Time to run for cover. My daughter just took her first driving lesson (1 Viewer)

[DanaA]

And, as I watched the car literally carom from the curb on one side of the street to bouncing off the opposite side curb over and over as she left, my neighbors and I just laughed our asses off. No doubt about it, my 15 year old daughter is going to take some time and patience. Of course, I won't tell her this, but yikes.

She's overachieves in most every way (probably starting college this summer, lead in school play, etc.), but mechanical things and her just don't mix.

I need some comfort. That, or stories of other first driving experiences would be greatly soothing to calm my nerves, as well as those of my still laughing neighbors.

 

[Scott_lb]

I recall when I took driver's ed 12 years ago....

We were in a red Pontiac Grand Am, and my instructor was a demon from hell. She kept pumping the brake on the passenger side of the car, and I couldn't figure out why I kept slowing down. Whenever she let go of her "safety brake", DAMN we started movin'!

 

[Philip_G]

my driver's ed course was pretty uneventful :frowning:

 

[Leif Wall]

I never took driver's ed.

 

[DanaA]

Well, she just got back...an hour late. But, she and the instructor are in one piece. Didn't get to talk to her about the experience, because it was immediately off to voice lessons.

Scott, luckily her instructor is extremely nice...and patient. Can't wait to find out how it went. I'm excited though, as completion of lesson #1 entitles us to go out with her. Nonetheless, I think it will be very wide roads, with little traffic for a while.

 

[Greg_R]

My parents made my brothers and I drive 100 hours with them before we could get our license. At the time I didn't enjoy it but looking back I think it was a great idea. I was the only one in my circle of friends to not get into an accident. I also learned stick (manual transmission)...

 

[MikeAlletto]

I took drivers ed in the beginning of winter in chicago. Rain, early darkness, and cold temperatures. Very interesting times.

 

[DanaA]

I'm glad we aren't learning where you had to Mike.

I HAVE A STRAINED MIDDLE RIGHT FINGER NOW!!!

How???

Well, we took our daughter to a big deserted parking lot to practice turning, stopping, etc.

She had told us that the instructor had taken her into relatively heavy traffic for two hours and she could handle much more. As the parking lot is only a three blocks from my home, in a quiet residential neighborhood, I told her to take us home. Afterall, she had driven for three hours now and seemed much more comfortable around the wheel. Three quiet blocks, what's that...

She got out of the parking lot, made the left onto the street. No problems. That street stops in a T intersection with our street. She pulled up to the stop sign, stopped, looked both ways. No traffic. The only car near us was the new SUV parked on the other side of the T intersection. Great. No problems.

Well, you see, the brake and gas pedals are different. She started, then intended to brake to check for oncoming traffic one more time, before proceeding.

ALERT!!! ALERT!!! That's not the brake. That's the accelerator and you floored the thing.

She had pressed down on the accelerator and, in her panic,
was headed straight at the SUV...going faster every second. I thought there was no way to avoid impact. I pulled as hard as I could at the hand brake with one hand, while reaching over desperately trying to turn away from the SUV with the other. We came within inches of the SUV, running across the sidewalk and a few feet onto the person's lawn. Luckily, I know the homeowner and, after calming down, could explain and check to make sure there was no damage to the lawn.

Anyway, in reaching over to steer, I sprained my right finger...but only slightly.

We're going to spend a lot of time in parking lots for a while, with little splashes in quiet neighborhoods.

 

[Malcolm R]

I just love stories about people "learning" to drive.

I never really thought about it as something you had to "learn," but rather something you just couldn't do until you were old enough. Riding as a child with my parents, through observation and such, I feel I had years of learning and, once I reached proper age, never had any difficulties with Drivers Ed. or taking the tests for the license. I guess I've just always been amazed that driving doesn't come naturally to some people after you've spent years being trucked around by adults and watching them drive.

My step-sister hit another car while taking the driving test for the first time for her license. Obviously, she failed.

 

[Steve_Tk]

I wouldn't worry about her totaling the car. I'd worry about her ramming some other persons car. Then you being sued for everything you own, loosing your house, your savings, your retirement, your whole life down the shitter. After getting older I read about those cases where teenagers kill people in cars and the family looses everything.

Damn, I look back on the things I did when I first turned 16, almost makes me never want to have kids because of the liability.

 

[Clinton McClure]

When I was in junior high, a kid in my driver's ed class failed because he ran up onto the sidewalk while driving.

 

[Shane Bos]

I grew up on a farm and have been driving since I was about 8 years old. So no real horror stories other than whenever I visit by buddy Josh in Calgary and I'm driving we always have some sort of experience usually driving over curbs and across grass meridians in my truck. But if you can drive it I've probably drove it except for large trucks over 5 ton.

 

[Mike Voigt]

No real horror story here, but when my sister learned to drive, the car she was in (a VW 412) made any number of little "bunny hops" along the road until she got the hang of driving "stick".

It was quite the sight...

Mike

 

[Todd Hochard]

I never really thought about it as something you had to "learn," but rather something you just couldn't do until you were old enough. Riding as a child with my parents, through observation and such, I feel I had years of learning and, once I reached proper age, never had any difficulties with Drivers Ed. or taking the tests for the license. I guess I've just always been amazed that driving doesn't come naturally to some people after you've spent years being trucked around by adults and watching them drive.

That was my experience, too. I felt like "finally, I get the wheel." Plus, it was nice to be able to take over from my Dad's driving. He's been driving an 18-wheeler for 35 years (over 8 million miles traveled, so he tells me!) with only one accident (an intentional in-the-ditch jackknife to avoid a car that crossed over on the snowy highway), and he drives that big rig straight as an arrow. But, he couldn't seem to keep our little Nissan Sentra in his lane. Even before I could drive, this made me nervous. I was glad to take over.

Of course, I probably pumped $1000 in quarters into Pole Position at the local ShowBiz, so maybe that's where I picked up my skills. Actually, it could be- my friend put a similar amount into Dragon's Lair, and he totalled three cars before we graduated HS ('87)!

Todd

 

[BrettB]

I wouldn't worry about her totaling the car. I'd worry about her ramming some other persons car. Then you being sued for everything you own, loosing your house, your savings, your retirement, your whole life down the shitter. After getting older I read about those cases where teenagers kill people in cars and the family looses everything.

There Dana, fell better?

It's extremely scary when your kids start driving, but as with most things, it gets better with time.

 

[Bob Graz]

Steve_TK makes a very good point. What you should do before ever letting your teen get behind the wheel is to call your car insurance agent and get an umbrella policy. Million dollar umbrella policies are on the order of $100 or so. In addition you may have to raise the liability on your auto policy before you can add the umbrella policy. Better safe than sorry, one mistake and if unprotected, you could watch your assets disappear. You are responsible (read that liable) for your teenage driver, before and after they have their license.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I actually took my motorcycle liscence test before my automotive one. The tester must have been new, because he wasn't really aware of what to do with a bike.


Tester: Ok, parallel park behind that truck.

Me: (Pull in clutch and walk the bike into place)

tester: No, no no! You have to do it with the bike in reverse and can'ty have your feet touch the ground!

 

[DanaA]

Bob,

You're definitely are correct. We currently have $300.000 liability for automobile, a million umbrella, and an additional 300K for either that's given through my work.

I probably overdo it, but, like you said, companies don't usually charge an arm and a leg for the extra coverage. Increasing our vehicle liability from 300K to a million, was only something like $70 extra for each of our vehicles. I did that while typing up this post. Goes into effect today. Whoopie!!!

I hope to never need it and learned how to be a safe driver by riding around on a lot of motorcycles for years. What I mean by that is that riding a motorcycle teaches you how to be very aware of things such as when you're in another drivers blind spot. I can't recall the number of times when drivers of other vehicles just made lane changes into me when I was on a bike.

But................I'll sure be glad I have the extra coverage should something bad happen.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I don't understand how some people can't drive. Its not that hard.

 

[DanaA]

LOL. :b As someone who has owned twelve motorcycles over the years, I would have asked the examiner to please demonstrate, then, when he fell, revoked his license.