Would you teach somebody to drive?

hollydolly said:
what ?...3/4 of all cars driven in the Uk and in Europe are manuals....
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Some of the smaller domestic* cars may have a manual transmission, but by and large, automatic transmissions are pretty much standard issue. I don't like it, either. The last car I owned that had a manual was a 1987 Ford Tempo.

*Domestic - that means may or may not built in the U.S., but those cars are badged Ford, Chrysler, GM, or any of their subordinate makes. I can't keep up with that crap anymore.
 
Sure, I taught both my kids to drive though they still had to go thru a driving school to fulfill legal requirements. I taught my mom to drive back in the late 70's but she never took the test to get her temps or a license. I also tried to teach her to ride a bicycle, she never did get the hang of that.
 
Eupher said:
Some of the smaller domestic* cars may have a manual transmission, but by and large, automatic transmissions are pretty much standard issue. I don't like it, either. The last car I owned that had a manual was a 1987 Ford Tempo.

*Domestic - that means may or may not built in the U.S., but those cars are badged Ford, Chrysler, GM, or any of their subordinate makes. I can't keep up with that crap anymore.
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even our biggest cars have manual transmission.... some have automatic.. some like my husband's Maserati, has dual-clutch transmission.. my Daughters' Toyota RAV4 has auto transmission... My Ford Fusion has Manual....but most of our cars big and small are Manual...that's all of Europe not just the UK ...
 
I taught my three kids to drive, but I had them finish up at a driving school. Laws vary slightly from state to state here, and I wanted to be sure they were familar with the local ones.
 
C50 said:
Sure, I taught both my kids to drive though they still had to go thru a driving school to fulfill legal requirements. I taught my mom to drive back in the late 70's but she never took the test to get her temps or a license. I also tried to teach her to ride a bicycle, she never did get the hang of that.
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here in the Uk you must take a driving test regardless of who taught you to drive.. it's a test that is quite comprehensive... and must be passed beofre you're allowed a licence or to drive a car without supervision of an adult qualified driver..
 
My father taught me to drive, but I just paid up for Mrs. L and our daughters to have driving lessons. I learnt to drive on small country roads while Mrs. L was taught by an ex-policeman in Portsmouth. We have somewhat differing styles of driving.
 
hollydolly said:
even our biggest cars have manual transmission.... some have automatic.. some like my husband's Maserati, has dual-clutch transmission.. my Daughters' Toyota RAV4 has auto transmission... My Ford Fusion has Manual....but most of our cars big and small are Manual...that's all of Europe not just the UK ...
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Occasionally I'll read a news story about a carjacker or car thief who jumps in the car, fires it up, and then runs away because he doesn't know how to drive a stick. I laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

OBTW -- I'm well acquainted with driving in Europe. Not the U.K., since you guys drive on the wrong side of the road :p but after having lived in Germany for some 15 years, I saw a few things. I have a German driver's license -- not easy to get, because they actually train their drivers. Most drivers here in the States get their license out of a box of Cracker Jacks. :rolleyes:
 
It depends on the person and the situation.

My mother and stepfather were of no help in teaching me to drive or acquire my first car. When I did finally save up and buy a $500.00 hooptie my stepfather refused to let me park it in his driveway. He grudgingly relented after I got permission to park it at the local volunteer fire department down the street.

I learned to drive in high school driver’s education class and hired a driving school to give me a few lessons and take the drivers test with their vehicle.

I taught one young fellow, who lived on his own, to drive because he had little support or assistance and it worked out fine.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Say a friend, who's never driven, decides they want to learn to drive, would you teach them how to drive?
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No. I tried it once. Maybe because it was free he didn't take me seriously. When changing lanes you cannot rely on the rear-view and side mirror. You MUST take a quick glance to your "blind spot" by turning your head. He refused time and time again.

I made him stop. I got out of the car. I told him to look in the rear-view mirror and the side mirror. I walked along side of the car and told him to let me know when he could no longer see me. He did. Then I continued to walk in the same direction and told to let me know when he could see me again. He did. Then I marked the distance between the two points and proved to him that a car or motorcycle was small enough to have been in that space (blind spot). He said that he understood but the very next time he changed lanes he refused to glance in the "blind spot".

I told him to drive straight on, when to turn left, when to turn right and when to stop in from of my house. I got out and never gave him another lesson. I figured if he had to pay for lessons from a professional he'd begin to take it seriously.
 
dad taught us how to drive. me first at 16... passed the first time. 3 years later, brother at 16... passed the first time. finally, sister at 16. wellllll, she and dad butted heads BIG time. she didn't pass the first time and dad handed me the keys to teach her.

by then I had a choice of vehicles. a tank of a late 60s t-bird with a rocket engine... picturing a fiery crash/death. OR a VW beetle... death by whip-lash.
 
I was a licensed driving instructor in the Province of Ontario, teaching for Young Drivers of Canada. The majority of the students were age 18, although we did get some older adults, most of whom were recent Immigrants to Canada who needed to learn to drive to get around. At that time the course was 30 hours of class room study, and 20 hours of seat time with an instructor in a vehicle with dual brake pedals.

Each car teaching period was one hour long, and the student was encouraged to also practice driving with a Parent, as well. I could usually tell which students were not going to do well, based on how much time they were spending WITH a parent as a co-driver.

Having a Parent teach their own child to drive, is a bad idea, because of the stress factors. Having a stranger as an unbiased instructor takes away that problem. I had no previous axe to grind with any student, regardless of their age or ability to learn. An added stressor was that most Parents are not good enough drivers, themselves. It turns into an unstructured rambling time waster. Obviously the professional driving instructor has been through a training program themselves, that covers the process and progression of the student from having no experience behind the wheel, to being able to drive safely, and with confidence.

The program that I taught placed a lot of emphasis on "watch me do this " and then "you do it yourself " with me beside the student in the right front seat. The last 3 hours of in car lessons involved driving at 60 mph on a limited access highway, learning how to handle a blown out tire on the front of the vehicle, the 3 second following rule, what to do if you drive on to the soft shoulder of the road, and accident avoidance techniques.

All through the in car lessons, there was only the student and myself in the car, no other students. Completion of the Young Drivers of Canada training program gets the Parents a 20 percent discount on their car insurance premiums for the first year after the student gets their probationary driver's license.

In Ontario it takes a full two years, for a young driver to get their unrestricted class G license. ANY traffic convictions , during that 2 year period means they go back to zero, and start all over again. That includes ZERO alcohol in their blood at any time, no driving after dark, and no passengers, except an adult with a full class G license in the car. AS a result of those restrictions, teen age driver deaths have been decreased dramatically here in Ontario.
 
hollydolly said:
here in the Uk you must take a driving test regardless of who taught you to drive.. it's a test that is quite comprehensive... and must be passed beofre you're allowed a licence or to drive a car without supervision of an adult qualified driver..
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Same here. These days before you can test to get your license you have to take drivers ed from a certified driving school, in my day that was all done at your highschool.
 
C50 said:
Same here. These days before you can test to get your license you have to take drivers ed from a certified driving school, in my day that was all done at your highschool.
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here in the UK... driving lessons have always had to be carried out by a certified driving instructor... after mum or dad have given casual lessons in some cases..then the Test at a certified Driving school...

Children or teens rather, have never been allowed driving licences here without first passing a 40 mnite driving test.

The exception are Provisional licences which they can apply for at 16.. and allows them to learn to drive.. or to drive a small 50 cc moped... they are not permitted to even start to learn to drive a car until they are 17
 
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