My son just got his driver's permit. Noooooo!!!!

 

relax. your life was already forfeit when you said, "I do."

 

ah hahahahaha, wait, I got a second kid coming in 2 weeks!

 

I have four kids, one just turning 16. They all Fit, btw. My car will NOT be my daughter's ride, hers will be a late-90's Regal or Taurus.

 

I hope you have a MT Fit and don't teach your kid to drive with a clutch. That's the approach my Dad was going to take until all the cars we owned at one point were MT's.

 

I learned by going on joy rides when my father was at work in his '72 Ford Ranger (when a Ranger was a full size pickup) with a 3-speed on the column.

 

I've got another 11.5 years before the permit phase comes around. by then he might get the fit... Might...

I learned on 2 different vehicles. 76 VW Bus4MT and an 81 VW Rabbit Diesel Pickup 4MT.

~SB

 

You can try and train them yourself, but it's much more worth it to get them into Drivers Ed, be it in school or private. We can teach them our methods and philosophies, but that won't get them to pass a road test these days. I tried and my daughter failed her first road test. They are VERY tough on the kids in NY these days. They don't just hand out licenses any longer, that's for sure. And for that, I'm very grateful. If they're not ready, they shouldn't get one.

And when they do...we again lose sleep, just like when they were first born. Thank GOD I only had one- the best one I could have ever asked for, I might add!

Good luck....very much good luck.

Dan

 

i have about 3 years to go. Thank goodness my wife is already planning on giving her her accord

 

I've got 17 years to go + the time it takes to meet the right person and conceive a child. No worries here!

 

I'm surprised you think that way? Because I seem to remember NY and NJ people driving more considerately on the roads years ago?

Maybe it's just general ol-timers funk, but the way people speed today, tailgate, don't bother to signal, don't understand (or don't care?) how a 4-way stop intersection works and yap and text on cel phones while driving, makes me think that we 'Mericans have seriously lost something as far as driving skills and road courtesy goes..!
(And I ain't just talking about kids here either...)

But anyway, being a biker too I'm at least grateful for the much much tougher drunk driving laws we now have here in NJ! At least that has done a lot to curb (if not totally eliminate) that crap quite a bit! Where I usta see several different drunks weaving down the road almost every day, -now, thank God, it's become somewhat of a rarity! -Good job, MADD!!!!

 

Good Luck! Prepare for many sleepless nights, unless you find a way to make him believe the car is broken. I tried, but it didn't work for me. I finally let her drive my auto 2.2 liter Cavalier. A real underpowered dog. Much slower than the Fit.

 

Hmmm Jersey Drivers... I remember drivers as a whole being more considerate and I think NJ & NY have kept with the downward curve like everyone else. Most people think Jersey drivers are bad drivers... they aren't, they are actually quite good drivers, just A$$holes (not all, but a higher percentage) - oh... btw, Born & raised just north of Plainfield NJ
There's an entitlement complex out there in many American Drivers and that rules do not apply to them which doesn't seem to be as prevalent in other countries. Not doing simple things of common sense and safety seem to just zip by a lot of people like turn signals, not tailgating, RIDING IN THE LEFT LANE, etc... drive me up a wall. People get pissed off at you when you flash them for riding the left lane... it's not like there are any signs out there that say keep right except to pass...

I have to say, I don't understand this mentality.

~SB

 

You do have a point. The world went and got itself in a damn hurry, not to mention distracted. Most times when I'm tailgated or cutoff, it's a woman or young girl who's doing it- and I'm NOT a slow driver at all. It's no longer the stereotypical pushy male drivers anymore. I estimate a good 70% of drivers really don't deserve a license. They flat out drive like shit. They think and act and react like shit. It's evidenced all around me when I'm out there. And the other side of aggressive drivers is what I refer to as coma drivers. They drive seriously coma induced, and they are always the ones who just make it through traffic lights, leaving YOU stuck.

Passing a road test and driving are two different things. I taught my daughter how to drive. How to handle the car. How to think, anticipate, and react. The things that can keep you out of an accident. That's not what they're looking for on road tests. So, a driving instructor is a good thing for that. And they are tough on the kids at road test. But it does little to help populate the roads with better drivers, it seems. But at least they toughened up. The fact is, young drivers suck. They have always sucked and they will always suck. I sucked as a young driver. Oh sure, I got from point A to B fine. But I sucked. Throw one problem that requires immediate and proper reaction at a young driver and see how much they suck. It's not about steering the car well. Many can do that. It's how you avoid a crisis, and handle it if you're stuck in it, that determines how good you may or may not shape up as a driver. But make no mistake- there are no good new drivers. They all suck. Luck, learning from close calls and mistakes, and good reaction skills will determine if they will ever be a good driver.

The rest fall into the 'schmuck-agressive' or 'coma' drivers. And that's what makes up most of the drivers now.

All in my opinion of course.



Dan