reaction, blackout, or convulsion
  2. Heavy traffic on the route
  3. Rain or fog on the road
  4. A long drive ahead

Answer: An insulin reaction, blackout, or convulsion

Diabetics taking insulin should not drive when there's any chance of an insulin reaction, blackout, convulsion, or shock.

Handbook p. 113 ↗
Good vision is essential for safe driving because most driving decisions are based on what you see.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Good vision is a must for safe driving, since you make decisions primarily based on what you observe.

Handbook p. 112 ↗
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