Author: thedriversedlady

Super Cool Bicycle People

Continuing our bicycle theme. Another fun moment from Main St. Texting while driving is illegal. Bicycles on the road are supposed to follow all the same rules as cars. They are supposed to stop at stop signs, signal their intention to turn, and I assume NOT text. Also, giant prolonged wheelies while swerving all over a busy road might not be my first choice, but to each their own.

Super Cool Bicycle People https://spark.adobe.com/video/vUc3RJlPvO4ro

Take it to the Mattresses

Has anyone ever seen a mattress on top of a car that looked safe and properly secured?

Yesterday we saw a car on Main St. with two mattresses bungee corded to the roof, leaning precariously. The passenger had his window down trying to prop them up. We were very glad to not be next to or behind them. Please take time to properly secure any items you are transporting for your safety and the people around you.

Thank you!

My Turn

It’s finally my turn. After all of these years of being a drivers ed teacher and empathizing with parents, my kiddo is finally 15 1/2, old enough to start legally practice driving out on the roads. We had the day marked on the calendar for about a year. We had read the driving manual and answered the questions. We had a route all planned. We had gone through the basics of vehicle control in a parking lot, and spent time figuring out what all the buttons and levers do in the car. We had the log sheet printed out, and birth certificate in the car.

After years of driving bikes, golf carts, and hearing all of my advice, I felt pretty sure she would be ready to do this. We started slow, went around the parking lot a few times to get the feel for things, and then, finally, out on the road! She was nervous, but calm. Me too.

So everyone always says to me, “But you have a brake!” As with all my students, I am glad it’s there with my kiddo, but I’m not terribly inclined to use it unless I absolutely have to. I want her to use her judgement, and to know I trust her even as I’m there to back her up. She’s doing so well so far! It’s been about two weeks now, and we’ve logged about 11 hours so far. Slow, steady progress from back roads to busier roads, traffic lights and just now doing a few lane changes. Highway will be the next big hurdle. She’s gotten pretty good with forward parking too, which makes it easier to do driving practice when she can park when we get places. Haven’t tried pulling into the garage yet. We’ll work our way up to that one also. I need to come up with a good strategy to explain it first.

So, finally parents, I’m one of you. It’s a fine line between wanting to give too much advice and wanting to let her figure it out. Thankfully she’s also got a good sense of direction, so I’m trying to not tell her which way to go all the time, which is hard for me. I asked her to please forgive me if I did it anyways, since that’s usually my job, and that’s it’s not personal. She’s thankfully being patient with me too. Hang in there everyone! We can do this. Having good communication helps, and having clear, realistic expectations, and patience all around seem to be making it better in our house. Let me know if you have any tips for me or each other for making this transition easier. Thanks!