OT: Teaching Teens To Drive

[Chin Diesel]

My old man taught my siblings and me how to drive in the 80's. No way we were doing driver's ed.

I got my eldest through his permit and a regular license and am about halfway through with my daughter's permit. Mrs. Diesel has gladly passed off being the passenger while teens learn how to drive.

Technology has changed so much about teaching how to drive. Sure, the basics of pay attention, keep your eyes on the road and drive defensively still apply. All the technology in how cars drive and how you use a car are completely different.
Almost impossible to find a car with a stick shift. Kids all learn how to drive automatics. Cripes, most cars don't even have keys anymore. No need to know why you have a square key and a round key for a car. Click a button and off you go. Ignition key holes? That will be a quaint relic in five more years. You just push a button and off you go.

Nowadays you are trying to make sure your kids know all the apps a car has, how to connect via bluetooth, how to do hands free cell phone calls (or how to know how to ignore an incoming call). My kids think XM is for old people. Commercial radio or they just synch their phone and listen to what ever they have on their apps.

Even the driving experience has changed with lane departure warnings, anti lock brakes, auto headlights, auto distance control and braking. etc. No need to explain how to modulate brakes in an emergency to keep wheels from locking up. No need to learn how to park a standard transmission on a hill. My kids laughed at having to learn to back up with their head turned and looking through windshield. Dad, that's what we have back up cameras for nowadays (I will concede backing up to a trailer hitch is a blast with a rear camera).

So, the whole "Workplace Irritations" made it 9 pages before being moved to the Cesspool. Hopefully this does better.

 

[polycom]

Driver's Ed was the way for me and most of my friends when we learned. We learned on a super basic car that didn't have all the cool features of our parents cars so we couldn't rely on a backup camera, etc. Also, doing driver's ed you can get your license earlier and the DMV instructors test much easier through drivers ed than going directly to the DMV. Then again, whose to say that's a good thing that DMV instructors test easier.

 

[uconnell]

My old man taught my siblings and me how to drive in the 80's. No way we were doing driver's ed.

I got my eldest through his permit and a regular license and am about halfway through with my daughter's permit. Mrs. Diesel has gladly passed off being the passenger while teens learn how to drive.

Technology has changed so much about teaching how to drive. Sure, the basics of pay attention, keep your eyes on the road and drive defensively still apply. All the technology in how cars drive and how you use a car are completely different.
Almost impossible to find a car with a stick shift. Kids all learn how to drive automatics. Cripes, most cars don't even have keys anymore. No need to know why you have a square key and a round key for a car. Click a button and off you go. Ignition key holes? That will be a quaint relic in five more years. You just push a button and off you go.

Nowadays you are trying to make sure your kids know all the apps a car has, how to connect via bluetooth, how to do hands free cell phone calls (or how to know how to ignore an incoming call). My kids think XM is for old people. Commercial radio or they just synch their phone and listen to what ever they have on their apps.

Even the driving experience has changed with lane departure warnings, anti lock brakes, auto headlights, auto distance control and braking. etc. No need to explain how to modulate brakes in an emergency to keep wheels from locking up. No need to learn how to park a standard transmission on a hill. My kids laughed at having to learn to back up with their head turned and looking through windshield. Dad, that's what we have back up cameras for nowadays (I will concede backing up to a trailer hitch is a blast with a rear camera).

So, the whole "Workplace Irritations" made it 9 pages before being moved to the Cesspool. Hopefully this does better.

Driver's Ed was the way for me and most of my friends when we learned. We learned on a super basic car that didn't have all the cool features of our parents cars so we couldn't rely on a backup camera, etc. Also, doing driver's ed you can get your license earlier and the DMV instructors test much easier through drivers ed than going directly to the DMV. Then again, whose to say that's a good thing that DMV instructors test easier.

My father was teaching me to drive. My mom came with us once, when we got home she told she was giving me the money to take private lessons. My dad was brutal.

 

[uconnell]

I was teaching my grandson to drive! I was in my 60s and a door handle clutcher at the time. When he got his own car he asked me why I wasn’t clutching the door handle? I told him because it wasn’t my car.

 

[upstater]

I have 2 stick shift cars, not hard at all to find, but I know they are being phased out.

Too bad, because if the kids go overseas, they can expect to pay 3x as much for an automatic rental.

But, Driver's Ed. is good for insurance purposes, for sure.

 

[uconnell]

Once my oldest son got his license the other two learned from him. My 9
year old was racing go karts and doing very well but he took crazy chances. Now in his 50’s that was his true personality coming through. He once skied off our garage roof. He is paying now from all the broken bones he endured.

They all race motorcycles now except the youngest due to several operations but he is anxious to get back to it.

 

[UConnNick]

I was teaching my grandson to drive! I was in my 60s and a door handle clutcher at the time. When he got his own car he asked me why I wasn’t clutching the door handle? I told him because it wasn’t my car.

My father was a completely crazy driver. He always drove way too fast. Since he learned on and drove nothing but standard transmission cars for many years, he used to rest his left foot slightly on the brake pedal while driving, because he never got used to having no clutch. He actually needed the extra split second of reaction time, but he'd need a brake job every 15-20,000 miles. He would buy cars based on which car won at Daytona that year. My mother had an imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side. She'd wear a hole in the carpet.

He taught my older sister how to drive. They both hated every minute of it. He hated riding in any vehicle that somebody else was driving. I luckily went to driving school, thanks to my sister.

 

[CL82]

Forget the music and calls for a while. Learning to drive is hard. Have them give it their full attention until the get comfortable.

1. Sit in the seat learn the pedals, turn signals, and wipers.
2. Parking lot (we used the high school). Start out just going in a straight line slowly. Gives them the feel of the accelerator and the breaks and going one to another. Once they get that let them take a slow curve. Then a right angle turn. Then they can drive the loop and maybe do some pull in parking. After a while I started them on parallel parking because the more times you do it, the better you are at it.

3. Take them to a "road like" environment. We used a deserted local park. Once them master that...

4. Take them on a deserted local road and gradually work up to busier roads until you get to...

5. The highway. Few things are more terror inducing.

My kids both did well and are decent drivers. Just be patient with them and ease them into it and it will go well.

 

[superjohn]

My father was a completely crazy driver. He always drove way too fast. Since he learned on and drove nothing but standard transmission cars for many years, he used to rest his left foot slightly on the brake pedal while driving, because he never got used to having no clutch. He actually needed the extra split second of reaction time, but he'd need a brake job every 15-20,000 miles. He would buy cars based on which car won at Daytona that year. My mother had an imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side. She'd wear a hole in the carpet.

He taught my older sister how to drive. They both hated every minute of it. He hated riding in any vehicle that somebody else was driving. I luckily went to driving school, thanks to my sister.

My dad was the exact same way right down to him not being able to be in the car with someone else driving. He drove so fast and aggressively that it got to the point where my mom wouldn't get in the car with him if it was going to be more than like a 10-15 minute drive.

 

[CL82]

I have 2 stick shift cars, not hard at all to find, but I know they are being phased out.

Too bad, because if the kids go overseas, they can expect to pay 3x as much for an automatic rental.

But, Driver's Ed. is good for insurance purposes, for sure.

Neither of my kids have any interest in driving a stick. I've told them it's fun and that they'll have better control. They don't care.

 

[Chin Diesel]

A couple of things on parallel parking.

In Florida, it's not even part of driver's test. Yep, you can get a license without knowing how to do it.

And it will he a skill which in years will be obsolete with self-parking cars.

 

[Robertelamin]

They phased out testing parallel parking in CT too, a long time ago.

 

[superjohn]

A couple of things on parallel parking.

In Florida, it's not even part of driver's test. Yep, you can get a license without knowing how to do it.

And it will he a skill which in years will be obsolete with self-parking cars.

Ugh. Driving is one my favorite things to do. The idea of self-parking and self-driving cars saddens me.

Seems many young people could care less about cars.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Ugh. Driving is one my favorite things to do. The idea of self-parking and self-driving cars saddens me.

Seems many young people could care less about cars.

It'd be a souless life not being able to drive. I'm not against self-parking because so many people are horrible at parallel parking and while they are screwing up, traffic is screwed. And above all else Chin despises sitting in traffic for no reason.

 

[CL82]

A couple of things on parallel parking.

In Florida, it's not even part of driver's test. Yep, you can get a license without knowing how to do it.

And it will he a skill which in years will be obsolete with self-parking cars.

Such a key skill though. Plenty of PP in NJ and NYC. When I was going to school in NY I got so I could do the front pull in because once you go by no one is letting back in.

 

[Kemba'sYogurt]

I love driving, I go out a few nights a week to just drive around town. I have an automatic, but I love driving with a stick whenever I get the chance to drive my grandpas car.

 

[CL82]

I love driving, I go out a few nights a week to just drive around town. I have an automatic, but I love driving with a stick whenever I get the chance to drive my grandpas car.

What does he drive?

 

[UConnNick]

A couple of things on parallel parking.

In Florida, it's not even part of driver's test. Yep, you can get a license without knowing how to do it.

And it will he a skill which in years will be obsolete with self-parking cars.

Many years ago, like 1990, you still had to do it in Florida, but it was lame...two orange cones, not on a real street with cars.

 

[Minicoop69]

They phased out testing parallel parking in CT too, a long time ago.

I got my license in 2002 in CT and I just had to back in. I was surprised that I didn't have to parallel park then. In Indiana now, my students say that when taking the test they have to parallel park and they hate it. Also the written test out here is 50 questions and you get tested on the shapes of street signs and what they mean.

 

[Robertelamin]

I got my license in 2002 in CT and I just had to back in. I was surprised that I didn't have to parallel park then. In Indiana now, my students say that when taking the test they have to parallel park and they hate it. Also the written test out here is 50 questions and you get tested on the shapes of street signs and what they mean.

Yup. Backing in was part of the test when I did it.

 

[Kemba'sYogurt]

What does he drive?

He’s got a mustang, no idea what year. Should probably ask.

 

[HuskyHawk]

My Daughter got her learners permit a few weeks ago. Have not even gotten her into a car to practice yet. Going to start in a big empty office parking lot. Familiarize her with the car, how to set mirrors, where lights and wipers are. Habits you need every time you get in a new car.

Then we will drive around a bit in the parking lot. Takes time to understand how the car behaves. I recall thinking you steered the car back to straight after a turn, rather than lust letting the wheel move back on center. Stuff like that.

She did drivers ed, but not the on road portion yet. Mass requires 12 hours of that and I think 40 more hours with another adult. Then at 16.5 she can get her license. Very different than when I got my license in CT in 1980.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Neither of my kids have any interest in driving a stick. I've told them it's fun and that they'll have better control. They don't care.

Not many reasons for them remain. Used to have a gas mileage advantage, now modern automatics and CVTs beat manuals in MPG. And for driving in traffic a stick is just a hideous experience. And the current technology doesn’t work with a manual, the start-stop tech, sophisticated cruise control etc.

I go to Vermont a lot, and it’s a place I could enjoy a great handling car with a manual. But anyplace with traffic lights and traffic I’d prefer an automatic. Most are shiftable now anyway.

 

[CL82]

Most are shiftable now anyway.

True but do you ever shift them? I rarely do.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

As far as standard trans go, VW and Subaru typically start out with a 5speed. Oddly though, I don’t think you can get one with a stick and all the other creature features of today.