Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Many thanks to all who posted. We just had our third lesson. We're done with empty parking lots and have moved on to quiet neighborhood streets and today on a larger street with stoplights. We really practiced her turns as she was turning way too wide and over-correcting with the steering wheel. By the end of the hour she was much better at them. We also worked on consistent signaling and checking her blind spot.
While I wish I had my own brakes and steering wheel, I have been surprisingly patient (for me) and she takes well to constant correction. I let her have the radio on turned down really low but when she started singing along, I turned it off and explained to her about how easy it is to be distracted.
I sure don't see the freeway in our near future, but when it's time, I'll either start with early Sunday morning practice or hire a pro for that part. Depends on if my nerves can take it!
But so far, so good and she gains skills and confidence with each lesson. She can smell the freedom it will bring and is eager to soak everything up.
I will definitely look to see if Driver's Edge has a program here in Portland.
In my family, instructors worked out. My instructor was far better than my parents or grandfather.
Family members were too cautious, not systematic, or too "perfectionist" in the high-strung/wrong way. Instructors are pretty good at reading people, assessing their control of the car, and knowing how far to push /progress them from parking lot--->quiet residential--->main street/city--->highways. They also don't pass on bad habits which will get the kid a black mark on the driving test.
I will caution you to have the kid practice in the car they will most often drive, and watch out for sensitive steering. I have found that my second kid tends to overcorrect in my car, and she has a tendency to drift at highway speeds. She does significantly better in the car with heavier steering.
Practice a lot on empty lots (we went to one of the schools) until she gets confidence. That means, to me, she knows where the car is in space, stopping distances, etc.
I got a bunch of orange cones my kids had to drive around, do maneuvers around, etc. We did that for a long time before they hit the road. I would also use the same vehicle and not switch around. They can do that after they get their license.
They also went to driving school with a certified instructor.
Are the orange cones tall enough for her to see from the driver's seat to practice parallel parking? We will need to buy a couple if they are tall enough for this purpose.
Are the orange cones tall enough for her to see from the driver's seat to practice parallel parking? We will need to buy a couple if they are tall enough for this purpose.
Get the 3 foot ones. You can get the 1 foot ones to help her practice backing up using the mirrors.
Are the orange cones tall enough for her to see from the driver's seat to practice parallel parking? We will need to buy a couple if they are tall enough for this purpose.
We put some flags on top of the cones to make them easier to see.
Patience. Mine was really scared to drive. But when they want to go someplace, they are going to have the courage to learn. My daughter wanted to go to the mall with friends. That meant she had to get on the freeway eventually. So like everyone, we started out in empty parking lots, moved on to quiet streets, then I had her get up early on a Sunday morning and we drove on the freeway, eventually doing it all the way to the mall. Do it early (6am here) on a Sunday morning and no one was on the road. Eventually when she became comfortable with no one on the road, we bumped it up to 7am with a scant few ars merging on and off and changing lanes, then we moved it to 8am, etc. Eventually she was good, not great with the freeway. To this day she will still turn off the radio and ask passengers to have quiet conversation (and not with her!) if traffic is heavy or she is in a situation where she really has to concentrate.
The ost difficult thing our kids have to do for the driving test is parallel park. We live in a semi-rural area and they never have to use this skill. A set of tall orange cones and lots of practice was the only way to win that battle.
Lastly, there is a FREE driving experience called Drivers Edge. Google it and see if it is coming to a place near you. It is a great one-day experience for evasive maneuvers, teaching about stopping distances, and talking about lots of other issues like drinking and driving. The instructors are mostly race car drivers who generously give of their time. The vehicles they teach in are all equipped with the highest level of safety equipment. In our area the highway patrol makes a day of it, providing their own simulators and lots of additional fun stuff for the kids. Part of the day will be spent in a classroom, but most of the day is spent in the cars. If they have one in your area it is an awesome experience for your young driver.
Drivers Edge is an excellent program!
My DS took the course twice during the years he was eligible.
Sadly, Driver's Edge is not available here. And Portland is a place where knowing how to parallel park is a necessity. I'm terrible at it but I eventually get it right! Should be fun teaching her. Maybe I'll get better at it as well.
I've taken on the task of teaching my granddaughter to drive. She prefers me over her parents as to her, they are "nervous nellies". We've had two lessons so far, starting in empty parking lots and then on quiet neighborhood streets. I know we need to start on larger roads, stoplights, lane changing etc. Just not sure how quickly or how slowly to proceed.
If anyone out there has done this recently, any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. How many lessons? When to graduate to merging on freeways? How to know when she is capable of moving on to more challenging driving. Anything will help. It's been 50 years since I learned to drive and I don't really remember all the steps and hours of practice needed before taking the final test.
Thanks in advance!
This was not recently, but my grandfather mostly taught me how to drive. My mother made me nervous with her clutching and hypercaution, and my father was impatient and lecturing. They both drove me nuts. My grandfather is an easygoing person and would always go for a drive with me if I asked. We went to a big empty parking lot several times before venturing onto a street, and a bunch of times around my neighborhood before going onto a big street. (Maybe 10+ "times" for the parking lot and then around my neighborhood another dozen times.) I don't have much advice, just a big thank you from another granddaughter for taking the time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
