Daddy Drivers Ed
My oldest daughter just turned 15, which is crazy!! This is super weird for a dad who doesn't feel much older than a teenager himself. Now, she is driving with her learner's permit! I'm not sure how it works in other states, but in the great State of Utah, you can have a learner's permit at age 15, after passing a written test. Then, it is just the new driver and the parents hitting the road! She'll take driver's ed later, but now she can start driving if she has a parent in the front seat with her.
This got me thinking about my days as a firefighter. In this profession, you see tons of automobile accidents, especially ones with teenagers. Matter of fact, my first 19 automobile accidents that I responded to as a firefighter, a teenage girl was involved as a driver in one of the vehicles. 19!!!
Now, it wasn't always like that in my career. Teenage boys definitely had their share of accidents too. In my experience, I witnessed far more accidents involving teenage girls, but they were usually fairly minor. The boys though, they seemed to always be going faster or doing something dumber, so there was more damage and injuries from their accidents.
I'm not sure why teenagers have FAR more accidents than the rest of us. Maybe it has something to do with their not-yet-fully developed brains, inexperience at driving or peer pressure to do dumb things with friends in the car.
Unfortunately, automobile accidents are the number 1 killer of teenagers (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db37.htm)! This is a horrible statistic and with so much of the teaching responsibility falling back on parents, I've wanted to help my teenagers become the best driver's they can.
PRE-DRIVER'S ED - Parking lot time
My daughter had plenty of time practicing in the parking lot before hitting the road. After you've been driving for a few years, you take some things for granted such as - how hard to push on the gas, how hard to break, how much force is required to turn the steering wheel, where the controls are located, what those controls do, and how to park. A parking lot is a great place to get a feel for these things.
The parking lot is also a good place to practice some maneuvers before you have to do it on the road like gunning it from a standstill, slamming on the brakes, driving on ice and figuring out a stick shift.
EXPERIENCE IS #1
You probably learned to drive in driver's ed class. Your experience as a driver has likely reinforced the lessons that you learned in school. There is a good chance you don't drive too fast, don't drink and drive, slow down around curves, double-check your blind spot, are careful passing semi-trucks, drive slow in the rain and snow, and pay special attention for motorcycles. You do so not only because you learned those things from a teacher, but experience has reinforced those classroom teachings that are long forgotten. (OK, it was long ago for me.) You have had enough experiences sliding off an icy road or almost turning into a car in your blind spot, to know that you need to upgrade your driving skills to accommodate these certain situations.
Any chance a new driver has to experience driving in these situations, stick 'em in front of the wheel! The more experience, the better. We've been taking our daughter on the freeway, downtown, on dirt roads and everywhere in between. She's been driving in the light and dark, rain and shine. If she mentions that she is nervous about driving somewhere (canyon, freeway etc.), that is guaranteed to be the next place we go.
Of course, we did get a magnet for the car letting others know that the person behind the wheel is learning to drive. I think this helps other people be a little more patient with our efforts. It's too bad people you have to ask people to be patient on the roads, but it does help!
Time behind the wheel is great but, just because you do something a lot doesn't make you good at it. Practicing with intent to learn and improve is key. The more experience they get next to a seasoned and responsible adult the better. It is likely that the people in the front seat with them after you, will be other teenagers without much experience, so make good use of your time!
HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?
Knowing a little bit about what is happening under the hood can save you a ton of grief, hardship and money! In my Daddy Driver's Ed, we cover the basics about this funny area under the hood, including how the following function...
o How does an engine work
o How to check and fill fluids such as the engine oil, transmission, brake, anti-freeze and washer fluid
o How to check and change the wiper blades and air filter
o How to get gas
o How to get gas
o How to check air pressure and fill your tires
o How to change a tire
o How to jump start a car
o How to jump start a car
o When to use the horn
WHAT'S
HAPPENING ON THE DASH?
When we first start driving, we stare at the dash much like I stare at the controls to a Boeing 747. We are lost and confused. We should be able to recognize what is happening on the dash and be able to find some of the controls without looking down (Or at least not for long).
o Without looking down- turn on lights, wipers, 4WD and defrost
o Location of owner's manual
o Hazard lights
o Engine temperature
o How to
use the horn
o Why you
wear a seat belt
o How airbags work
o How airbags work
o Adjusting
the rear view mirror at night
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
This is paramount. We need to know where everyone is around you and where they are likely headed. Cars, animals, bikes and people are constantly flashing into the road without notice. Be aware and expect these to happen. Everything can and will change in a second. One quick look at a text, the radio or your food, can easily make it so you miss something critical.
This is particularly helpful with motorcycles! Cars in your blind spot or coming from a bad angle are easy to miss, motorcycles are far worse! Pay special attention to them.
WHAT TO DO IF...
o What to do if you run out of gas
o What to do if you blow out a tire
o What to do if your car overheats
o What happens when you get pulled over by the police
OTHER HELPFUL DRIVING TIPS
o If you are the first car on the line at a red
light, look around before going when the light turns green.
o It's OK if another car passes you.
o It's OK if another car passes you.
o Just because you have the right of way, doesn't mean you should go.
o Most red
lights are less than a minute, Chillax you'll be going soon.
o Be courteous and kind to other drivers. Believe it or not, those are real people in the other cars. Treat them like you would if you were to meet them in real life.
o How to wash and wax the car.
o How to wash and wax the car.
o How to
properly give someone the bird.
o Newton - Bigger things take longer to stop - whether it is a truck, semi or
train, they cannot stop. If it is bigger than you, they will take longer to
stop. That semi-truck might not have the right of way, but they are bigger, so let them go first.
o Show
proficiency with driving in rain, snow, night, ice and off-road.
o Just because you see them, doesn't mean they can see you.
PUT THE PHONE DOWN
Recently a teenager in Utah was involved in an automobile accident while driving blindfolded. For some reason, the youth thought it would be fun to replicate some of the movie Bird Box, where people have to stay blindfolded or the alien people will attack them.
It should seem obvious to us all that this was a bad idea. You just can't drive a car without being able to see where you are going. Obvious right?
When we look at our phones (make-up, food, radio, etc.) while driving, we are basically going blindfolded for a few moments. When you read a text while driving, it is like you just decided to squeeze your eyes shut for five seconds. Still obviously a bad idea right? No one would shut their eyes for five seconds while driving on the freeway, but we don't hesitate to check or send a text.
How many times have you seen a person driving really slow on the road or veering out of their lane, and when you finally get around the offender, you see them staring at their phone? Probably lots. For some reason, we all think others should not drive while looking at our phones, but we make exceptions for ourselves. We are obviously far more skilled drivers and can pull off driving, while not looking at the road for awhile.
Today, some 1 in 4 accidents are caused by driver's being distracted while texting. ONE IN FOUR! Texting causes six times the accidents than drunk drivers do!!! In the the time it takes to read a short text on the freeway, your car will have traveled the length of a football field before you start paying attention again!
Put down the phone!
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT
Several years ago, Princess Diana was in a vehicle being chased by the paparazzi. She was in what was possibly the world's safest vehicle. Her driver was an extremely skilled driving technician. Her and her driver were in an accident and Princess Diana died. The world lost one of its most celebrated people in an accident that she likely would have survived if she had been wearing a seat belt.
You can't see the dizzying amount of safety features your car possess. Sure, you aren't driving a Mercedes costing several hundred thousand dollars designed to keep a princess safe, but your vehicle is designed to keep you safe. However, all of the safety features, air bags, crumple zones are designed to function in coordination with the passengers wearing seat belts.
Imagine going on the scariest roller coaster you have ever seen and then going on that without being harnessed in. Right, you probably wouldn't want to do that because doing so would obviously mean some serious injury to yourself. Hopping in a car without buckling up, is pretty much the same. One day, you will be in an accident. Making the decision now to always buckle-up, could very well save your life.
You might be the safest driver in the world, but you can't control the actions of others. Some of the most horrific accidents I have witnessed, the driver was going under 25 mph and was in a residential neighborhood. It is the other drivers that you can't control!
You might be the safest driver in the world, but you can't control the actions of others. Some of the most horrific accidents I have witnessed, the driver was going under 25 mph and was in a residential neighborhood. It is the other drivers that you can't control!
GO GET EM!
It is my hope that some knowledge in the previous areas will help the new driver be safer and more confident in their driving. However, the only thing worse than a driver who is not confident, is one who is too confident. Be confident in your skills but remember that you are driving vehicle weighing several thousand pounds with an incredible amount of force.
If you have suggestions or other ways we can better train our kids to drive, please comment below!
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