Tag: new driver

Practice makes perfect

Dropping a kiddo off at school this morning, I was so very pleased to see several cars in front of me doing the same.  Parents were getting out of the passenger sides of the cars and switching sides, having let their kiddos do the driving in to school.  I love that!  You know school is going to be one of the places that they will drive most, so have them practice it.  There are a million reasons not to, including, but not limited to:

“We’re running late!”

“You’re tired this morning'”

“I’m just not in the mood”

“It’s cold and I don’t want to switch when we get there”

“We’ll hold people up”

Do it anyway.  If you’re going to expect them to drive to school once they get that license, teach them to leave plenty of time in the morning to get there.  Teach them to be sure to get a good night’s sleep so they are ready, (I know, easier said than done.)  Good job parents, making it happen.  Even if it’s ten minutes, every ten minutes helps.  It really does add up, and then you’ll know they can do it when you send them out that first time on their own.

 

One way

This week the strange thing we saw the most, believe it or not, was people driving straight at us on one way streets.

I know this leaves me thinking, how is that possible?  There are always signs telling you that a street is one way.  There are pavement markings to reinforce the idea.  You should always have a yellow line on your left and a white line on your right.  If this is not true, you are going the wrong way.  The biggest clue should be if you make a turn and there are cars driving straight towards you.

I can make excuses for these folks.  It might be that they were simply following directions from their magic phones that mislead them.  It could be that they were lost and confused, and not thinking clearly enough to recognize the signs.  It could be that they thought that one way meant any one way that they chose as opposed to that specific way designated by “the man.”

In any case, once headed the wrong way, it was not easy to right themselves, no pun intended.  They had to make a quick turn in each case onto a nearby street, in one case I’m pretty sure it was also a one way street the wrong way, but once they were committed to process, I guess they chose to see it through.  In another case, pedestrians in the crosswalk waved madly at them and got them to realize their error and turn onto another road.  It’s very hard to watch this happened, because there is no way to help them really.

If you find yourself in this position, you really want to find a way out as soon as possible.  Stop, turn around, turn onto a close street and get yourself pointed in the right direction.  We all make mistakes so stay safe, watch for signs, be aware of your surroundings, and use your pavement markings.  Good luck, friends!

Slow in, fast out

Students often ask me, “I’ve been sitting in the backseat of cars watching other people drive for the last 16 years.  Why do I have to sit in the back of yours?”  Well, you have to because the state says to, and it’s part of our graduated licensing program which is a series of steps between you being a non-driver and a fully privileged driver.  I can say that one of the best things that comes from the experience though, is seeing that everyone makes the same mistakes, and that I give everyone the same advice, (in the same tone of voice.)  The advice I give most often is definitely, “Slow in, fast out.”

Lots of students have a hard time with the new steering technique, having not seen people do it very often and learned without even knowing it to copy their parents and friends.   They get very caught up in what to do with the hands, where they should be on the wheel and how to be smooth and quick and still accurate.  They all think I’m crazy when I tell them that most of their issue is actually with their right foot.  Smooth speed control in the turn is usually the real problem.

Most new drivers carry too much speed into a turn.  They need to slow down much more than they think they do before the corner.  The sharper the turn, the more they need to exaggerate this.  I tell them often that you can always speed back up again if it is too slow, but if it is too fast, you have no recourse.  Too much speed will carry the car wide in a turn.  It makes it hard to stay on your own side of the road and feel in control.  They can tell half-way through that it doesn’t feel right, and then they abruptly take their foot off the pedal, which makes the car jerk.  They think that they have made a mistake with the hands to cause the jerk, but really it’s that foot.  They need to be nice and slow going in, ease through the middle of a turn, and not accelerate until they have the car pointed the way they want it to end up.  As they come out and gently accelerate, then they can allow the wheel to slide through the fingers and return to center all on it’s own.  Once the speed is in the right place, the hands will be much easier to work with.  Parents and students alike can tell that a turn doesn’t feel right, and if everything in the car is falling over to one side, and the driver is having a hard time staying in their own lane, this is definitely the answer.

I’ll leave it there, so you can think the same thing about this article.  It started slow, and it’s fast out.

Choosing the Best Car

A lot of parents ask me what I might recommend as the best car for a new driver.

My best advice is to think about how they will use this car.  If you have 8 kids and four really big dogs, a small car may not be the best fit for the family.  If your kiddo loves to ski and plans to drive up mountains in the snow, maybe 4-wheel drive will be important.  If they do a lot of stop-and-go city driving, a standard transmission might be a poor choice unless they like standing on a clutch.  You want to feel good about the car, and you want them to like the car.  Of course, some are more interested than others in things like the color, number of cup-holders, and aux-cord availability.  New cars may have all the modern safety features you are looking for, whereas a used car may be more affordable.

I think reliability should be the first priority.  I think safety is also important.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put out this article about the latest safety ratings for cars for teen drivers.  Cost will also certainly be a factor.  Think about the costs of not just the car, but insurance, maintenance, gas mileage, and/or repairs.

Think about the tone of the discussion too.  If you are telling your teenager that an old beater is the best choice because you think that they are likely to ding it up, that’s not a great vote of confidence for them.  On the other hand, if you are getting them a brand new dream car, it may be overpowered for them and you may be sending the message that a new car is no big deal and that if they wreck it, it’s no problem, you’ll just get them another one.  Think about how you want them to feel about the car.  I would try for something in the middle where they will respect the car and try their best to take good care of it, but also not be beside themselves if something small happens to it.

Buying a car is an emotional purchase, and we all remember our first car.  Think about how you felt about yours, and find that balance between practical, safe, and really liking the car.  They only get one first car,  make it a good one.  Good luck!

Awesome Parenting

Patrick made my week!  When we went out for our first driving hour, I asked how it went at home after the first day of class, where parents are encouraged to attend.  Patrick said that his Dad talked to him.  Dad has made a commitment to his son to try to be more aware of how he, himself,  is driving, and try to drive the way he wants Patrick to drive.  He said he would be more aware of how he is steering, going the speed limits, using his blinkers, and not being on his phone when he’s behind the wheel. He said it was not fair to ask his son to drive one way when he drove another way.  This absolutely made my week.

Patrick’s Dad, Thank you!  This is amazing parenting.  If I know one thing about 16 year-olds, it’s that they have no tolerance for hypocrisy, and we all know from experience that, “Do as I say, and not as I do,” does not work.  I love that you are setting a good example for your kiddo and also keeping yourself and the people on the road around you more safe in the process.  I wish everyone would learn from your example, and I hope Patrick really appreciates your commitment to him.  I know I do.  I know what a strong influence parents can be, when they do it right.  I’m a very happy teacher today.

Drunken Tricycle Man

You heard me right, Drunken Tricycle Man.  I’m sure he has a real name and a whole story to his life that I don’t know, but since I don’t know it, he remains Drunken Tricycle Man.  Any time you drive the same streets day in and day out, you are likely to see some of the same people.  There is one gentleman who I see often riding what I can only refer to as a grown-up tricycle.  It has two wheels in the back, and one up front like those Big Wheels some of us who are old enough (ehem,) used to ride when we were little.  He has a flag off of the back so he can be seen, and always wears a hat.  There’s a wide basket for anything he might need to carry.  It is a sturdy thing that looks like it would be easy to balance, unlike traditional bikes, which might come in handy if you were, say,  a little inebriated.

The drivers ed car was stopped at a red light one day, minding its own business, when out of the blue, Drunken Tricycle Man came barreling out from two buildings and careened right into the side of the luckily, stopped, drivers ed car!  With quite a bang, he hit hard enough that he fell over, toppling the trike on it’s side.  You can imagine, this is pretty startling if you are a new driver and a teacher just hanging out waiting for a light to change.

Drunken Tricycle Man sat there for a minute in a daze, stood up and shook himself off.  The teacher could not really open the door without hitting him or the trike, so as he staggered his way back onto his seat, he just teetered off before she could even get out.  He rode off into the sunset, and when they could safely pull over to check on things, there was a big dent in the side of the passenger door, which had to be repaired.

The car was fine after minor repairs, and presumably Drunken Tricycle Man was also fine since he is still seen often riding his tricycle around town.  You never know what will happen on a fine day on Main Street.

Head Check

If you are going to change lanes, pull out from the curb, or make any other lateral, (sideways,) move, you are going to need to look over your shoulder.  This is called a Head Check.  Mirrors are great, and they will help a good bit, but there is this pesky thing called a blind spot where a whole car can hide.  Even if you adjust all of your mirrors properly, there is still a spot right off the rear quarter panel that you cannot see.  It’s about where your gas cap is.

If you are the blue car, the dark red triangle behind you indicates what you can see in your rear-view mirror.  The light red shows what you can see in your side mirrors.  The red car to your right in not in either of those areas, which means you cannot see it in any of your mirrors.  The only way to see this red car to your side is to actually turn around and look.

Keep both hands on the wheel.  Sometimes it helps to pull down on the wheel with both hands a little bit.  Even weight in both hands will help you keep from turning the steering wheel while you turn around.  Pick up your shoulders off the seat by leaning forward  a bit.  Whichever direction you are going to go, look over that shoulder.  For example if you are changing lanes to the left,  you will begin by turning your chin to your left shoulder.  You will be  looking between the head rest and the pillar that holds up your seat belt, where your door closes.  You need to look all the way over that shoulder, just a glance to your left will not work.  If you are looking to the right, you will be looking over that right shoulder between the seats, through the back window.

Make sure you give yourself long enough to really see what is back there, and be thinking about what you are looking for.  Include motorcycles, pedestrians, and other vehicles.  Then look back to what is in front of the car.  I know we do not like the idea of looking behind us while we are driving forward, but it is critical.  The whole thing should only have your eyes off of the road for a total of about one second, so as long as you have ample room in front of you before you begin this maneuver, you will be fine.  It will take some practice to keep your speed and lane position consistent while doing your head check.  Practice while you are at a stop light or in your driveway to get the feel for where you want to look and how to move your head without moving the rest of your body.  Beginners often swerve with the whole car as they look over their shoulder.  We tend to drive wherever we are looking, so be sure to stay calm and only move your head, keeping your arms still.

A little practice will have you doing head checks like a pro.  This is not something you are just doing as a beginner, or something you will outgrow.  Every driver should do this every time they move over.  Convex mirrors will also help with the blind spot.  The are rounded out so they help you see further out next to your car.  They are a useful after-market tool.  They are not expensive, and easy to apply to a side mirror.  But, I still believe that even with a convex mirror, the safest way to make a lateral move is to actually look over your shoulder.

 

To Practice, or Not To Practice… That Is The Question

Reasons not to practice with your kids:

  1. I can’t believe My Baby is old enough to drive!
  2. What if s/he hurts my car?
  3. What if we crash and die?
  4. This is what I’m paying the drivers ed teacher to do, right?
  5. I’m too busy watching Netflix… ehem…doing errands.

Reasons to drive with your kids

  1. They need home hours to get their license, and I can’t bring myself to forge the sheet saying we did them.
  2. They have to practice for everything else, (soccer, piano, math,) so why would this be different?
  3. If I see them making mistakes, I can help them.   I know my kid better than anyone, even if they won’t admit it, and I can figure out what they are thinking.  Maybe they are worried about the same things I was when I got my license.
  4. I can give them some of my wisdom about where crazy people always cut me off, how stupid people are who don’t use their blinkers, where the big potholes are, and all my other pet-peeves.
  5. I really love them and want them to be safe. If I see them drive in every condition I can think of, and make them do it again and again, then I will know in my heart of hearts, that they will be able to do it correctly when I am not there.

Please practice with your kids