Help! My Teens Are Taking Killer Turns!! - Part II

Dear Mr. Driving Instructor,

Thanks for the advice you gave me concerning John-Boy. It really helped. Can you help me with his twin brother?

Jim-Bob can turn left very nicely, but when it comes to right turns just look out!! He takes 'em wide and we end up crossing the yellow line just like John-Boy did when he turned left. How deadly are those head on collisions supposed to be anyhow?

How do I get my kids to take turns that won't ruin the family car or kill anybody?

Yours Truly,

Now Only Half Desperate Dad


Dear Half Desperate Dad,

It could be your son, Jim Bob, is starting to turn the steering wheel too far into the turn. Once the vehicle noses past the corner you're going to see the car go wide of the right lane. The farther the front of the car is beyond the edge of the intersecting roadway, the wider the turn. Make sure he begins to steer as the front of the car comes even with the right corner curb.

If his timing seems OK to you, there a three other possible problems:

1. Jim-Bob is not steering enough. Although during left turns he usually doesn't have to turn that steering wheel as far to the left as it will go, right turns usually require a full revolution of the steering wheel.

2. He's accelerating too much during the turn. The faster the car is going the faster he has to steer. May be he needs to slow down a bit. Remember 10 mph gets the job done, any faster and you're asking for trouble.

3. He's not aiming the car. Make sure he turns his head and puts his eyes on his intended path of travel. Many new drivers tend to fixate over the hood and that ain't good. Have him look at where he wants to go.

Hope this helps.

Happy Motoring,

The Driving Instructor