Took my nephew driving today!

My 15 year old nephew just got his learner’s permit.

Hasn’t had behind the wheel training yet. Apparently, his dad took him over to the school parking lot one evening last week and they practiced driving around the parking lot for a while.

Then, the big move, dad let him drive the family beemer to grandma and grandpa’s for Easter dinner today! It’s about 15 miles though the suburbs.
Mom and sister got a ride separately from his older sister who is a school teacher. (Dad said mom (my sister) is “a little too intense” and it wouldn’t have been a good idea with her in the car. :p)

So, after dinner and after asking permission from his dad, I walked over to him, held out my hand like Ah-nold and said “Come with me if you want to drive!” :slight_smile: My parents (his grandparents) are in an outer suburb, still surrounded by a lot of fields. With me ridding shotgun and his dad in the back seat, we went on a 25 mile circuit down some county roads in the country and back up through town.

Could tell he was nervous, just looking at his hands and the way he gripped the wheel. Still needs to get used to turns, proper braking and all that jazz, but considering it was his first day actually driving and his second time behind the wheel on a real road, the kid did pretty good. Had to remind him of the speed limit a few times not because he was speeding, but because we were going 45 in 55 zones. (Granny driver! :stuck_out_tongue: Still, I’d rather have that than recklessly overconfident.)

He even got to deal with his first tailgater. We drove 7 miles down one road with a van uncomfortably close behind us. Road pretty much wide open, the asshole could have passed us without difficulty or issue at any time. But hey, it was a learning experience for him. I explained that the guy could pass him at any time, that he should NOT flip the guy off, hit his brakes or speed up, but rather he should just keep driving normally and not worry about the idiot behind him who is making a choice not to pass him when he can.

I look forward to taking him on longer drives over the summer. Down some dirt roads, some winding hilly drives, etc. He doesn’t turn 16 until late next fall, so he can’t get his license until then.

Take him to a shopping mall on a Sunday morning-empty parking lot. Much more room to drive around, and lots of places to turn, park, back up, stop. It was fun to watch my boys get more confident and gradually increase their driving speed. (from 15 miles per hour to 25-30!)