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Advanced Driving School

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  thekid 
#1 ·
I've been driving since 16. I've had a lot of experience, both city and suburban. Now, my wife has never learned to drive (city girl). She will be getting her permit soon. She's old for a new driver - 36.

Now, once she completes the simple driving school (the "this is the break, this is the gas" school), I'd like to get her to a better driving school - one which really teaches her to know the car, know its limits and capabilities, and to know and react to the the [quite obvious] limitations of other drivers.

I don't want her to be afraid or timid about the car or driving - I want her to drive with confidence.

(side note - there's nothing which bugs me more than watching people parallel park, shying away from a cut-in where there is 2 feet of space between a bumper and another car. I can't believe these people don't know _exactly_ where their bumpers are).

Any suggestions on a decent school to teach her things like this?
 
#2 ·
teach her yourself. it's probably the best you can get... you've been driving for 20+ years and you can give her unlimited number of lessons all for free.

and yes she will be very nervous when driving... i know some women in similar situations and they are scared to drive anywhere.

its funny when you see them doing like 35 in a 45 and then you zoom by at like 85 and they are like omg grab the steering wheel because he might blow me off due to turbulence or something.

good luck.
 
#4 ·
Originally posted by Torque@Nov 10 2004, 11:12 PM
teach her yourself. it's probably the best you can get... you've been driving for 20+ years and you can give her unlimited number of lessons all for free.
Actually, 11 years - I'm only 27 :D

You really think that it will work if I teach her?

and yes she will be very nervous when driving... i know some women in similar situations and they are scared to drive anywhere.

its funny when you see them doing like 35 in a 45 and then you zoom by at like 85 and they are like omg grab the steering wheel because he might blow me off due to turbulence or something.

good luck.
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That's what I'm worried about. Her sister drives, but won't drive on the highway - because she's too afraid of going that fast.

That, to me, is pretty scary. If you can't drive your vehicle at the speed limit (and beyond) I don't think you should even be behind the wheel, let alone have a license.

That's why I was thinking of a school. It wouldn't be me teaching her (so she doesn't have to worry about making embarassing mistakes and such - hey, face it, we all have an ego).

btw about the bumpers part... i cant park my mom's audi a6 in reverse for the life of me... i just cant even picture where the bumper might be. my car on the other hand -- i can park it anywhere anyhow you want me.
I can understand about someone else's car - it definitely takes time to get used to 'em.

But watching people parallel park in Brooklyn, NY is sad. Day after day, this person across the street fails to parallel park 4/5 times. Backs in, drives out. Backs in - cuts too soon - drives out. Backs in - doesn't cut enough - drives out...

Thanks for the comments, Torque.
 
#5 ·
i personally think that having her go to a driving school, like one of those more performance, car limits ones wouldn't be a bad idea. my reasoning being what you mentioned, being scared about messing with your car, and with you telling her what to do. i think that she would be able to concentrate more with a stranger that teaches for a living, on a closed course or where ever they do that sort of lesson. That leads to another plus, when learning on a closed course she doesn't have to really worry about as much, they usually have like skid cars and stuff that cant flip, that sort of thing. Overall i think you would get more done if you signed her up for one of those, and you wouldn't have to deal with the ego problem. good luck with your decision.
 
#7 ·
my thoughts are once she's passed the test (here in the uk you will fail if you've been driving for a while and start to do things like use both lanes on empty roundabouts) she needs to stay alert...

a lot of drivers will simply drive along thinking about nothing much, the girl in the car at the last lights etc etc.

Also, teach her to emergency stop from 60mph (normal 2-lane road in the uk)... One thing that scared me about the driving lessons i took (a few years ago now) was the emergency stop drill was to drive at 30mph and simply stamp on the pedal, increasing pressure as you slow. This technique works for the driving instructor, but if you do it in the wet or at 70mph, you're gonna crash/burn/die if the wheels lock.

Ideally, get some track time as i found my kart racing experience very useful - i will instinctively correct a oversteer or understeer in ice etc, and find myself straightening up thinking "oh bugger". If you have never tried an oversteer or understeer then you're going to slide off the road thinking "now, what am i supposed to do here.... Ah, i kn...crunch"

Also learned to position the car when i drove my first car - a volvo 340 you can buy for about £20 - $35ish.
We had two, as the first was a rustbucket, and i practiced parking and bumper positions by ramming the old one with the current one!
 
#8 ·
I can park my moms 6 series nooooo problem, my car, I sorta look like a little bit of an idiot. But you TRY and get me to park a tarus, hell, i'll curb the damn thing, or be 8 feet out.
 
#9 ·
I have the perfect solution to your problem

www.drivingconcepts.com has an excellent Teen DRiving Clinic that i did, where you do lots of maneuvers and such that can help on the streets, in a huge open parking lot, so there is lots of room for error. and all the instructors are awesome. PM me if you want more details.
 
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