by Jim Thompson |
Last Updated: April 27, 2021 Here at Driving Guide, we realize that every driver in Santa Barbara is in one (or more) of these stages of the driving experience.
Where do you fall on the L.I.S.T.?
Learning:
Drivers Ed in Santa Barbara CA
Before jumping into the Santa Barbara driving environment, you gotta learn how to drive and get licensed. If you are on the front end of the driving spectrum and have spent any time on the CA DMV website, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. It seems they have gone out of their way to make things confusing. In reality, getting a California license boils down to 4 basic steps.
- Take drivers ed
- Get a provisional permit
- Complete required practice driving
- Pass a road skills test
California drivers ed has two parts. One is behind-the-wheel training, and the other is a classroom portion where new drivers learn things like:
- The basics of being a safe and responsible driver including the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills for operating a motor vehicle safely
- California driving laws and rules of the road
- Identification of California road signs and their meanings
- How to drive successfully in dangerous conditions such as heavy traffic, bad weather, construction zones, railroad crossings, and other challenging and potentially hazardous situations
How to Complete Santa Barbara Drivers Ed
In Santa Barbara, the behind-the-wheel portion of drivers ed can be completed at a for-profit driving school or, if it is offered, at your high school.
New drivers in Santa Barbara can complete the classroom portion of drivers ed the same way.
Lucky for drivers ed students in Santa Barbara, the CA DMV has approved an even easier way to get their classroom portion done—online. Taking drivers ed online allows you to learn the state-required material in a place and at a pace that suits you. Talk about convenient!
California has lots of online drivers ed providers. Here are three of our favorites.
CA DMV Approved Online Drivers Ed Providers
Website | Name | Register NOW! |
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Best Choice  | ||
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For more providers and a more detailed look at the whole California licensing process, check out our First Time California Drivers License Guide.
Improving:
Traffic School in Santa Barbara
Some thrill-seekers would consider the Richard Petty NASCAR Experience or the Land Rover Off-Road Experience to be ways to improve their driving skills. But is there a way to improve if your driving is limited to highways and city streets?
California traffic school is a sure-fire way to do just that; if not to improve your driving skills, at least your driving record!
Most drivers in Santa Barbara only consider traffic school after receiving a citation they want to keep off their driving record. Still, there are many advantages to taking a course without such an invitation. Insurance savings is one (more on that later), but "improvement through refreshment" is another.
Over your lifetime, you have probably taken many tests on a wide variety of topics. Even if you passed them all, could you do it again today? What about your driving test?
Studies have shown that drivers average 2½ mistakes for each mile they drive. If your driving is mistake-free, that means everyone around you is taking up your slack. Don’t think so? Look around. It’s downright frightening to see the blunders made and chances taken by many of the drivers you are sharing the road with every day in Santa Barbara.
A traffic school course can offer you needed refreshers to improve your driving and teach you strategies to avoid those drivers needing improvement. These courses are offered in traditional classrooms and (much more conveniently) online.
If you Google "California traffic school," you’ll quickly discover that California has roughly eight kazillion online traffic school providers. To make things easier, here are our top five picks.
CA DMV Approved Online Traffic School Providers
Website | Name | REGISTER NOW! |
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Saving:
Best Car Insurance in Santa Barbara
With a population of 91,364, Santa Barbara is a diverse place. How diverse?
- 49.2% have graduated college
- 40.7% are homeowners
- 4.6% are veterans
- 41.8% are married; 12.7% are divorced; 40.4% have never been married
- 3.4% have a household income of $10-15,000 per year; 15.5% have a household income of $100-150,000 per year
No matter where you fall in the above list, you probably have some things in common with the individuals that make up those statistics. While you are taking that average 17.2 minute drive to work, you probably spend at least some time thinking about some of the same things the other drivers in Santa Barbara do. What's waiting for me at work today? Where else would I rather be going? Is there a faster/better/cheaper way to get to there?
Unfortunately, we're neither prophets nor mind-readers, so we can't help with those first two questions. As for the third one, all we can say is that if you're looking for a faster way, rent a helicopter. If you're looking for a better way, consult Google maps. What about a cheaper way? There we can help.
Of all the expenses that come with driving, the one that can be lowered the most easily is the one most people think about last, what they pay for insurance.
When you think about it, insurance is a strange product. What else do you buy hoping you never have to use it? Of course, when you need it you're glad you've got it and, besides, California says you have to have it, so there's that.
California law says that all drivers must carry liability insurance, insurance that covers the "other guy." Santa Barbara drivers are required to have a minimum "15/30/5" liability policy. But what does that even mean?
- The first number refers to how many thousands of dollars the insurance company will pay towards the medical costs of each injured person injured in an accident.
- The second number refers to how many thousands of dollars the insurance company will pay towards the medical costs of all persons injured in an accident.
- The third number refers to how many thousands of dollars the insurance company will pay towards the property damage caused by the accident.
There are other coverages that you need to consider beyond liability. Comprehensive, collision, and uninsured motorist protections are all coverages worth considering, but each can increase the cost of your policy considerably.
What most people don't realize is the incredible difference of what these coverages can cost from company to company.
Insurance rates are determined by a variety of factors:
- The type of car you drive
- Your age
- Your driving record
- Your marital status
- Your gender
- Your credit history
Even things as mundane as your zip code (93105, 93101, 93103, 93109, 93102, 93106, 93120, 93121, 93130, 93140, 93190) and your annual mileage can affect your rates. The thing to remember here is that while the state mandates how much coverage you have to buy, it doesn't mandate how much a company has to charge you for that coverage. That's why shopping for insurance is so very important.
Get your free Gabi insurance quote today!
Traveling:
Bucket List Road Trip Ideas in California
No matter what sorts of things you like to do or see, chances are that California’s got 'em. Mountains? Check. Deserts? Check. Scenic coastlines? Check. History? Check. Blockbuster attractions? Check, check, and check.
While commuting in Santa Barbara can be a beating, sometimes a road trip can make you fall in love with driving all over again. To entice you, here are a few of our favorites.
Love Mountains? Hit Highway 395
The 295 miles of Highway 395 winds through the Sierra Nevadas, site of prehistoric forests, historic mining towns, and all sorts of fantastic geological features. A smaller range within the Sierras, Alabama Hills is a place to spend the day hiking around the boulders, arches, and jagged peaks. If some of it looks familiar, you may have seen it before in movies like The Lone Ranger, Gladiator, and Django Unchained.
Other attractions along 395 include:
- The Bristlecone Pine Forest, home to some of the oldest living trees on the planet
- Mammoth Mountain
- Hot Creek Geologic Park, and
- Death Valley National Park
Love Deserts? Hit the "Desert Drive"
Starting from San Diego, the 290 mile Desert Drive begins on Highway 163, winds around Highways 78 and 79, and then to 111 north to Palm Springs. Continuing northward brings you to the end of the drive, Joshua Tree National Park.
This little piece of southern California has much to see and do, including:
- The Salton Sea
- The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (Don’t miss these guys at the entrance)
- Slab City
- The eclectic art installation of Leonard Knight, Salvation Mountain
Love Scenic Coastlines? Hit the PCH
California’s Route 1 (a.k.a. The Pacific Coast Highway) is one of the most iconic roadways in the world. Stretching 656 miles from Dana Point in Orange County to Leggett in Mendocino County, you could conceivably take it in a blur over a couple of hard-driving days, but we recommend a couple of weeks if you really want to experience it fully.
After years of hearing about the Pacific Coast Highway and seeing it in countless movies and TV shows, I made the trip to see it for myself a couple of years back.
I learned two things from my trip. One, even if you don't stop at a single attraction, the unique beauty of the drive makes it worth it to go. Two, I didn't give myself nearly enough time.
If there had been more time, I certainly would have stopped at 1 or more of the following locations.
- The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach
- Santa Monica Pier and/or Malibu Pier
- The Channel Islands National Park near Ventura
- Pismo, Huntington, Laguna, or any of the dozens of the other beaches along the route
- The historic Hearst Castle or the Queen Mary
BTW, these are just a handful of the things to see and do in just the southern HALF of the PCH!
Love History or are Big Attractions More Your Thing?
California is a state rich in history. You can travel thousands of years into the past with a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits or Lassen Volcanic National Park. A trip down Highway 49 takes you through the lands of California's original 49ers, the panners, prospectors and speculators of the 1849 Gold Rush. For a look at the Golden State's impact on more recent history, take a drive to Hollywood or Universal City.
As for big attractions, there are plenty of those to be found across the state. From the San Diego Zoo to Knott's Berry Farm to that place with the Mouse, there's plenty for everyone to see and do.