references and resources Being a life-long learner  Strategies: sharpening your skills 158 • Use feedback. Ask a friend to watch your driving and  give you some suggestions for improvement.  • Know your vehicle. Make sure you know all the controls  of any vehicle you drive. The owner’s manual is a good  place to start.  • Keep up with the driving guides. Pick up a copy of the  current guide to make sure you are up-to-date.  • Take advanced training. You may decide to take a  course in defensive driving skills or a refresher course.  • Know yourself. You may experience physical and mental  changes that affect your driving. Be aware of your  condition. Regular medical checkups will help. Some people stop learning as soon as they pass their test.  You may know people who still drive the same way now as  they did when they got their driver’s licence many years ago.  This may not be safe because even if their driving skills and  knowledge haven’t changed, other things have. Road signs may  be different now. Traffic has probably increased. Vehicles have  changed — the car they are driving now may be quite different  from the one they learned to drive on.  In your driving career, you may take on additional driving  challenges such as towing a trailer or driving a large recreational  vehicle. You will need to get information to help you know  how to drive safely. You may decide to take driving lessons or  practise with a driver experienced in this type of driving.  Even if you do not change the type of vehicle you drive, your  driving will probably change with age and experience. Research  shows that it takes about five years for new drivers to develop  into fully experienced drivers who are able to do several  driving tasks at once. But after that, people still need to work at  keeping their driving skills sharp and up-to-date if they want to  be safe on the road.  Here are some ways to help you keep sharp and up-to-date: 