Hey Kids : The Secret to Making Your Parents More Mellow on Training Drives

"Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends." Shirley MacLaine

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper." ~ Robert Frost

Does it make you nervous when Mom's right foot presses on that imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side of the car?

Maybe you're tired of hearing your parents scream: "STOP! BRAKE!! BRAKE HARDER!!!"

Well I have the secret that will turn your folks from terrified onlookers to friendly partners. In fact I have several secrets. Here check them out:

Secret #1 - When your parents start acting jittery, it's probably because you're closing in on traffic to your front way too rapidly. Try this little experiment. Next time you're approaching an intersection where traffic is backed up, make note of how quickly those little cars in the distance start getting bigger and bigger in your windshield. The faster they grow the more shrilly your parents will scream.

Secret #2 - If you tried the experiment mentioned above you'll see what I mean. Wasn't that fun? Only problem is those old kill joys won't let you drive for another week now. Bummer. You're going to have to find a way to calm the folks down. That means approaching other vehicles and objects on the road more slowly. You gotta learn to be more gentle with your parents and the brake. They can only take so much punishment.

Secret#3 - If you haven't already, learn to use your right heel as a pivot point. Plant it on the floor board between the brake and the gas pedal (aka the accelerator). The ball of your foot should be able to reach either one of these pedals easily. I know it seems awkward and unnatural to some of you, but you have to master this because it makes it easier and faster for you to swing over to the brake when you need it. If you have to pick up your entire right foot all the time it makes you tired and less likely to have your foot on (or even near) the brake at critical times.

Secret #4 - When you see a situation ahead that appears to call for a slow down but you are uncertain, take your foot off the gas pedal and pivot it so that it hovers over (or even rests on)the brake pedal. Your classroom instructor may have told you about this trick. It's called covering the brake.

Covering the brake will save you valuable time and space if you end up needing to slow down or stop. Remember - merely lightening up on the accelerator is not good enough. When you're trying to figure things out, your automatic reaction must be to immediately pivot to and cover that brake. At 40 mph this will give you an additional 40 feet of braking distance since you've saved the time needed to move your foot over from the gas to the brake.

Secret # 5 - The car is not going to come to a screeching and immediate halt the very second you put any pressure on it. That only happens in cartoons. After you've decided to stop in a non-emergency situation immediately apply enough pressure on the brake so that you can feel the brake pedal push back. That's right. Get rid of all the slack. You should be able to feel a slight slowdown.

As you get closer to the point where you must be stopped - press harder. The closer you get, the slower your car has got be going. Focus your eyes on where you want the car to stop.

Secret #6 - If there's a vehicle in front of you, plan your stop so that you'll be far enough behind it to see its back tires touching the ground. I'll say it again. Focus your eyes on where you want the car to be stopped.

If you learn and actually use the secrets above, your stops will be much smoother and safer - and your parents will be less tempted to raise their voices.

Bonus Secret - Don't accelerate towards red lights.

Supervise Your Licensed Teen With High-Tech and Common Sense

"Trust, but verify" ~ Damon Runyon

James Winfield, President and CEO of DriveHomeSafe.com, discovered he had a problem with his children soon after they earned their driver's licenses:

"Within weeks after my new teen drivers were driving solo, I realized they knew enough about driving to be a hazard to themselves (and others)...

Technically, they knew how to drive an automobile. ( I made sure of that).On the surface, they appeared to be able drivers. They could drive an automobile as well at night as they could in daylight. Our new teen drivers could do everything fundamentally necessary or legal to drive an automobile.

What they didn't have and desperately needed was experience and good judgment, which time and maturity could only provide...They get into situations, and do things operating an automobile outside their range of skill and experience to handle...Speeding, and driving recklessly are two misjudgments new drivers do."

Although I do not agree that reckless driving is merely a matter of "judgement", I heartily approve of the steps he took to correct the problem. This is what he did:


1. Negotiated a Teen Driving Contract: The Winfield Family established a basis of mutual agreement and understanding.


2. Eliminated distractions that got in the way of solving the problem of speeding by temporarily stripping the car of its stereo system.


3. Confronted peer pressure issues and circumstances.


4. Installed an easy-to-use Electronic Monitoring Unit to know if the automobile is speeding or driven recklessly.


5. Established geographic boundaries which expanded as the teens' experience grew.


6. Drove in separate automobiles when going to the same destination - teen drivers in one, adults in the other. His kids liked this arrangement. It fed into their need for independence. However, Winfield and his wife did it to gauge how their teen drivers really drove when they didn't have the parents in the same automobile with them.


7. Refused to take Speeding Tickets or Moving Violations lightly.


8. Put responsibility on their teen drivers to financially pay the consequences of their poor driving behavior. Winfield's kids paid for their automobile insurance. The parents paid the monthly car payments. When the teens messed up by driving in ways that caused their insurance rates to increase, they felt it financially. When their insurance premium payment rate decreased due to responsible driving, they benefited.

Winfield reports that this combination of tactics was highly successful and that it forced his teenagers to drive correctly.

Also Winfield is really sold on electronic monitoring devices. There is one system that made the news recently which I find quite interesting. It's called DriveCam.

DriveCam's exception-based video event recorder is mounted on the windshield behind the rear-view mirror and captures sights and sounds inside and outside the vehicle. G-forces (e.g. hard braking, swerving, collision, etc.) cause the recorder to save the 10 seconds immediately before and after the triggered event. Saved events are downloaded, analyzed and assigned a risk score to coach drivers, improve driving behavior and figure out who is to blame in collisions.

The system reminds me of fighter plane gun-cameras. Check out the video clips at the above link. The diver in this clip is a real prize!

I think Mr. Winfield is on to something. I believe his tactics when taken together get the job done. The mission being to keep your teen driver alive.

Here's a final word from James Winfield:

"If it bothers you that your teen driver may cry invasion of privacy, get over it and don't let it stop you. Preventing an automobile accident is what parenting is about. Bottom line, this is not a trust issue, it's about protecting your teen driver from misjudgments teens too often make when driving."

Well said, sir! Well done, sir!

Music and Driving

"Music is the shorthand of emotion" ~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Some parents think that driving with the car radio on is a distraction and most teens swear that they can't drive without it.

I've found that the answer depends on several variables. First we have to look at the teen's temperament and capability. What kind of person is this new driver? Is he easily distractable? If so the radio/CD player is not appropriate. Does your new driver have superb powers of concentration? Then a musical background (and I emphasize background) might help keep driver and parent calm during training drives. Having the sound system in operation certainly reflects a more realistic driving scenario.

The driving school at which I instruct actually encourages the use of the radio exactly because it is more realistic. Whenever we're reviewing "old" material or practicing maneuvers that the student feels confident executing, I'll have the music playing at a medium to low volume. When we start work on something new or find ourselves driving in a high pressure situation the music gets switched off so we can both concentrate.

The other thing you have to consider is the type of music being played. I found an interesting article that relates musical beats per minute to the driver's emotional state and performance.

In 2002 Warren Brodsky, an Israeli researcher, said drivers who listen to fast music in their cars may have more than twice as many accidents as those listening to slower tracks.

He put a group of 28 students through their paces on a driving simulator. Each student drove round the virtual streets of Chicago while listening to different pieces of music, or none at all. The students had an average of seven years' driving experience.

Brodsky chose music with a variety of styles, ranging from laid-back George Benson ballads to the ultra-fast numbers beloved of clubbers. The tempo ranged from a slow 60 beats per minute up to a fast and furious 120 beats per minute or more. All the music was played relatively loudly to maximize its effect.

As the tempo increased, Brodsky found drivers took more risks, such as jumping red lights, and had more accidents. When listening to up-tempo pieces, they were twice as likely to jump a red light as those who were not listening to music. And drivers had more than twice as many accidents when they were listening to fast tempos as when they listened to slow or medium-paced numbers.

I concur with Brodsky's findings. I have seen students begin to drive faster when the musical tempo increased and I have seen them slow when we switched to a more mellow tune. Parents might consider using music as a remote control for leadfooted teens.

Anyway, the decision to listen to music should be based on the individuals involved. If you decide to enjoy the tunes consider volume and tempo.

Is Your Teen Ready To Begin Driver's Training?

"Experience teaches only the teachable" ~ Vernon Law

Did you ever hear the story about the man who was so eager for his son to begin Driver's Ed that he rushed over to the driving school before classes were scheduled to start?

"You really didn't need to do that," said the school administrator. "Your son could have given that to the instructor on the first day."

"I couldn't trust my son with that check," the father answered.

I wonder what made dad think that his son would be anymore trustworthy behind the wheel of a two thousand pound guided missle. Just because parents have tossed more than 180 calendar pages into the trash since their youngster was born does not automatically mean the kid is ready to drive.

You've got to consider three things before putting your teen on the cold, cruel road.

1. Is your teen able to control the vehicle?

• Does he/she have sufficient size and strength to operate the controls?
• Good vision?
• Good reflexes?
• Good coordination?
• The ability to process information quickly, weigh risks, and arrive at good split second conclusions?

2. Is your teen willing to learn? Can he memorize traffic laws and then apply that knowledge to real life conditions while operating the car?

3. Is your teen emotionally mature? Can she handle setbacks while remaining cooperative with you, the instructor, and other drivers?

If your child is not ready, it's better to wait before beginning driver training. Although your teens may interpet such delay as punishment you are giving them time to mature and develop to the point where they can drive right.

You're not doing them (or the world) any favors by letting them drive too soon. I'm sure you don't want to kill your teen with 'kindness'.

Teaching Your Teen To Drive - Tip # 3 Critique On The Spot

"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery" ~ Mark van Doren

Talk to your teen as you travel together. Give him the benefit of your vast experience by speaking aloud your stream of conciousness in regards to the traffic situation. Analyze the situation ahead just like you always do, but now remember to turn up the speaker system and let the kid hear the hundreds of observations and decisions you have to make to stay alive during a simple trip to the mall.

Your kid has been watching you drive for a long time. Over the last fifteen years you've made it look so easy he just might think he can just step in and do even better than the old folks.

Then he gets behind the wheel and finds out it's not as easy as it looks.

So help your teen sharpen his awareness, focus and decision making by including him in a continuous verbal expression of what you are seeing and reacting to on the cold, cruel road. After a few trips, get him to start talking too. This allows both of you to know what the other is thinking, seeing and planning.

I've found that it's best to compliment good moves and point out errors immediately and then move on. This is mainly because I want the student to get the news within the context of the action. So much happens during a driving session that he probably won't even remember the action I'm critiquing if I bring it up 15-30 minutes down the road - unless it was a near death experience.

You can also take the multi-media approach to teaching by incorporating body language and hand signals. Sometimes events unfold so quickly that words just don't do the job. If you see a car nosing out of a driveway, a simple gesture in that direction will alert your driver to the threat.

My Dad never did get the hang of that when I was a kid. He'd just scream "LOOK OUT!!!" and expect me to identify the hazard. All he did was spook me. Please be nice to your teen.

Anyway, now is the time to remind yourself of the safety hazards you notice while you're driving and communicate these to your teen as you travel. Remind him that defensive driving is all about anticipation.

Teaching Your Teen To Drive: Tip # 2 - Start Easy and Keep a Steady Pace

"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty" ~ Albert Einstein

I know a lot of parents who throw their rookie driver onto the busiest road in town just minutes after the kid obtains her learner's permit. This might be a good approach if she has already had some "bootleg" experience on grandpa's pickup truck on a private farm road. It may not even be a bad idea if the kid has grown up driving ATVs, snowmobiles, and dirt bikes.

But, if she has had no experience with motor vehicles outside of being a passenger then this old "sink or swim" approach might just backfire. You'll make her fearful. It's difficult to teach people when they are afraid. After all, the Army doesn't put troops in combat before they've at least gone through basic training. A lighter approach is definitely in order.

Starting out in a quiet neighborhood and getting familiar with the car where she is not under heavy fire will make every one's life easier. Remember when she was a baby? She had to crawl before she could walk and she had to walk before she could run.

Once your teen can drive in a straight line and stay in the correct lane when taking turns, you can venture forth to the grocery store, school, the movies, where ever. Just not before she's ready.

It's crucial that she gets as much "wheel time" as possible. As often as possible. Repeated 15-20 minute trips spread over the week are much more effective than 3 hour marathon sessions conducted only once in a while.

Repeated exposure to the actual driving experience is key to understanding how things work on the cold, cruel road.

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.

The Truth About Driver's Ed

With a provocative title like this, you may be expecting something scandalous. Sorry, I'm just going to welcome you to my Blog and tell you what I want to do with it.

Mainly I'd like to give you a little info that you can use to your benefit. I hope I'll even entertain you and make you smile.

I'm figuring that "you" are either a 15 or 16 year old who wants to see what the mean, old driving instructor is thinking or that "you" are the parent of a teen who is getting ready to go through driver's ed and you're looking for some help in surviving the ordeal. Whoever you are - you should be able to find something here you can use.

I'll provide training tips and pointers for the parents. Info that will help you keep your sanity while you try to keep your child alive.

I'll offer solutions for the problems and mistakes I see being made everyday on the road.

Kids - the training tips for parent's may help them remember what it was like to be a 15 year old who didn't know everything about driving. Many have forgotten that maneuvering the car was not always second nature.

Besides training tips I'll offer comments on some of the following:

• new traffic laws
• old traffic laws
• inventions
• gimmicks
• automobiles
• news articles
• movies
• books
• safety studies
• accident reports
• anything else related to driving

Feel free to comment.