DS's first real driving lesson

[ckay87]

Well, we took advantage of some of the last empty parking lots for a while (after the 27th, those will be hard to find) and took the boy out to learn how to drive stick shift. He turns 16 in 2 weeks, so now is a fine time to practice, off-road, anyway....

Seems like a good idea to teach him stick right away, as his first driving experience. Know what's not a good idea? To eat McDonalds beforehand! I can ride all roller coasters and spinny rides (Mission Space, anyone?), but put me in a Jetta with a new driver trying to pull out in first gear and I'm ready to hurl. That, in addition to this morning's mild neck pain and small forehead bruise from confronting that windshield (note to self, SIT BACK.)

Oh, and last night I woke up screaming, at least once, "BRAKE AND CLUTCH, BRAKE AND CLUTCH!!!"

The really hard part, for me, was explaining HOW to drive stick. It's as natural to me as breathing. Was really hard-pressed to explain the whole procedure to him and because I'm not a mechanical person, I can't really even explain how the whole thing works.

Spent a half hour, and TOO much gas, pulling out, shifting to second, stopping, starting, parking, reversing. All I can say is ....how will I ever take him on the actual road? I mean, how much would it cost to get an extra steering wheel and brake installed on the passenger side???? I don't think I can do it otherwise!! I will at least mount a sign on the rear windshield "Back Off, Student Driver." He'll love that.

Anyway, thought I'd share my random thoughts on the whole thing. This is our oldest, so it's all new to me. Anyone else teaching a new driver? Where did you go to "open it up" without killing anyone?

 

[disneygals]

About a month ago, DD16 just got her permit, (had previously driven up our short street and into the driveway,) next day came home from school, asked to drive.

I was tired, distracted, my mother just got out the hospital, so I let her get in the car, put the car in reverse and she drove straight into a tree!

She was devastated! My dh was able to replace the light for $150, we just left the dents. Where she hit would have required replacing three different sections and cost thousands!

I've taken her out a couple of times, told my dh he has to take her out to practice backing up, parking etc in a parking lot.

VERY stressful!

 

[Martha7]

Noy, do I remember those days! My older son was a natural, but my younger son wasn't. Now, the younger son is actually a safer and more cautious driver than his older brother, who doesn't think it's speeding it he's just accelerating to "get around" a bunch of cars!

If my younger son could learn, anyone can, so hang in there. I did make DH teach each of them how to parallel park, since he's good at it. Find out if this will be part of the driver's test and then practice, practice, practice!!! Both of my boys passed their tests on the first try, because they knew what they were doing on the parallel parking portion. They're usually tested on the straight line backing and parking skills before the actual out on the road part begins. I'd venture to guess that a lot of drivers fail the parking section routinely.

Anyway, you have my sympathy. Don't forget that you may need to add your child to your car insurance during this phase too. Different companies have different policies on this.

 

[ckay87]

About a month ago, DD16 just got her permit, (had previously driven up our short street and into the driveway,) next day came home from school, asked to drive.

I was tired, distracted, my mother just got out the hospital, so I let her get in the car, put the car in reverse and she drove straight into a tree!

She was devastated! My dh was able to replace the light for $150, we just left the dents. Where she hit would have required replacing three different sections and cost thousands!

I've taken her out a couple of times, told my dh he has to take her out to practice backing up, parking etc in a parking lot.

VERY stressful!

oooh, that's right...I forgot about insurance. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Hey neighbor! I thought drivers had to have their permit before getting behind the wheel? DD is 17 and we finally got her to go for the permit test. She failed and now I don't know when we'll get back because they only administer it between 8 and 4:15 M-Sa. We work until 5 and Sat mornings I'm lucky to get her out of bed on time for work at 10.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

At least he didn't wind up in the bathroom, bawling his eyes out the way I did after my first driving lesson.

I took Driver's Ed through my HS and it was a NIGHTMARE. The driver's ed teacher I had was an ex-football coach who had never learned NOT to scream at people. So the entire time I'm trying to drive (in the school parking lot) he's yelling in my ear and slapping at my hands (because I didn't use the correct turning procedure--hand over hand). After the lesson was over, I ran into the bathroom and sobbed. After that, I had an intense fear of driving and it took me several years to get over it.

At which point I promptly drove my car into a flowerbed. DH had taught me how to drive and I was using a shopping center (which hadn't officially opened yet) to practice my driving. I was turning a corner and somewhow managed to land my car in a flowerbed. I ran over a baby tree, smooshed some flowers and got thoroughly stuck in the mud. I had to call DFIL to come pull me out.

 

[ckay87]

Hey neighbor! I thought drivers had to have their permit before getting behind the wheel? DD is 17 and we finally got her to go for the permit test. She failed and now I don't know when we'll get back because they only administer it between 8 and 4:15 M-Sa. We work until 5 and Sat mornings I'm lucky to get her out of bed on time for work at 10.

Hey neighbor. You're probably right, I thought taking a spin around an empty parking lot wouldn't be a big deal. The more practice, the better, but we should probably watch it. I grew up in a rural area (Kempton) where kids drove around as long as they could reach the gas pedal! Most of the boys in my grade got their licenses on the same day they turned 16....times have changed, though.

 

[DMickey28]

I taught a really good friend of mine how to drive a stick back in 2000!! It is very hard to explain how it works.

What amazes me is the actual amount of small inclines there are in a simple parking lot!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We signed dd up for driving lessons at a local driving school. Best money ever spent.

It is a process. My dd is 17 and is finally able to manuever all the highways well.

As far as a stick, just keep practicing.

 

[NotUrsula]

This is going to sound funny, but try doing it left-handed.

When I first went to Ireland a few years ago I knew I was going to have to shift left-handed. So I decided to practice it. I took a length of 2x4 and wedged down my clutch, then sat in the passenger seat of my car (parked in the nice flat garage) and practiced shifting left-handed. For the first time in nearly 20 years I *really* had to think about how shifting works, and it took me a little while to get to the point of smoothly changing through the gates left-handed. It might help you to refamiliarize yourself with the motions that have now become just muscle memory to you.

I'm a big believer in getting kids familiar with the mechanics of how to operate a car long before they are old enough to get out on roads. In my family we learn on private property as soon as we are tall enough to operate the pedals and still see over the dash. That way by the time they are old enough to get that learner's permit, they can concentrate on the road rules and what is going on on the road around them, rather than how to shift or work the blinker.

 

[Rora]

I am actually in the midst of trying to teach my DFiance how to drive a stick. I am terrified of driving a stick shift so trying to teach him is.. interesting, .

 

[ZuZugal]

The really hard part, for me, was explaining HOW to drive stick. It's as natural to me as breathing. Was really hard-pressed to explain the whole procedure to him and because I'm not a mechanical person, I can't really even explain how the whole thing works.

Spent a half hour, and TOO much gas, pulling out, shifting to second, stopping, starting, parking, reversing. All I can say is ....how will I ever take him on the actual road? I mean, how much would it cost to get an extra steering wheel and brake installed on the passenger side???? I don't think I can do it otherwise!! I will at least mount a sign on the rear windshield "Back Off, Student Driver." He'll love that.

My DS15 got his permit last July while taking a driver ed course (outside of high school) and they gave him a reflective yellow "STUDENT DRIVER" decal to put on the back window of our vehicle. (he can remove it to put it on my DH's vehicle too.) I thought that was great. Not all of the kids use them but I sure think it's nice.

We also worked with him on driving a stick. I decided to roll down the windows in the car so he could really hear what was going on with the engine (as far as knowing when to shift, etc). He said that helped tremendously. We spent a few hours in a large parking lot over a weekend and he figured it out. That's my only advice.

My dad insisted on teaching me to drive a stick when I was 16. I think that was one of the smartest things he ever did!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Hey neighbor. You're probably right, I thought taking a spin around an empty parking lot wouldn't be a big deal. The more practice, the better, but we should probably watch it. I grew up in a rural area (Kempton) where kids drove around as long as they could reach the gas pedal! Most of the boys in my grade got their licenses on the same day they turned 16....times have changed, though.

Times certainly have changed. I need to push DD to get her permit, because she has to wait 6 months before taking the road test. With HS graduation coming up, she's going to need to know how to drive so she can commute to BTI/work, whichever she does after HS.

 

[mamacatnv]

My Dad took me to a parking lot on a hill and then stood behind the car and said "don't you dare hit me" to this day I love driving a stick!

As a side note for all you parents of new or soon to be driving teens - check out: http://www.driversedge.com/
This FREE program travels the country and is worth the time to attend. DS has attended two summers in a row and may again next summer just to keep his skills up. Get on their notifications list and they will email you when there is a program coming to a location near you.

 

[NotUrsula]

We also worked with him on driving a stick. I decided to roll down the windows in the car so he could really hear what was going on with the engine (as far as knowing when to shift, etc). He said that helped tremendously. We spent a few hours in a large parking lot over a weekend and he figured it out. That's my only advice.

I agree that this works well -- windows down and no radio on when learning!

Learning to watch the tachometer helps, too; for most cars you need to shift when it hits around 3K. I found that keeping my eye on the tach was more helpful in controlling my speed, too -- I learned that optimal cruising engine performance in 5th gear has my car sitting at right around 2750 rpms. It is definitely harder to get the best performance out of a stick shift if it doesn't have a tach.