My daughter took her first driver’s ed. class yesterday. Now she’s quizzing me on arcane facts like if I’m travelling at 50 miles per hour, how many feet in advance of a turn do I signal my intent to turn? I guessed 50 feet. (Answer: 300 ft.) Okay– so I flunked. I told her most people don’t signal at all. Heck, most people don’t even look before pulling onto the street. I told her that on my way to pick her up from gymnastics practice that night, some jerk pulled out in front of me, oblivious to the fact that I was an oncoming car. Lucky for both of us, I saw him coming and honked the horn, then had to slam on the breaks when he continued to pull out in front of me. After hearing about my near accident, she said I was practicing defensive driving. Darn right I was! There are fools everywhere, licensed to kill. I’m so scared for her! Letting your child drive has got to be the scariest letting go a parent ever has to do.
When we got home, she showed me her driver’s ed. books and humbly admitted she has a lot to learn. Oh my, does she! I flipped through one of the books and asked her if she recognized any of the street signs. She stared blankly at them. Eeeeek! She does have a lot to learn. Apparently she hasn’t been paying much attention as I drive her around town. How ’bout these I said (I pointed at the construction signs- we have orange barrels everywhere in our city). She smiled as she recognized them– and the lighted arrow signs telling motorists to move away from a lane closed for construction. Okay, maybe she’s paying some attention.
We got her driver’s ed. learner’s permit on Saturday, so she can spend time practicing with the instructors this summer. She’s so proud of the permit– she shows it to most everyone. She wanted to drive home from the grocery store last night, but said she didn’t have it with her. That’s another thing she’ll have to learn– always carry it with you if you’re going to drive. I just hope she doesn’t lose it, like she did her high school ID card last fall when someone stole her wallet during gymnastics practice. At the same gym, another girl’s driver’s ed. permit was stolen, but later returned. What do kids think they’ll do with these IDs when their face and other info doesn’t match the card? Duh! It’s not like they can magically drink or drive with them.
Check out the book _Crashproof Your Kids_ by Timothy Smith. I never managed to do the whole program, but it gave me some good ideas about what to have my son practice, and what things to talk about.