thedriversedlady

DMV advice – lane changes

The DMV has let us know in the driver’s ed community about a few things we, as new drivers, could be doing better. One of the biggest issues they are seeing when new drivers are coming in for their tests, is lane changes. They wanted us to let you know that head checks are critical. They really want to see students with their heads on a swivel, looking all the way over that shoulder before they move. Please feel free to check out my earlier post on head checks to see how to do them properly. Just checking mirrors is not enough.

I recently had a student who went for her test, and in all her nerves, had a hard time with a lane change. She went through all her steps perfectly, checking her mirror, signally correctly, and doing a good head check all while maintaining her lane position and speed control. The problem was that she was so focused on the steps, she wasn’t processing what she was seeing during those steps. There was a car quite close in the lane she wanted to move into, and while thinking about the mechanics of those steps, she didn’t realize he was right there. When she started to move over, there was a loud honk from off her left shoulder. Make sure you are not just going through the motions, but really seeing what you need to .

We talked about how to fix this problem, and one of things we decided, was that if she was checking her rear view mirror regularly, then when it came time to go through her lane change steps, she wouldn’t have to be so nervous about someone being in her blind spot, She would already have a sense of whether or not there was a gap there. So, not waiting until the last minute to start checking her surroundings made her feel much more prepared when a lane change came up. We both felt that this was a good take-away both for her test and real-life driving. She passed the second time with flying colors and a lot more confidence.

Another class ending

I’m really sad that this class is over. A few more driving hours tomorrow, and then I’m done. They all passed the final written test, no problem. Yay! Often by the last week of a class, we are ready to be finished with each other, having gotten to know each other well, and no longer needed much input as it should be when you are ready to go out on your own. This class has been the exception. They are ready to go, but I’m not wanting them to leave just yet. They have been mature, motivated, pleasant, funny, kind to one another, and so sweet to me. Class has been easy and fun each day. They asked good questions, stayed on task, and showed me what a joy it can be to teach when students want to learn. I love all my kids, but this group in particular will be missed. Good luck and be safe out there. Come back often and tell me how you are and how it goes at the DMV and out on the roads!

-thedriversedlady

The Back Seat Boys

I happen to have a very musical class right now. Amazing kids with amazing talent. We had one memorable car ride with a driver and several observers in the back seat. Not sure how we got there, but some comment or another lead to the entire back seat simultaneously erupting with an amazingly harmonic, “I want it thaaat way.”

With a lot of laughter, they then dubbed themselves the back-seat boys.

…And people think my job is boring. My own little carpool karaoke.

Ben D.

I have never done a student profile before. I think the first one needs to be done before this young man graduates. Ben is one of my many legacies. I had his lovely sister first, and then came Ben. He has become a fixture in my classroom long after he finished driving with me. He comes in after school, usually looking for chocolate, which he knows is likely to be found in my room, (shh… don’t tell.) He sometimes leaves me profound or confusing quotes on my blackboard. He shares his mood and what he’s been up to lately. He always makes me smile.

He’s really gotten the most out of his time at school. He’s worked there over the summers, been in charge of changing the message on the signs throughout the school year, which shows you the kind of trust everyone has in him. He’s active with campus ministry and volunteering. He’s passionate about running, and super supportive of his friends and teammates. He’s the only student of mine who ever said he wants to be a motivational speaker as a career. He’s been frustrated with a lack of path to get him there, but I keep telling him he will make his own for sure.

I think if you ask him, he will tell you he’s passionate about food as well. That’s his fondest memory of driving with me, the drive-throughs. That’s not unusual for a growing teenage boy, but Ben takes it to a new level. I’ll miss his smiling face, silly messages, and ever present self-deprecating humor. Good luck Ben!! Be safe out there on the road and in life after high school.

Big Yellow Sign

The big yellow sign on the roof elicits various responses from random passers-by. Some people want to be extra kind to us. They wave us on at intersections, give us big thumbs up when we do a good parallel park, and give us a wide berth on the road, leaving a large following distance behind us. I imagine that they remember what it was like to be a new driver, or have recently had a kiddo go through drivers ed. I appreciate it, and so do my kids.

On the other hand, we have people who see the big yellow sign on my roof rather like a bull sees a red flag waving. It elicits anger and speed. These people pass us on double yellow lines when we are going the speed limit, honk when we are clearly struggling with a skill, or in the case of the young man driving behind us yesterday, just drive along giving us the death stare and flipping us the bird for a solid five minutes. Now, we were going exactly the speed limit, as was the car in front of us, so even if we were not there, he would not have been able to go faster. Maybe he had a really bad experience with drivers ed, and hates us all on sight, maybe he is enraged by the color yellow. Not sure what was going on there, but also not sure what he accomplished by this expression of his displeasure.

In any case, you all want to check us out as you go by, which is just fine. Not sure what you are looking for, but you all want to take a peek. I hope you see the smiles on my students faces, the pride they have in their accomplishments, or even the gritted teeth as they struggle through the fear to do this amazing and scary task anyway. Know that we are looking right back to see if you are wearing your seatbelt, on your phone, or just maybe giving us a little patience and encouragement. Thank you.

Train Safety

I went to a great presentation this weekend from an Amtrak Police Officer, (who knew, right?) There are a few things you should know about how stay safe around train tracks. According to their website, there were 2205 grade crossing incidents, with 828 trespassing casualties in 2018. Never assume that tracks are not in use just because you have never seen a train there. Trains can come at any time of day or night. They travel very fast and often very quietly. They will try to alert you to their presence, but they cannot stop quickly or easily, and they cannot swerve around you.

There are only active warning such as flashing lights and arms that come down at about 1 out of 3 places that tracks go across roads, and much too often, people ignore them and either go around them or try to beat them. It is our job as drivers and pedestrians to avoid trains.

If you see or hear a train coming, you must stop at least 15 feet and no more then 50 feet away from the nearest track for good sight distance. Look both ways at each track, and be sure to check each direction if there is more than one track.

If you are stuck on the tracks, and you do not see a train, find the blue sign with the phone number and location number on it. This number will connect you directly with the operators for your area and oncoming trains can be notified and stopped withing minutes. If you see or hear a train coming, get everyone out and run in a 45 degree angle towards the train so that when the debris from the collision is scattered, you will not be in it’s path.

http://stayoffthetracks.org/index.html

Dog Cart

Look how cute this amazing dog is! The cart is empty, but I’m picturing it full of bright flowers, or lots of puppies. They got to the crosswalk and the owner stopped the dog, took out the leash and helped across the road, but this lovely dog was just calmly walking down the sidewalk next to the owner, looking happy as can be. Love Main St.

Please Brush the Snow Off Your Car

It is so important to completely brush the snow and ice off of your car. I know it’s cold, and you don’t want to, and you’re running late. It is not enough to just clear off a little 6 inch circle in front of your face and say, “Sweet, good to go.”

Maybe start the car first?

Visibility is key. You need to be able to use your mirrors, do a proper head check, and use your peripheral vision. You need to clean off all of your windows. It is also illegal to drive with your license plate obscured, and you can get pulled over for that.

Get the car started, turn on the defroster, (often this works best of you also turn on your air conditioner even with hot air to help remove the moisture from the vehicle interior,) rear defroster, and the heater.

Give a good swipe to the snow and ice built up in front of those headlights and tail-lights too. Two inches of snow will make your headlights completely ineffective, and if people don’t see those brake lights you are asking to get rear-ended.

I know the worst seems to be getting up to the roof of those giant SUV’s and mom-vans. You HAVE to. Once your car warms up, the bottom layer of that snow will melt, and one quick stop at a stop sign will bring that whole blanket of snow down over your whole windshield, and likely your wipers will not be string enough to clear that quickly. The bigger issue is that all of that snow and ice will fly off and possibly hit the car behind you. Flying snow has been known to go right through the windshield of other vehicles, as happened in NH this winter.

https://www.wmur.com/article/worker-recovering-after-ice-flies-off-box-truck-smashes-through-windshield/26116653

“Jessica’s Law” requires drivers to remove all snow or ice from their vehicles prior to travel on New Hampshire roads.

Failure to comply with this law is punishable under NH RSA 265:79-b (Negligent Driving) and subject to a penalty fine of $250.00-$500.00 for a first offense with increased penalties for subsequent offenses up to and including loss of license.https://www.lebanonnh.gov/1236/Jessicas-Law

A mother’s love

A friend just posted a link to this blog and I have to share.

https://carriecariello.com/2019/01/07/it-could-be-my-son/?fbclid=IwAR1l9PPaAaXpbGBSk-7rK92yop1X38C_WMMeNO0Y3EHLGn4LdovQcP3GIsA

I’m moved to tears. As a mother, as a driver’s ed teacher, I cannot say how often I feel this exact same way about both my kiddo and each of my students.

The time of most danger is in the first year that new drivers have their licenses. It takes 5 years experience for a new driver to become average. I use that statistic a lot because it has such weight for me. Not five weeks, or months, five years. There is no way to get through those first five years other than to just get out there and keep driving. So we hold our breath as parents and teacher, and have faith. We trust that we have given them as much information as possible to help them make good choices with statistics, stories, movies, classroom instruction, and best practices demonstrated and tried. We trust that they have a good head on their shoulders to help them creative problem-solve. We trust they have quick reflexes that will help them. We trust that the pedestrians and drivers around them will make good choices that keep them out of harms way. We trust that they will have luck on their side and be able to learn from their mistakes, that are bound to happen, and make it through. Those of us who pray, pray.

Do everything you can to help them. Be a good role model, and show them how you can drive safely. Put the phone down, slow down, and don’t complain too much about people around you who make mistakes, it just makes them paranoid. Be a support, and point out what you are doing when, and why even before they can drive, so they can start to learn even before they have the stress of maneuvering a vehicle. Check up on them and let them know you are doing so. Hold them accountable for transgressions, so they understand the real consequences for mistakes.

Be kind, patient and courteous as a driver. Stay safe, and help these new drivers stay safe as well.

Can I do more than the required driving hours with you?

I recently encountered an inquiry for post-driver’s ed training for a new driver. The student had completed driver training (not with me,) and they and the parents felt that they were still nervous and could use some more help. Another parent responded that they had a similar issue with their own kiddo. This parent said that they had just done it. They had gone out on difficult weather, night and day conditions, and just kept driving, and driving, and driving. I could not have given better advice.

I have done this for some students, extra hours. But it’s expensive and I don’t have a lot of extra time beyond what I give to my regularly scheduled kiddos. The answer is always to just drive more. There is no substitute for experience. It takes a new driver 5 years of driving to get to be an average driver. Average! Who wants to be average, don’t we all like to think we are above average?

Every kid is different, and we do not all learn at the same rate. Driving is in incredibly complex task as it involves rules, spacial ability, reading social cues, hand-eye coordination, and quick problem solving. We do not all excel at all of these things.

Now, I know that for some parents who are super nervous, that can make things worse. Your nerves transfer to your new driver, which makes them more nervous, which makes things worse. None of us drive better when we are nervous. Try to either hide the nerves, or find someone calmer who can drive with your kiddo. As they calm down, and start to improve, you will be less scared, and in turn, so will they, and then they will drive better. It’s only a vicious cycle if you let it be. It can also be a positive cycle. Hang in there.

If you really need to ask for more help, please do so. There are times when you will really need more driving hours with a professional such as a kiddo with special needs. If there is a particular skill that your student is struggling with, please ask for help with that. Your driving instructor should be able to tell you exactly how they explain a particular skill set, so you can use those same words at home. Parents can often ride along for a driving hour to see how the instructor is explaining things, so you can duplicate their level of calm and clear communication.

It really is better to do this while your kiddo is still in class though, rather than wait until class is over. You should be practicing enough that you are seeing what your kiddo is struggling with, and asking for help when your teacher can intervene. There should be open communication and feedback from both sides.

This is all generic advice, having not spoken with the original parent, or met this student. I try very hard to take each student as I find them and help them the best way I know how. I’m glad that this parent is looking for more help rather than just saying, “My kid is 16, and everyone else is getting a license, and they took the class, so off you go into the world!” It’s important to know your kiddo and do everything you can to help them be safe and comfortable out there on the road. I still think the answer is likely, do more driving.