Driver’s Training
I remember the excitement of approaching the age of sixteen in order to learn how to drive and get a driver’s license. It was time to take the freedom and adventure we experienced after learning to ride a bike and exploring the world around us (likely only one or two miles away from home) and extend it to the road! Time for new adventures!
It was not like I didn’t have any experience behind the wheel. My dad used to let us take turns pulling our 1964 American Motors Rambler from the driveway into the garage while sitting on his lap. Of course, he controlled the gas and break pedals as couldn’t reach them, and he always had his hand at the bottom of the steering wheel while we were at the 10 and 2 position, but it was driving to us nonetheless.
We then took our experience to the Autopia in Disneyland not realizing that those cars were also technically on a track. Every time we careened off of the track, we just thought is was an issue with the car, not our driving skills.
When I was old enough to get my driving permit, Driver’s Training was a required course in high school. One day during the week we would be on driving simulators and then on the road with a teacher and four classmates in a car that had a dual break pedal. There were only a few occasions that I actually went out and practiced with my parents.
In getting my license, I was really nervous before and during the test. I passed with flying colors though, likely because a firetruck decided to pull out of the station, and I dutifully pulled over to the right and stopped to clear its path even though it didn’t have it’s sirens on. I remember seeing my tester nodding his head and taking notes out of the corner of my eye. License secured!
Times have changed a lot since those days. Driver’s Ed is no longer a requirement in high school. In fact, it isn’t even offered any more in most high schools. Teens are now required to have a certain number of hours behind the wheel via a certified driver training school as well as a number of hours driving with a parent as well. If you are under 18, you are not allowed to give your friends rides unless they have a permission slip from their parents.
Fast forward to when my kids were of age to begin the process of securing their driver’s licenses. It is a difficult time for parent and child. Both parties are nervous as can be. I’m not sure who is more nervous, the parent or the teen! There is a definite tension in the vehicle regardless of what you do to alleviate that. My strategy was simple. Take them somewhere safe first to get the feel for things and then slowly build them up to more complex environments, and eventually, the freeway! I will share two key driver’s training tips for parents in a bit.
To get things started, we got him signed up for some private lessons. To augment this instruction, I took my son to a school parking lot on the weekends and drive around it, marking out what were imaginary cars and trucks that he needed to avoid. I would also work with him on parking, both in the angled spaces as well as straight in and even parallel parking practice using the lines in the parking lot as markers. Eventually, I would let him drive back to the house, then on more major streets, and then the freeway. He really liked the freeway! And yes, we did have to endure several arguments and statements of, “I was just about to do that when you yelled at me!” which really meant that I was on my third time of asking him to slow down after two very docile requests. (At least that’s how I remember it! You too can look forward to these exchanges.)
Now it is test time and he has decided to take his test in a different neighborhood. He did not pass on his first attempt as he was not familiar with the environment and ended up having to navigate a construction crew which I’m sure had an impact on his focus. Time to implement a new strategy.
I had him schedule his next exam which had to be at least two weeks out from his previous test. Here is where I highly recommend my first driver’s training hack:
“Driver’s Ed Tip #1: Stakeout the test route.”
We drove to the Department of Motor Vehicles office where he was to take the test and waited for the Tester to hop into a car with a student. We then followed them around the route that was used for the test, the theory being that it would either be exactly the same, or very close to the test that he would have to take. Here’s where things get funny. We tried our best to stay a couple of cars behind, so as not to be found out, and we ended up losing our mark!!! Once the light turned green for us, we started off on our search to reacquire our target. We followed their path as far as we were able to see them go, but to no avail. Then, after deciding to turn back, we ended up seeing them again…coming straight toward us! We laughed very hard as we passed each other going in different directions. While we weren’t completely successful in getting the exact route of the test, we got enough to make up our own and practice it every day leading up to his next test. He passed with flying colors, but more importantly, he passed with a story for the ages!
I would deploy this same stakeout strategy with my daughter a few years later. We employed the same stakeout strategy and followed the route of the test for her to practice. We also had some of the same “I was just about to do that” events as I did with my son. In my daughter’s case though, she was behind in the number of hours, but I had a plan to get her beyond the minimum in one round trip. My daughter loves cheetahs and I had met the woman who managed the cheetahs at a place called Safari West up near Napa, California. She invited us to come see the cheetahs up close. The drive from San Jose to Napa takes between two to three hours, so my daughter would easily make up her hours deficit with this five to six hour round trip. Not only that, the route would take her through city traffic, over a bridge, through a tunnel, and over another bridge so she would get great experience with different driving conditions. She was really nervous, but did great! On the way home, as we got closer to her house, I told her the following, “OK, now this won’t be on the test, but you will use this driving skill more than any other.” She was a mix of confused, scared and excited to know what she was about to learn. After instructing her to take a couple of right and left turns, we made our way to…the Chik-fil-A Drive Through. The skill she would use the most, but is not on the test!
So…Driver’s Training Tip #2: “Take Your Kids Through The Drive-Through”
My reasoning behind this hack is two-fold. One, they will laugh and relax a little more, and two, you will give them a memory that they will share and likely carry forward with their kids. Not to mention that it is indeed the skill that they will use the most!
QUOTES:
“Even though there are days I wish I could change some things that happened in the past, there’s a reason the rear-view mirror is so small and the windshield is so big, where you’re headed is much more important than what you’ve left behind.”
Unknown
“Education must not simply teach work – it much teach life.”
- W.E.B. Du Bois
“A father loves completely, gives quietly, teaches gently, and inspires deeply.”
Unknown
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
LOOK UP! Teach your kids what they need to know, but involve them in the doing! LOOK AROUND! They won’t be young forever! Take advantage of each day to create lasting memories.
I LOVE YOU!
PEACE!