The Instructor's Brake

I hate using my instructor's brake.

I hate it because when I was 15 years old my driving instructor absolutely loved to use his. He used his brake the same way a dog-handler uses a choke chain. I'd be driving along and out of the blue the car wouldn't respond to me anymore. When that happened I'd think I was not pressing on the gas pedal correctly, so I'd press harder and rev the engine a bit more than Mr. Nuccio liked. Then he'd get upset. Then I would get even more upset.

Thus I use my instructor brake only to keep my students from hitting things when it appears that they are on a collision course. I use it quite a bit, but never as gratuitously as my instructor did back in 1971.

Yesterday afternoon was rather warm - over 80 degrees. You know how you get kind of sluggish and dopey when the temperatures jump, especially when you're acclimated to 65 degrees.

The higher temps just put Devlyn, my first student, into a torpor. Well not exactly a torpor, but she wasn't really at her best. She was slow in spotting a few dangerous situations and slow to react once she recognized them.

I ended up using my brake about 4 times in 90 minutes with her behind the wheel. That's not something I usually do even with the worst of my drivers. With Devlyn this was even more extraordinary because up until yesterday she was always on the ball.

"What's wrong with you today kiddo? I'm helping you out a bit too much."

"I'm sorry. I'm just so tired. This heat is killing me."

"That makes sense. Did you know when you're tired you tend to look down and to the right? You need to force yourself to look through the upper half of that windshield. Pick up on those cars stopped up ahead so you can slow down softly and I don't have to do your braking for you."

"OK. I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. Now you know why "Aim High In Steering" is so important. And you know how it feels to drive when your tired. Now you know what you have to do to compensate. You've learned some important lessons today."

Really a good session. I'm glad I could point these things out while she was training with a safety net.

Yep, a safety net beats a choke chain any day.

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?

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.

Teaching Your Teen To Drive: Tip # 1 - Keep Your Cool

"When anger rises, think of the consequences" ~ Confucious

The 1st rule of the Teach To Drive Club is -

DON'T YELL AT YOUR KID.

The 2nd Rule of the Teach To Drive Club is -

DON'T YELL AT YOUR KID. *

At least not while they're behind the wheel. Wait until you get home. Then you can vent all you want.

Really, I'm not joking. How do you feel when someone bawls you out? Do you remain focused on the task at hand? Or do you withdraw into the recesses of your mind - feeling defensive, angry, resentful, and hurt?

Same thing with your teen. High emotion will really screw up his driving performance, reduce his attention span, and become yet another one of many existing distractions.

Yeah, I know. It's really tough not to rant when the kids do something stupid and scare the devil out of you. Just remember that if you get over-excited, the danger increases for the both of you.

There are a few things you can do to help reduce your terror, such as:

• Use the vanity mirror on the passenger side as a rear view mirror for you...or buy a cheap suction cup from an auto-parts store.
• Paste a STUDENT DRIVER sign in the rear window or on the bumper. Maybe your fellow motorists will show mercy.
• If you have an emergency hand brake in the center console it will stop the car and should override the gas pedal. But go easy on it. A sharp yank could send your car into a spin.
• In addition to the hand brake (or if your emergency brake is a pedal), you can negate your young driver's heavy foot by pushing the gear selector lever from drive to neutral.

These techniques will give you more control over the situation when your teen is behind the wheel. You can slow or stop the action at will. Then you can deal with your child more calmly.

Remember, don't yell at the kid in the car. Driving and emotion are a bad mix.

* If you missed the subtle humor here go to Blockbuster and check out The Fight Club.