Category: Tips

Tips for new drivers

Right On Red

You never have to go right on red at a traffic light.

There are times when you can, but it is never required.

Sometimes people forget that.

The rules are simple.

  1. You must come to a complete stop behind the barrier line, (wide white stop line in front of you.)
  2. Signal your intention to turn with your right blinker. Yes, even if it is a turn-only lane.
  3. Look for a sign. If there is a big “No Turn On Red,” sign, you cannot go.
  4. Look for cars in all directions. Look left, right, straight ahead, and even for cars making U-turns. If anyone is going, they have right-of-way, and you cannot go.
  5. Look for pedestrians. I anyone is walking, they have right-of-way, and you cannot go.
  6. Look for flashing walk signs. Even if there are no pedestrians in sight, if there is a walk sign illuminated for pedestrians, you do not have right-of-way, and you cannot go.
  7. If there is no sign, no cars moving, no pedestrians, and no walk sign illuminated, then you can go right on red.

Know that most of the time, by the time you have figured all that out, the light goes green, and you can go anyways. If you are not certain about the situation, or cannot see well enough to feel safe, do not go. You never have the right-of-way making a right on red. There may be times when people around you might get frustrated if you do not even make an attempt, but you never have to go if you are unsure. I little experience out there on the busier roads, and you will feel better about those decisions. You can always try to figure it out when you are passenger a few times, before you try it yourself. Be safe!

The art of giving directions

There is an art to giving directions. So many of my students are on edge because they say their parents sometimes wait until the last minute to mention an upcoming turn or lane change. If you want to put your student at ease, give them plenty of warning. As a parent, we live in a world where we are thinking about how to get everywhere as soon as possible. We have driven to most of our destinations over and over, and do not have to plan ahead very much to get where we want to go. You may have to think a little differently when your student is ready to get out there.

First, leave yourself enough time to get there. Being stressed that you are in a rush adds to the panic level in the car, and believe me, your kiddo feels that tension, and often translates that into the idea that they are doing something wrong.

Next, plan your route ahead of time. Think about how to minimize lane changes unless that is what you are trying to conquer. Think about how to not put them into situations where you will both be uncomfortable. Pick one skill to focus on for the day and remember to celebrate those successes.

When you are giving directions, I like to tell them about a turn about when I would put my blinker on. There should be enough time for a couple of clicks – at least 100 feet away, or the distance between telephone poles on the side of the road. If you ask for an upcoming turn too soon – before they can see it, they will be confused. If you wait too long, they will panic.

It’s always nice if you have a landmark they can recognize. I love it when I can say, “follow that blue truck,” or “turn right at the big white sign,” for example. Use small, easy words. “Turn left at the next traffic light.” Don’t just say, “turn up there.” Also, pointing does NOT work. They cannot see your perspective, and it will confuse them. Know too, that when kiddos are nervous, a lot of them confuse left and right. Check to see which blinker they put on when you give a direction so you can make a correction in time if need be.

Don’t assume your kids know where things are, even if they have been there a million times. They have been looking at their phones, and not your driving. Make sure you point out a route when you are driving, and/or give good directions the first time they do it before you expect that they will be able to find their way. Good luck, stay calm, and get out there!

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!

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.