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Teaching my granddaughter to drive a car.

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Teaching my granddaughter to drive a car.

Old 06-10-13, 01:39 PM
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Retro Grouch 
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Teaching my granddaughter to drive a car.

What should I tell her?
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Old 06-10-13, 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
What should I tell her?
Tell her not to drive like the majority of drivers do in St. Louis. Honest to God, worst city anywhere for drivers not knowing how to merge.
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Old 06-10-13, 02:19 PM
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lol when it came time for my son to learn to drive I hired someone to teach him ... saved both of us from a lot of tense moments.

Charlie
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Old 06-10-13, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Ursa Minor
lol when it came time for my son to learn to drive I hired someone to teach him ... saved both of us from a lot of tense moments.
Since it's his grand-daughter, RG may already be somebody else...

For what it's worth, I think one thing that makes a difference is spending time in the front seat as a passenger in a car. You can get a lot of experiencing seeing how cars interact with each other without actually being in control of the car. I think this is why people from XXX can't drive (where XXX = Manhattan, etc.)...
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Old 06-10-13, 03:30 PM
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Everyone is trying to hit her, even when she has a green light.......................
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Old 06-10-13, 04:08 PM
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When I saw this it put a smile on my face as it reminded me of teaching my daughter to drive it was a stick shift to top it off.
Took her to a large empty parking lot one day she saw another car headed toward us (it was not close yet at least 50 yards) she panicked turned the wheel right went over a flower planter and stopped LOL.
When we go to that parking lot she still recalls that planter and so do I she is a great driver now, but that day was something we will never forget!
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Old 06-10-13, 04:12 PM
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Have her do what every motorist should do, but very few are responsible enough to take the time and put in the necessary effort to actually do:

READ THE VEHICLE CODE!

Yeah, I know that was a bit loud, but this isn't beanball folks. Americans are so inept behind the wheel that an average person has even odds of being injured/maimed by a motorist in a lifetime.

Read the vehicle code, multiple times and understand every word. I'm not talking about the pamphlet that they give out at the motor vehicle department. I'm talking about the statutes that govern the use of our public right of ways. For most states, the code, excluding chapters that are only relevant to commercial carriers, is only a couple hundred pages.

Secondly, have her evaluate some simple probabilities. (If no one in your household can do the math, hire someone to teach her.) Look at the odds of injuring someone on any given trip (very low). Now look at how many trips she will take in a decade. Now look at how certain behaviors and conditions change those odds, like eating, talking on a phone, being fatigued, texting, being intoxicated, darkness, driving into the setting/rising sun (have polarized sunglasses in the car) and rain. Now repeat the calculation. I hope she can appreciate how we can engage in acts behind the wheel and get away with them for years before the piper must be paid. He will be paid, and it is better that she understands that going in instead of finding herself exclaiming, "How could I have known?"

Lastly, make sure she always has a plan. If she's traveling down the highway and a front tire blows out, what will she do? If her drive train falls apart, what will she do? If her headlights fail, what will she do? If someone steps out from between those parked cars, what will she do? When someone is tailgating her on a two-lane highway, what will she do? When she is traveling at the speed limit but a curve precludes seeing what is around it, what will she do? All of these things have happened to people I trained, and all of them had no problems at all because they knew what to do before it happened. Like I said, this isn't beanball. Lives are in the balance.

In spite of my screen name, I have a fully endorsed class A license and have trained other class A drivers, as well as more than a few class C motorists.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
What should I tell her?
Tell her "when in doubt, stop". Oh, and turn your phone off when driving.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:23 PM
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When following a car in front of her, find a fixed point and count one-thousand one; one-thousand two. She should be no closer than that. In wet weather count more seconds. In icy weather at least 6 seconds.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
What should I tell her?
Hi,

Your either good at the teaching the said subject / skill / talent
or totally useless. IMO if your asking you shouldn't be doing it.

I could do it, (teach a young person to drive well, I'm a good
teacher of stuff I know well). There is no space in this forum
to remotely address proper and safe driving technique, and
more to the point the development of the needed awareness.

A friend helped me to learn to drive in his car. He was awful,
I could killed or seriously damaged both of us at least twice,
he had utterly no idea how to teach, or how people learn,
or TBH any comprehension of defensive driving skills.

I ended up teaching myself to drive with some good books.

rgds, ereten.

Last edited by sreten; 06-10-13 at 04:32 PM.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
Tell her not to drive like the majority of drivers do in St. Louis. Honest to God, worst city anywhere for drivers not knowing how to merge.
My previous post was a bit glib admittedly, but knowing you've been a school bus driver, I'm sure you're aware of some of the dumb stuff drivers do around large vehicles. I'm not going to start listing the stuff new drivers should know, but give her the benefit of some of the observations you've made from the veiwpoint of looking out over the tops of other vehicles.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:45 PM
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I'm just curious. Why isn't mom/dad doing this? I taught both my children. I will state that teaching a young'un to drive does keep you on your toes.
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Old 06-10-13, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by DnvrFox
When following a car in front of her, find a fixed point and count one-thousand one; one-thousand two. She should be no closer than that. In wet weather count more seconds. In icy weather at least 6 seconds.
The standard for dry, clear conditions is four seconds. Remember, the first second is lost to reaction time and many people will waste most of the second one trying figure out what to do once they have identified the problem (can you say panic?). If people aren't cutting in front of you, you're probably too close.
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Old 06-10-13, 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
The standard for dry, clear conditions is four seconds. Remember, the first second is lost to reaction time and many people will waste most of the second one trying figure out what to do once they have identified the problem (can you say panic?). If people aren't cutting in front of you, you're probably too close.
Interesting - I have been in numerous "defensive driving" courses - for industry and the like, and the standard was always 2 seconds. However, 4 sounds even better. Actually, that is what I personally usually keep.
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Old 06-10-13, 05:12 PM
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Google shows numerous references to the two-second rule??? I.e.

The two-second rule is a rule of thumb by which a driver may maintain a safe following distance at any speed.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] The rule is that a driver should ideally stay at least two seconds behind any vehicle that is directly in front of the driver's vehicle. It is intended for automobiles, although its general principle applies to other types of vehicles.

Read more . .

There are also some references to 3 seconds.
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Old 06-10-13, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
If people aren't cutting in front of you, you're probably too close.
Hi,

And the skill is to maintain a the longest distance that doesn't
invite other drivers to interject, halving all distances. Its an inane
comment to suggest you should drive at gaps that will be continually
halved by other drivers. Driving skills and experience indicate what you
should do, surrounded by bad drivers you should drive at a gap most
of them don't fancy but some idiots always will, c'est la vie.

Though if it never happens, by definition, you are way too close.

rgds, sreten.
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Old 06-10-13, 05:50 PM
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Buy her some lessons from trained driving instructors and then take her out to practice. Learning from a professional driving instructor and practicing with a professional driver has got to be a winning combination for all involved.
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Old 06-10-13, 05:52 PM
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Sorry folks, the difference between the two seconds you are referencing and the four seconds that professionals teach is the same as the difference between the Oregon Department of Transportation's contention that motorists will drive at a safe speed for conditions and the constant, daily fatal wrecks in which excessive speed is determined to be a factor. Two seconds assumes perfect behavior and attentiveness, which will eventually not be the case. There is zero margin for error with a two second following distance, even for a young person with athletic reflexes. Four seconds, which is what is taught by professionals to people training to be professional drivers, allows for that needed buffer.

As far as the behavior of the worst drivers on the road dictating that we should tailgate, let's examine that. If you follow at four seconds, some motorists will cut in front of you. Many of them simply need to use your lane temporarily and will be gone in a moment and others will realize after a few seconds that they have gained nothing and will move back to what they perceive as a faster lane, but let's just look at the ones who stay. Obviously, if you are to maintain a four second buffer, you will need to back off. What have you lost? Nothing but a moment's time.

Now, suppose you insist that you will not allow this. Sure, you could tighten up your following distance to two seconds, but you are still going to have people cut in front of you. Maybe it will be every hundredth motorist instead of every fiftieth, but they will certainly do it. Now what? Are you going to back off or insist on further tightening up your following distance until no one can ever squeeze in? Talk about inane.

If driving is a race to you, then you will most certainly reach the finish line ahead of me. I'll be sure to attend the funeral.
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Old 06-10-13, 06:07 PM
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And another reference - 3 seconds

https://www.laurenfix.com/Maintain-a-...-3-Second-Rule

Good Weather - During daylight with good, dry roads and low traffic volume, you can ensure you're a safe distance from the
car ahead of you by following the "three-second rule." The distance changes at different speeds. To determine the right following distance, first select a fixed object on the road ahead such as a sign, tree or overpass. When the vehicle ahead of you passes the object, slowly count "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand." If you reach the object before completing the count, you're following too closely. Making sure there are three seconds between you and the car ahead gives you time and distance to respond to problems in the lane ahead of you.

Inclement Weather, Heavy Traffic, or Night-Time Driving - In heavy traffic, at night, or when weather conditions are not ideal (eg. light rain, light fog, light snow), double the three second rule to six seconds, for added safety.

Poor Weather - If the weather conditions are very poor, eg. heavy rain, heavy fog, or heavy snow, start by tripling the three second rule to nine seconds to determine a safe following distance.


Searching professional driving course curriculum, I find references to a 3 second rule. I also found some 4 second references - I guess you takes your choice!!

Last edited by DnvrFox; 06-10-13 at 07:37 PM.
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Old 06-10-13, 06:39 PM
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When Im driving I always sing to myself "Im in the bubble" cuz i leave 6 car lengths between me and the car ahead. If someone cuts into my bubble i just slow down a little to get it back - im in no hurry when i drive.

Charlie
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Old 06-10-13, 07:07 PM
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I started my daughter on the wide, empty beach with our four-wheel drive.

As she tended to focus on one thing, for example, shifting (the manual transmission), I learned that "Watch where you're going." takes too long to say. So we agreed that I would use the word "Steer!"
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Old 06-10-13, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by JTGraphics
When I saw this it put a smile on my face as it reminded me of teaching my daughter to drive it was a stick shift to top it off.
...
Yep, I went down this path with two boys, and 'would advocate anyone getting a license on a stick. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately..., the average teenager/young adult isn't all that interested in driving and getting a license since most all their friends are within fingertips' reach, literally, so they have no need to drive anywhere to meet anyone.

But what should you tell her....

"Do as I say and not as I do"
"Stop BEHIND the line"
"Do NOT cross into the bike lane until the broken lines show up"
"Speed up to match traffic you're merging with"
"What's the speed limit on this street?"
"Oncoming traffic will not yield for you to make your left turn"
"What the hell were you thinking???"

OK, there's a start for you. I'm sure there will be many things you will say to her, and you and she will come to appreciate the time spent together. Eventually.
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Old 06-10-13, 07:30 PM
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Tell her to look out for people on bicycles. One of them might be her Grandpa.
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Old 06-10-13, 07:38 PM
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There is ALWAYS one more kid than you can see.
Expect the unexpected.
The Idiots are out to kill you, every other driver is an idiot.
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Old 06-10-13, 07:38 PM
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Retro, it depends on whether you want to teach your grand daughter to just get a licence, or to teach her how to drive.

People who are good at a skill aren't necessarily good at teaching, either. They assume a lot, and cannot break down the routines they take for granted into the individual actions that make up that routine (you know that computer geek you've asked to help on a simple problem, and they go through the steps so fast that you missed the second keystroke, then are appalled that you have so few computer skills?).

It's a staged process that needs a lot of thought from the instructor to avoid frustrations on both sides.

Get the routines right, from getting into the car safely, to starting it, to getting going.

Get your grand daughter to vocalise what she is doing. This becomes a very useful way of finding out how observant she is. Keep her scanning the road ahead, and in the rear vision mirrors (for motor cyclists, for example). By vocalising what she is doing to you, there is a two-way communication going on, rather than one-way with you simply telling her what to do.

Go down a suburban street and ask her to tell you everything she sees that might impact on her driving, and what her action is. Don't let her drift off. Try to get her to understand that observant driving enables her to anticipate what might happen, and to plan her reaction.

When I drove in the US late last year, it was a little alarming to see how closely behind drivers would be behind us. And yes, there was a degree of jumping into the gap ahead of me (I am an advocate of the three to four second rule). But patience and dropping back again isn't so difficult. Plus, the gap meant I didn't have to come to a screaming halt in slow-moving traffic, but rather kept moving forward.
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