Teaching a child to drive

[ShutDown24]

I just fairly recently got my license. Let me give you some advice from the standpoint of the student. Don't be over-bearing. I can remember learning to drive with my parents in the car with me constantly telling me "do this, do that" it gets ANNOYING. I know to use my turn signal, thank you. After the first go of it, don't mention simple things. Let her remember them on her own and if she forgets, then you mention it. Basically the best advice I could give to make it the easiest to learn would be to let the student do it then critique. Just take it easy :)

[devilsdancefloor]

my daughter gets her liscense next tuesday i cant beelive the permit has gone by so fast! Sheis doing well i even got her driving a manual transmission. Im very confidnet in her ability.

[Galax Steeler]

Originally Posted by MACH1

It could be worse. Up until a few years ago the legal age for driving in Idaho was 14.

I would be scarred out of my wits. I would be looking over my shoulders everywhere I went.

[SteelShooter]

Brother, don't worry so much about "I can't believe 16 years have passed so quickly! " ............my daughter is 18 and graduates this coming June. Mannnnn, I thought high school boys were bad, I will have to deal with college guys next year!

[steelwall]

Wanna talk about driving try living in a city with 17 million Chinese people... No words can describle it. I'll try though...mad house...insane in the membrain.....unorganized....balls to the wall...oblivious...Chinese+women+cell phones.....D.U.I's for COPS... maybe that can give ya'll some insight

[stlrtruck]

I started teaching my oldest child how to drive before she even got her license. About 3 times a month we would head out to the local high school parking lot and for the first few months I would be in the passenger seat and then I moved to outside the truck.

I would throw balls in front of the truck to get her to recognize possible hazards and grow her reflexes.

My son turns 14 this October and early next Spring I'll start teaching him how to drive THE TRUCK.

And then eventually, the Princess - but I'm not sure I'll let her drive until she's 30!

[trauben]

Originally Posted by steelreserve

You make it sound so easy. I lived near Philadelphia for a few months in the end of 2007, and when I tried to go through all the DMV stuff so I could legally drive a car I had bought, they made it pretty clear that the state of Pennsylvania does not want anyone to drive a car there ever. And I already HAD a perfectly good driver's license. Hope it works out for you...

Did they know you were a Steelers fan out there near Philly? I think I smell a conspiracy.

Originally Posted by TheWarDen86

You sure the Mall is the best place? I know I am petrified to drive in the mall p-lot here myself.
Maybe that's just because it's New Jersey though (Soccer/Shopping Mom capital of the world).

This mall is the best place. It has many open lots, is HUGE and empty in most places. And yes, you feel that way just because you're in NJ. LOL. This mall is nothing like the Raceway mall in Freehold or the crazy Ocean County Mall down there in beach territory. (I used to live in NJ for a while so -- been there done that )

Originally Posted by lamberts-lost-tooth

...soooooo....rosary beads...a football helmet...and screaming in fear....are...bad, right?

Keep the rosary beads but clenched in the pocket out of sight.

Originally Posted by ShutDown24

I just fairly recently got my license. Let me give you some advice from the standpoint of the student. Don't be over-bearing. I can remember learning to drive with my parents in the car with me constantly telling me "do this, do that" it gets ANNOYING. I know to use my turn signal, thank you. After the first go of it, don't mention simple things. Let her remember them on her own and if she forgets, then you mention it. Basically the best advice I could give to make it the easiest to learn would be to let the student do it then critique. Just take it easy :)

You just described my father. He taught me what kind of a person not to be sitting by someone learning to drive.

Originally Posted by steelwall

Wanna talk about driving try living in a city with 17 million Chinese people... No words can describle it. I'll try though...mad house...insane in the membrain.....unorganized....balls to the wall...oblivious...Chinese+women+cell phones.....D.U.I's for COPS... maybe that can give ya'll some insight

Does Japanese people count? I've driven in and around Tokyo. I would NOT want to teach anyone to drive over there! Not only are you driving on the other side of the road, but the driver's seat is opposite in the cars as well.

[TheWarDen86]

Originally Posted by trauben

Did they know you were a Steelers fan out there near Philly? I think I smell a conspiracy.


This mall is the best place. It has many open lots, is HUGE and empty in most places. And yes, you feel that way just because you're in NJ. LOL. This mall is nothing like the Raceway mall in Freehold or the crazy Ocean County Mall down there in beach territory. (I used to live in NJ for a while so -- been there done that )


Keep the rosary beads but clenched in the pocket out of sight.


You just described my father. He taught me what kind of a person not to be sitting by someone learning to drive.


Does Japanese people count? I've driven in and around Tokyo. I would NOT want to teach anyone to drive over there! Not only are you driving on the other side of the road, but the driver's seat is opposite in the cars as well.

HA!! The Freehold Mall was precisely the one I was thinking of when I wrote that. Can you imagine trying to teach someone to drive there??? lol

Good luck! I'm sure she'll make you proud.

[trauben]

I survived.

After sitting in the DMV offices for over two hours waiting to get the permit Saturday morning, I ended up taking her out to a hospital I once worked at.

There are lots of empty parking spaces in the outpatient clinical areas, and enough driving conditions around the entire complex with very little traffic to intimidate her. One big parking lot was completely empty so that was a good place for her to speed up and get a "feel" for the car and the steering wheel, etc. I will admit that about the first 15 minutes I made sure to sit on my hands as I could feel the "uneasiness" in the handling of the car. We had the classic 'head-jerking' stops, but then the feel of the car changed as she kept driving. It began to feel very steady and confident. We stayed in the parking lot the first day, and then Sunday we went again for another hour. This time she was driving around the complex with other traffic around her. She's picking this up really quick and confidently. Whew! But the most she's got the car up to has been 20mph. LOL I have yet to see how she does on main roads and with plenty of traffic.

I did set down SOLID rules about driving. NO CELL PHONE ON IN THE CAR when behind the wheel. I made that part of her routine for beginning the car; adjust driver's seats, windows, steering wheel, turn on head lights, turn off cell phone.......etc. She's not addicted to the thing that much anyway, but if she wants to drive my car thats the rules.

Boy it's different when it's your child you're teaching!

lamberts-lost-tooth, I'll be thinking of you! You'll be up next to the plate. You're going to have to let me know how you're doing! We'll be going through this together and eventually be able to get to where devilsdancefloor is.

What would be more difficult? Teaching a boy or teaching a girl? One may want the 'need for speed' whereas the other? My daughter luckily is not the 'giddy' 'gossipy' 'giggly' type. She's grounded, mature and serious when in serious matters so I think I luck out in that department. So maybe this is just more about the personality rather than the gender?