What young people need to know before they start driving

In My Humble Opinion
21

[QUOTE=Hirka T’Bawa]

This means if a deer, dog, cat, rabbit, or whatever jumps in front of your car, DON’T SWERVE! If it is a little boy or girl chasing a ball, swerve. Now, of course slamming on the brakes is ok, but your less likely to get into a head on accident that kills you or someone else if you stay in your own lane.

[/QUOTE]

That sounds like a good way to die.

Mine: always assume that everyone else on the road with you is an awful driver who’s not just not paying attention, but it basically out to get you.

22

Don’t let other drivers impatience and desire for haste (tailgaters) change your driving, let them pass, it’s not personal.

23

[QUOTE=Zsofia]
My dad made me change a tire by myself before I could even sit in the driver’s seat. Wasn’t a bad idea.
[/QUOTE]

It would be a good idea, too, to know how to use a can of Fix-A-Flat and how to jump start a car (safely/correctly).

When a tire goes off onto the shoulder the correct reaction is NOT to yank the steering wheel.

Re: if you’re in an accident…when you get out of your car, keep distance between yourself and the other driver until you can gauge his/her mood. Some might want to come out swinging.

Overall, I’d create the impression that the young driver is a nanometer away from losing driving privileges, so they won’t try things like drag racing or other dangerous stuff.

24

Before a kid gets to drive, he/she should know how to check and fill every single fluid in the vehicle, how to check tire pressure and what the correct tire pressure should be and how to inflate tires correctly. Also how to jack up the car and change a tire. Jump start would be good too. Every driver should know what weight of oil and what type of tranny fluid their car takes by heart.

Earliest driving lessons should be in a manual transmission car in an open (unpaved) field. This teaches the basics of clutch in a visceral manner such that it will never be forgotten. Difficult to arrange in most cases, but if it can be achieved it’s worth it later on. The new driver doesn’t get to shift into second until he/she can get the car going with no gas pedal at all, reliably.

The first time it gets freezy when the kid’s learning to drive is a fabulous time to learn elementary skid training in an icy parking lot. Nobody should be on the road who has never had to cope with a skid under controlled conditions. Skid pad training would be even better, but hard to find in most locations. I personally think that skid pad should be included in licensing tests, but that’s just me.

On a similar note, every new driver needs to learn about stopping distance. Get up to speed then panic brake at a specific mark to see how far it takes to stop when going 20, 30, 40, 50mph. Make the driver get out and physically walk the distance the car required to stop–it will make the impression more vivid.

New drivers need to learn about flinching. Driving down a street and getting hit right in the windshield with a blast from a hose teaches people a LOT about how their conditioned reflexes can kill them. Blink if you must, but keep your hands steady. Likewise, many single car accidents and fatalities can be blamed on bees in the car. Fifty miles an hour is not the place for a freakout–take the sting if you must because the alternative is going to be a lot more messy. Yes, even if you ARE allergic!

Seat belts are NOT optional and no, being required to wear them is not a Constitutional issue. Put the damned thing ON! Even in a parking lot. The same goes for every passenger in the car. Car does not go if seat belts are not on. Likewise, having current insurance is also not optional. If you can’t afford insurance you can’t afford to drive, simple as that.

Slamming on the brakes is NOT always the best response to any uncertainty. What’s behind you is also your responsibility, and random brake jabbers cause fatalities. If you miss your turn, tough shit–turn around and go back.

Don’t focus on what’s right in front of you–stuff that close has already happened and you can’t do anything about it. Focus ahead to anticipate what’s going to happen by the time you get there. The faster you go, the further ahead you should be looking. Also, when going around a turn, focus ahead and watch where the road is going to go–your body will automatically turn the car correctly to match your eye focus. New drivers overcorrect in cornering precisely because they’re watching too close ahead and trying to micromanage the vehicle.

If you’re tired while driving, pull over and sleep for a while! Don’t be an ass, it’s very possible to fall asleep while driving and a half hour nap will change your state of mind dramatically.

Road rage kills.

25

[QUOTE=Hirka T’Bawa]
This means if a deer, dog, cat, rabbit, or whatever jumps in front of your car, DON’T SWERVE! If it is a little boy or girl chasing a ball, swerve. Now, of course slamming on the brakes is ok, but your less likely to get into a head on accident that kills you or someone else if you stay in your own lane.
[/QUOTE]

That advise is fine except for the deer part. A deer strike can total car and kill a person. Situational awareness is crucial to this decision. On a busy suburban road, taking the strike and totalling your car may be the best thing to if you are wearing a seat-belt. Rural roads may offer you may opportunities but you have to be aware enough to know whether to hit the shoulder or not. You never, ever want to hit a moose because it is basically the same as hitting a brick wall that was erected in the middle of the road.

26

[QUOTE=SmartAleq]
Before a kid gets to drive …
[/QUOTE]

Wow. That was like having my mind read …

Dear Young Soon-To-Be-Licensed Inexperienced Driver:

Read this thread. Then read it again. Then remember this one additional thing:

Treat every semi you encounter on the highways and by-ways in this land with the respect due a loaded weapon in the hands of an amateur. “If it’s pointed at you, you could very easily die.”

Sadly, not all of the drivers in those trucks are professionals, and many have less experience behind the wheel of their vehicle than many sixteen- or eighteen-year-olds have behind the wheel of theirs.

Tractor-Trailer rigs are huge. They weigh a lot. They obey the laws of physics. All the time. Particularly the parts about mass and momentum. In other words, they are very difficult to stop.

Give these 40 - 64.5 ton* monsters more space than you think they need. Then give them more. When I’m in my Jeep, I STFAway from those things. Come to think of it, I give 'em a lot of room even when I driving my rig.

After passing one of these behemoths, do not pull in 2 car-lengths in front of them even if you see other big trucks do it. (That other truck can’t stop much faster than I can - but if you blow a tire or have to stop quickly - you will be road kill before I get 10 mph off my speed.)

Oh, yeah … one more thing –> You can not intimidate the driver in the semi. It serves no purpose to tailgate a semi, (they probably can not go faster even if they wanted to, and they do …) and squatting in front of one will simply get you dead (see above).

And you will lose every contest of will. Sooner, or later. That’s not a threat, just an application of the laws of physics.

Yeah, I know. That was more than one thing … Don’t sneer at old people. And get off of my lawn.

Sincerely,

Lucy
Your Friendly Neighborhood Professional Driver

*That’s Eighty THOUSAND (80,000) pounds for most single rigs, to as much as One Hundred Twenty Nine THOUSAND (129,000) pounds for some of the doubles (like my supertanker) or triples out there.

27

5 things I learned in driver’s ed back in 1973 that I still remember today:

  1. Aim high in steering.

  2. Get the big picture.

  3. Keep your eyes moving.

  4. Leave yourself an out.

  5. Make sure they see you.

28

[QUOTE=Shagnasty]
<snip>… You never, ever want to hit a moose because it is basically the same as hitting a brick wall that was erected in the middle of the road.
[/QUOTE]

And Cows.

I’ve seen vehicles that have hit a wall. I’ve seen vehicles that have hit deer, elk, and moose. I’ve witnessed 2 vehicles hitting cows.

The cows are the worst.

Stupid animals. Like to graze in the middle of the road. There’s nothing to eat there, mind you, but they’ll stand there grazing none the less.

Oh, yeah - you can’t intimidate a cow into moving out of your path, either. They are too stupid to consider your vehicle a threat until after you hit them. And don’t bother honking your horn - they like the music.

And watch the calves. They will run to mama. Or towards the largest group of cows they can see. Or towards the spaceship they think is landing on the road where they are grazing (your car). In short, there is no way to predict which way calves or yearlings will run. Or even if.

Best advice when traveling in open range country (most Western States and all of Nevada) –>>> I hope you have better luck than you had in our casinos.

If you’re driving down the road and pass a sign with a picture of a cow on it and choose to ignore that and fail to put yourself on Red Alert, I wish you “Good Luck” … 'cause you’re gonna need it.

Lucy

29

Lots of good advice already so I won’t repeat it.

Car crashes can be lethal. Make him watch videos of accidents. Not the sanitised ones on Youtube, but ones from your local fire and police authorities, the ones which show the gory aftermath. Spend an afternoon with him in traffic court.

Tell him ordinary cars are not as safe as NASCAR and Formula 1 cars. Kubica can survive a 150mph crash, but he won’t.

Sometimes, not dieing is worse than dieing. See if you can find videos of people who’ve become vegetables, or the video of the woman whose body fat ignited.

Make him understand that life isn’t a video game. You don’t get second chances.

But once you’ve scared him silly, tell him that you are confident that now he’s seen what can happen he will be a good driver.

30

[QUOTE=Shagnasty]
That advise is fine except for the deer part. A deer strike can total car and kill a person. Situational awareness is crucial to this decision. On a busy suburban road, taking the strike and totalling your car may be the best thing to if you are wearing a seat-belt. Rural roads may offer you may opportunities but you have to be aware enough to know whether to hit the shoulder or not. You never, ever want to hit a moose because it is basically the same as hitting a brick wall that was erected in the middle of the road.
[/QUOTE]

I learned to drive in metro Atlanta, so I never had to deal with moose, or cows, or really big deer. The largest thing I had to worry about were some smaller deer, none of those big humongous ones with antlers, and cats and dogs were the most common. There was also a lot more traffic in the area then in rural areas. So in my area it was pretty good advise. Now, that I’m older, I see that there are many exceptions to the rule, but it was very good advise when I was young and inexperienced.

31

With today’s kids playing video games, here’s one more:

This car has no reset button. If something happens, you can’t simply reboot and start over.

32

As you approach an intersection it is possible for a car moving from right to left (on the intersecting street) to remain in your right pillar blind spot. This occurs when the speed of the approaching car exactly matches your angle of view (not sure how to word this). Some cars have really big pillars like the new civic. Very easy to look to your right as you approach the intersection and NOT see a car moving toward you. This becomes your mental image of traffic. Very easy to pull out in front of someone. Some intersections lend themselves to this problem more than others. I had this happen to me a number of times at a specific highway off-ramp. The speed of intersecting traffic matched my off ramp speed. I would look right as I approach, see nothing and look left. As far as my situation awareness was concerned, there was no traffic.

33

The safest way to use the car is for him to keep it in park, and stay in the back seat with his girlfirend.

What?

34

Not everything on the road is a car or truck. If you see me on a motorcycle in your lane, please don’t assume “Ah hell, there’s probably room” and try to pass me in the same goddamn lane. At 50mph. And yes, bikers, I know about dominating my lane, but this bend in the London/Kent area was a sharp 50mph curve - I would have to move to the side to hold it properly.

OK, more sensibly: give cyclists and motorcyclists as much room as you would give a car when passing them. If you can’t do that, hold back until you can.

If you’re in an area where motorcyclists can lane-split, don’t toss your damn coffee out of the window into their laps.

35

To be fair,

The majority of cars on the road in the US these days are autos. And even in most manual cars synchro will take care of the rev matching, unless you really botch a shift.

I know you were just trying to take the piss out of a 14 year old kid, but unless he’s training to drive a semi he probably doesn’t need to know about rev matching :stuck_out_tongue:

/drives a manual

36

STOP LOOK AND LISTEN

(non-squeamish but informative video)

37

[QUOTE=Mongo Ponton]
Everything that ever happened in a car was the result of too fast for conditions.
[/QUOTE]

Several of the accidents I’ve been (none my fault) in have been 25mph or less. It wasn’t the speed. It was the driver not looking.

Learn to merge onto the highway safely. Don’t creep up at 35mph and expect people to slow down for you. And DON’T stop on the on-ramp.
If someone is having car trouble on the side of the road, don’t fly by going 70mph right next to them. Be courteous and move over a lane or two.
Yield to emergency vehicles.
If there are turn lanes, use them!
If you can’t see past another vehicle. Don’t assume no one is coming. Wait until you can see. Or you’re likely to get T-boned (by me) - due to your impatience and stupidity.
Learn how to properly jack up the car, change a tire, inflate tires, jump-start your car, check/change fluids, etc.
If you get pulled over by a cop, don’t stop in the middle of the lane. Pull off into a parking lot or something.
Use your turn signals.
Know how to do a 4-way stop.
Don’t run red lights. If it turns yellow and you have time to stop, then hit the brake, not the throttle!
If someone cuts you off or does something stupid, honk a couple times, curse in your vehicle all you want but DO NOT seek revenge. Let it go. It’s not worth it.

38

Thanks, SmartAleq, for typing my post for me. Much faster that way. (for me, at least)

Listen to the man.

And *make *the kid change the tire. The whole operation. Including getting all dirty getting down on the road to position the jack right.

39

[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan]
5 things I learned in driver’s ed back in 1973 that I still remember today:

  1. Aim high in steering.

  2. Get the big picture.

  3. Keep your eyes moving.

  4. Leave yourself an out.

  5. Make sure they see you.
    [/QUOTE]
    These are the principles taught in The Smith System. I had to take this course at my current place of employment. Part of ‘get the big picture’ is to look ahead 15 seconds. Most people only look ahead 3 to 5 seconds. You need to watch the tail lights of the people several cars ahead, not just of the car directly in front of you.
    Anticipate what other drivers might do. Is that car at the cross street going to wait, or is he going to chance it and pull out in front of me?
    Is that car that keeps drifting over the line trying to change lanes without signaling, or is he just not attentive?
    Think of the dumbest thing other drivers could do and assume they’re going to do it.

40

What young people need to know before they start driving

[QUOTE=John DiFool]
He claims that he “knows all about driving”
[/QUOTE]

He needs to know that at age 14 he doesn’t know all about driving - nor even a significant percentage. Indeed, claiming that you know all about any subject tends to argue that you actually know very little.