I Don't Care If It's April: You Still Have To Clean the Snow Off Your Car!

"Idleness is sweet, and its consequences are cruel" ~ John Quincy Adams

Global Warming indeed! Is that why we had snow in Cleveland on Sunday and snow in Chicago today?

Anyway, the Global Warming has really snarled traffic here in Chicagoland. Seems everyone has forgotten how to drive in it. The snow is that wet, heavy kind that can give you a heart attack if you try to shovel it off your driveway too energetically. I guess that's why so many folks forgo cleaning the snow off their vehicles. They're merely trying to avoid cardiac arrests. Some people are in such bad shape they don't even bother to clear it off their windshields.

I can see moving mounds of snow on our roads - vans in snow camouflage! The drivers are guiding their vehicles by looking through tiny slits. What are they doing? They're totally blind - cut off from all knowledge of what the traffic is doing around them.

Others have taken a little trouble - they've at least cleaned off their windows. But the snow remains on the roof and hood. The snow on top flys back on the vehicles behind when these guys accelerate. It slides forward and down the windshield when they brake. The snow on the hood blows onto the windshield during acceleration, thus negating the initial cleaning effort.

People, it's not that hard to take a brush and a scraper to the car. Come on. Clean the snow off before you move out.

After all, we're not trying to avoid detection like the troops on the Russian Front back in the 1940's. We actually have a better chance of survival if we're plainly visible these days.

See and be seen.

Should You Teach Your Kid to Pump The Brake Pedal During Emergency Stops?

"The wise man avoids evil by anticipating it." ~ Publius Syrus (Roman Author, 1st Century B.C.)

The answer to that question is:

It depends...

It depends on the vehicle you're driving. Is it equipped with an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) or the old disc and drum brake combo.

The ABS does the brake pumping for you. It monitors each wheel's speed and keeps them rotating very rapidly, changing the pressure in the vehicle's brake lines to maintain maximum braking just short of locking up the wheels. This means you can steer out of trouble while braking. You can take evasive action at the same time you are slowing down.

The older disc and drum brakes that we old-timers grew up with required skillful cadenced braking during emergency stop situations in order to maintain steering control. Wasn't that fun... press the brakes until just before tire lock up, then back off a little and then deploy pressure again until near lock up, then let up slightly, then press down again, then...etc.

Geez, I'm glad they invented ABS. I get tired just writing about pumping the brakes. Anyway, if you try that with ABS you'll reduce its effectiveness.

Most newer cars have the full, four wheeled ABS package. If this is what you are driving then you'll want to teach your kid to keep that right foot firmly pressed on the brake pedal, without pumping, to let the system work for her.

Make sure she's ready for the sound, feel, and braking results as well. When she presses hard on those anti-lock brakes maybe she's going to feel a weird pulsing/vibration sensation. Or maybe the pedal will suddenly drop. Or perhaps the clicking and grinding noise will freak her out. Tell her that these things mean the system is at work. Tell her not to back off the brake until she gets down to the speed she needs to avoid the collision.

On the other hand, if she's lucky enough to be sitting behind the wheel of a 1966 Mustang or a 1956 T-Bird, then go ahead and teach her the old, cadenced braking technique.

You're going to have to teach her to work with whatever you're driving. Caution her about the other type of braking system.

Excellent Source of Studies Concerning ABS
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2006

Random Musings Of A Driving Instructor

"Patience is passion tamed." ~ Lyman Abbott

Every now and then I get compliments such as:

"You must be a very brave to take people you don't even know out on these roads and teach them to drive. That's so dangerous. I'd never do that!"

"How can you be so calm? You just steered him back on course and told him how to do it right - just like nothing ever happened! He almost killed us!"

"You're so patient."

I won't deceive you with any false modesty. Here's the deal. I'm not that brave. I just manage the situation to reduce risks, stay alert and take whatever action is necessary to survive. Plus I have that instructor's brake pedal on my side of the cockpit.

Yes, I am blessed with an extra bit of patience, but I'm not a saint. There are a few things that push my patience to the limits. The two big things that get to me are:

1. Impatient drivers who lay down on their horns at my students who are taking turns too slowly, thus upsetting my students' concentration and performance.
2. Teenagers who single out the driving school car for gratuitous and dangerous harassment.

The impatient drivers offend my sense of fairness and compassion. Seemingly they've never had difficulty learning anything new and feel no one else should have that problem either. Instead of helping the new guy or at least cutting him some slack, they get angry and pressure him.

There's not really too much I can do to stop that behavior, so I just suck it up and help the kid drive on safely. If you've ever seen the mini-series Lonesome Dove you may recall what Woodrow Call did to the cavalry scout who hit Newt with the riding crop.

That's what I'd like to do. And I'd finish up with Woodrow's answer to the funny looks from the ladies who passed by afterwards:

"I can't abide rudeness in a man."

As for the the newly licensed drivers who want to haze my students by tailgating us, then racing around to our front to cut us off with only inches to spare, they're threatening our lives and that really bothers me. Fortunately for them (and me) I don't carry a Winchester Model 97. I'd use all 5 rounds if I had one handy. Instead I just have my fledglings pull over to the curb and then the game is no longer any fun for the harasser.

If the troublemakers don't clear out before I can get their plate number, a call to the cops is the next step.

So you can see I'm no saint. I just keep a lid on my emotions and get the job done.

By the way - I scored a 22 on this Driving Personality Quiz. That means I'm one cool, calm, and collected guy even if I do curse under my breath and tap the horn to get inattentive drivers to move when the light turns green. How did you do?

Teaching Your Teen To Drive: Objective #2 - Starting and Stopping

"Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand." ~ Chinese Proverb

Once you and your young driver have worked out a pre-driving routine, it's time to get the car moving. Right? Well, not quite. There are still a few key points you'll want to cover before you get rolling.

You should review some of the things he has learned in the classroom - for instance, the fact that one can start the car only if the gear shift selector lever is set on Park (P) or Neutral (N). The ability to start the car in Neutral comes in pretty handy should it ever stall in traffic.

You'll want to review all the warning lights, switches, knobs, and gauges on the dashboard. The windshield wiper switch, the headlight switch, and emergency flashers/warning lights should get special attention. When you need these three, you REALLY need them.

Before he ever inserts key into the ignition switch, remind him to let it go once he hears the sound of the engine. Otherwise you get the buzz-saw sound and your starter motor is one step closer to the junk yard.

Now we're ready to get moving.

Before letting your teen move the car for the first time take it to an off-street area, such as an empty or sparsely populated parking lot. If you can't find one that fits the bill, a straight stretch of level street (about 500 feet) in a quiet neighborhood will suffice.

Have your teen start the engine and shut it off a couple times before moving the car.

Have him drive in a straight line without using the accelerator. I've met so many kids that think the car can't move without help from the accelerator. I suppose old habits developed on the little "Bob the Builder" Jeep die hard. This is where he should learn that he doesn't have to hit the gas to obtain motion.

After he comes to this new understanding, you can have him cross the lot again (or drive down another straight stretch) with the gas pedal slightly depressed, going maybe 10-15 mph, so he can judge the relationship between pedal pressure and acceleration. Have him keep this up while changing the accelerator pressure until he's slowing down and speeding up smoothly.

Then you can teach him to control his speed with the brake. He can practice going forward and backward using only the brake pedal. Have him increase the speed incrementally and then work on slowing down from the higher speeds.

This is where emphasizing keeping that right heel on the floor will pay off. He has to pivot from the accelerator to the brake to do this properly.

You both might be a little nervous at the start of this session. Just stay calm and keep on practicing. Stop when either one of you begins to tire or loose patience.

What's Your Driving Personality?

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may we are never able to fully know ourselves as we are, especially the evil side of us" ~ Mohandas Gandhi

How does your personality shine through when you get behind the wheel? Are you the Dudley Do-Right of the the roadway who strictly obeys every rule in the book? Or did they base the movie Anger Management on your driving record?

Here's a nifty 60 question test to help you find your spot on the spectrum. Parents, this might help you see yourself through your teen's eyes. Remember, he's learning every little thing from you. You might want to see what you've been teaching him all these years.

Don't Let The Gadgets Replace Good Driving Technique

"Why is it drug addicts and computer aficionados are both called users? ~ Clifford Stoll

It's always good to have back-up systems to keep you safe. Volvo's City Safety system for preventing rear-end collisions and it's Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) for helping the driver detect vehicles in his blind spot are outstanding safety innovations. Lane Departure Warning Systems are great too. Technology is a wonderful thing. It helps make life easier.

These systems produce impressive results. Prime, Inc, a North American refrigerated, flatbed and tanker carrier, has achieved an 85 percent decrease rate in run-off-road and rollover accidents since deploying Iteris' Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system.

Technology is a wonderful thing. It makes life safer.

But it is not meant to be used as a crutch. Theses gadgets were never designed to replace safe driving techniques or common sense. They were designed to aid the driver during occasional goofs.

Drivers still have to maintain adequate following distance. The gadget is meant to back you up when you when you're not on the ball. Drivers still need to make head checks to detect objects in their vehicles' blind spots. The BLIS is meant to back you up when you slip up. The LDW saves lives, but that doesn't mean you can sleep behind the wheel and still get home in one piece.

Drivers, if you're going to drive then drive. Even with the gizmos the car can't drive itself.

What About Blind Spots?

"More and more people are buying bigger and bigger, ... and the bigger the vehicle the bigger the blind spot" ~ Consumer Reports

When are you going to teach your teen driver about blind spots? And how are you going to approach blind spots so the kid remembers that they're important - even vital?

The time to address the subject is when you're establishing that pre-driving routine - just about the point you're explaining how to adjust the mirrors. By the way you'll want to do this on a nice day, if it's raining you will get wet. Do this in your driveway or an empty section of a parking lot to be safe.

Here's what you're going to do. Remember the side-view mirrors have to be adjusted so that in his regular seated driving position, your teen can see a only sliver of the vehicle in each mirror.

1. After the mirrors are properly adjusted, stand outside the car several feet away from the driver's side mirror. Your teen should be able to see your reflection.


2. Slowly, step straight backward while your teen watches you "disappear" from the side-view mirror.


3. Continue moving backwards until he reacquires you in the rear-view mirror.


4. Repeat several times on each side of the car until he knows where each blind spot begins and ends.

Now that the kid knows the meaning of blind spots and where they are, you'll have to teach him how to deal with them. While he's still behind the wheel of a non-moving car have him pretend that he is preparing to change lanes. Have him follow this sequence for a lane change to the left:

1. Check the rear-view mirror.


2. Check the left side exterior mirror.


3. Glance back over the left shoulder to ensure there is no vehicle in this blind spot.


4. If all is clear, activate left turn signal and steer left.

Repeat this procedure for both left and right sides. Repetition is the Mother of Learning. Build this procedure into his muscle memory. Checking blind spots has got to become automatic.

This will be his introduction to blind spots. There are some lessons you'll use to reinforce this knowledge, but this where he finds out that mirrors don't show everything and that he's got to move his head around to get the complete picture.