What to know about renewing your driver's license

STUDY YOUR STATE’S DRIVER HANDBOOK. Each state offers a driver’s handbook that includes safety information and updates on new laws. “You might need a lot of caffeine to read it,” jokes

William Van Tassel, manager of driver training programs for the American Automobile Association (AAA), “but it’s a great way to stay current.” FRESHEN UP YOUR SKILLS (AND MAYBE EVEN SAVE

MONEY). If you want to improve your odds of renewing your license — not to mention protecting yourself, your passengers, and other drivers — it helps to refresh and maybe even improve your

driving skills. Here are some ways you can become a better driver and meet the renewal requirements. TAKE A DRIVING CLASS (IT MIGHT EVEN SAVE YOU MONEY). AARP’s Smart Driver course is

available online and in a classroom setting. The class covers everything from understanding new car technologies to handling left turns and maintaining proper distances behind cars (with

age, we become less effective at estimating the size of the gap between vehicles). AAA offers RoadWise Driver, a defensive driving course for people age 55 and over, and many states, such as

California and Virginia, offer courses as well. Need incentive? States often allow or even require insurance companies to give an auto insurance discount to people aged 55-plus who take

driver safety courses. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT MEDICATIONS AND DRIVING. A key topic discussed in driving courses: medications. In the AAA Foundation’s "Long Road" study, one in

five drivers aged 65-plus took medications that could impair their driving abilities. Fifty percent of participants were taking seven or more medications. “Some older drivers think,

'Oh, if a medication is prescribed, or if it’s over the counter, I can legally drive after taking it,'” Van Tassell says. Guess again. If you’re swerving or you get in an accident,

“The law doesn’t care where it came from or how you got the drug,” he says. Older people are also twice as likely to experience side effects — including dizziness and blurred vision —

compared to younger people, he adds. HIRE A PRO. If you want in-the-vehicle, behind-the-wheel guidance, book time with an instructor from a driving school. Yes, you’ve got enough experience

to be a teacher, not a student. But an instructor can help identify bad habits and address nagging concerns you may not even realize“It’s not a bad idea,” Van Tassel says, “to get some

objective feedback.” Video: Signs It's Not the DMV Contacting You