this 100% (I have taught two boys to drive and used this technique)
also 1) be sure to let them know why you’re commenting constantly so it doesn’t feel like criticism and 2) flip it around after a while and make them give running commentary of what they’re seeing/thinking about
FWIW my kids were completely different, the older one was super gung-ho about driving and basically wanted to just drive around town all weekend with me while learning and the younger one I basically had to put a gun to his head to get in the car, just very little interest in it at first.
Same here, as I mentioned. My youngest didn’t even figure out how to ride a bike until last summer. He had given it a go a few times, didn’t nail it down, and gave up. His friends would always ride over to our house and he’d just walk with them places. Never really cared to just learn once and for all. He finally decided he needed to figure it out so he could join them, so one of his friends actually taught him. Then one day I took him and his friend to Goodwill, he saw a bike he liked for $30, and he’s been riding around the neighborhood for the past year.
My youngest wasn’t quite like me. I got my permit and license literally on the first possible day for each. But, she was and is fairly into driving. My oldest at 24 still doesn’t drive.
When I was 13-14-15 it was pretty common practice amongst my peers to drive our parents’ cars around town when they were away, even just for dinner or something. That seems nuts to me now, but I did grow up in a relatively small town. When my dad took me for my first driving lesson he was like “wait, how do you already know how to drive?”
Growing up in a small town in the early 80s, pretty much everyone got their license on their 16th bday and all the farm kids had limited privileges starting at 14 (farm errands and to/from school).
In the big city burbs starting in the 00s the observation is that kids got them a little later due to strict road testing and now we see a lot of kids waiting a year or more before even trying.
My main teaching to my brood
Everyone else is an idiot.
It’s called an acceleration ramp for a reason.
Time is as important as space. If you are going to pass someone, get a few mph faster so that you can safely easily move over as soon as you get past and for goodness sake don’t break.
Give the other driver(s) an out, room to go somewhere.
If you are making a left turn, make it. Figure out the spacing and go. Half assing it is worse.
And yes I teach a somewhat aggro form of driving. But only if done for a reason when that is the safer move, not just because.
As a balance, if you are going to miss your turn or exit, don’t be a an hero. Take 5 or 10 minutes of your life and be smart. Same goes for going in and out of traffic. You can’t really save much time compared to the risk you put you and others in.
Finally if it’s your turn at the four way stop, then go. Freakin tired of Minnesotans wave each other and no one goes for at least 30 seconds.
Yep, that first statement is so true. Saw a guy whip his car across a 4 lane interstate just the other day to try to get to an exit less than 100 yards away.
Just get off at the next exit man, 5 minutes wont kill you.
I would teach the goal is to be in the lane you want to be in as soon as possible and don’t go playing frogger with traffic. Teach whatever spacing pneumonic you use and get them used to doing that. Take them to stop and go traffic and teach them how to go slow.
I’m in the La courthouse cafeteria for jury duty. I scouted my exits in case there’s an active shooter. Unless he comes in from the door I’m sitting next to, then I’m dead.
There are a bunch of armed cops in here, so it would be a pretty dumb choice for an active shooter.
I would normally say it’s a huge mistake to stay there for lunch when there are so many places nearby (Grand Central Market) but it’s hot as balls today.
When I was learning to drive my dad wanted to encourage me not to race through a yellow light and he said I should “accept the challenge to stop”. You don’t want to overdo that obviously, but it stuck with me and I do think about it when I decide not to gun it to try to make a light that I’d have to gun it for.