What they don’t teach you in Driver’s Ed
I did not want to learn to drive.
I turned 16 in February of my sophomore year of high school, so I enrolled in Driver’s Ed that second semester. My parents had never particularly enjoyed chauffeuring my arse around town, so they looked forward to a reprieve. I was extremely apprehensive about being in control of a vehicle, responsible for my own safety and the safety of those around me. But everyone took Driver’s Ed as soon as they possibly could because everyone was excited about learning to drive, especially in my town where kids’ parents routinely bought cars – nice ones – for them.
The classroom portion of Driver’s Ed was a no-brainer. IPDE – I could Identify, Predict, Decide, and Execute in my sleep, as long as I wasn’t behind the wheel of an actual CAR. Even the simulator wasn’t bad (although I didn’t really see the value of it).
Then I got out on the practice course on our high school’s campus. Disastrous.
I never actually hit anything, thankfully, but there were plenty of times that Mr. Somerlot literally SCREAMED at me over the walkie-talkie. More than once, passengers in my car got on the walkie-talkie and told him, “She’s doing the best she can.”
Driving did not come naturally to me at all. Before starting Driver’s Ed, I once asked my father, “When I’m turning, how far around do I have to turn the steering wheel?” I thought an engineer would be able to answer such a question. Instead, he looked as if the top of his head might blow off. Apparently it was a pretty stupid question. I know that now, but back then I was scared shitless and desperate for information.
The worst part about preparing for my Driver’s Exam was the dreaded “maneuverability” exercise. I Googled it and found that it hasn’t changed in nearly twenty years.
Basically, you drive the car straight through the rectangle of four cones, then pull alongside the fifth cone – first to the left, then to the right – so that your back bumper is even with the fifth cone. After you pull alongside the fifth cone on the left, you have to back up all the way to the starting position, then repeat the exercise pulling alongside the fifth cone on the right.
My father took me to the parking lot of another high school so that I could practice. And practice. And practice. During one practice session, my brother (who was two years younger than me) was along with us. For fun, my father offered him a chance to try the maneuverability exercise. Damned if he didn’t do it perfectly the first time. I just about threw in the towel right there.
Eventually I took the test, and I did pass on the first try. In fact, I passed maneuverability with a 100, and I was so excited about it that I got careless and barely passed the driving portion of the test with an 80.
It was July, two weeks before I was scheduled to begin drill team summer camp at the local university. I would have to drive to and from camp every day, on the highway, since I was enrolled in summer school gym and had to attend class every morning from 8-10 and couldn’t stay overnight in the dorms like the rest of the team.
My car had been in the driveway since April. It was a used Pontiac Sunbird coupe, three years old and red. My friends were already referring to it as the Bitchin’ Sunbird. I was extremely fortunate and extremely nervous.
I drove without incident for six months before I had an accident. It was at an intersection where the lane markings are somewhat confusing, especially at night, and I went straight when I was actually in the left-hand turn lane. The person whom I hit turned left without looking, and since I was where I shouldn’t have been, it was my fault.
Speaking of being where I shouldn’t have been, I wasn’t where I had told my parents I would be. I was supposed to be at a hockey game. I had actually met a friend of mine at her boyfriend’s house. It’s not that my parents would have objected to me going there; it was just that I went someplace different from where I had said I would be. Now that I’m a parent, I understand exactly how unnerving and frustrating that would be.
At the police station, the guy whom I hit tried to make small talk with me. He attended a neighboring high school. Needless to say, I was not in a flirty kind of mood. I did manage to make the cop laugh: he was copying information from my driver’s license and noted that I had a birthday coming up. Darkly, I replied, “Yes, if my father doesn’t kill me first.”
A year and a half later, I was driving home from work around 12:30am, and I noticed a cop following me. I wasn’t speeding – too tired – so I merely paid closer attention to making complete stops and using my turn signal. As I signaled to turn into our neighborhood, he turned on his lights.
I pulled over and froze. What do I do? Should I get out of the car? I started to unbuckle my seat belt, and then realized that probably wasn’t a smart move: he might think I hadn’t been wearing it. What would he ask for? Should I start rummaging through the glove box for the registration and insurance card? Were they even IN there? Did I have my driver’s license in my wallet? Where was my wallet anyway? Do I call him Officer or just Sir?
I managed to escape without inadvertently doing the wrong thing. (Although he said he clocked me at 7+ mph over the speed limit, and I disagreed – I may have gone a couple miles over when I was going down a hill, but nowhere near what he claimed. He magnanimously consented to let me off with a verbal warning, and it pissed me off that he thought he was letting me get away with something when I hadn’t done a damn thing in the first place.)
But why didn’t they address such scenarios in Driver’s Ed? Even just some basic information about how to handle those flashing lights or a fender-bender would have been helpful, not just for me but for many other young drivers.
I’m actually glad that many states are tightening up the laws governing young drivers. I was not ready to be on the road. I’m fortunate that I was never involved in any serious accidents, caused by me or by someone else. Even minor accidents are an inconvenience and an expense that can be avoided in many cases.
Kids need to learn to drive. It’s scary (and exciting) for them, and it’s scary for the adults who are teaching them – whether they are the parents or the instructors. They need confidence, but not cockiness. They need to be aware of the responsibility inherent in driving, but not paralyzed by it. And they need to know how to handle any number of situations they may face, including those flashing lights in the rear view mirror.
Technorati tags: driving, Driver’s Ed, driver’s license, teenagers, car accidents, speeding tickets
May 28th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
I completely agree with you that Driver’s Ed should include a lesson in what to do if you are pulled over. The first time I was stopped for speeding I almost had a completely anxiety attack, and to this day when I see a police car on the road, even on the other SIDE of the road, I get nervous. If one is driving right behind me? Panic to the point of tears.
Oh and my first car was a 1983 Chevy Chevette, light blue. I LOVED it.
May 28th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
Man, I can’t tell you how many kids were killed in car accidents in my years in high school (we lived in a rural area with winding, twisty roads), including a particularly sad and terrible accident whereby a boy was speeding along with his car overstuffed with other boys, rear-ended a schoolbus, and all six kids in the car were killed. There were also injuries on that school bus, I think.
Driver’s Ed needs a few more sections, you’re right. And I will be duct-taping my kids to the walls when they try to tell me they’re getting a ride from anyone under 20.
May 29th, 2006 at 5:45 am
Our gym teacher, Mr. McLauglin, taught driver’s ed. Keep in mind, we were big city kids and most of us road buses and subways, so the car was a new machine. I sat in the front seat, keys in hand and HAD NO CLUE where the key was to go. I knew how to hop a turnstile and not get caught by the transit cops, but had no clue about turning an ignition with a key. I was then relegated to the backseat of the car and not allowed to leave the parking lot for months. Sigh. I got a reprieve when another girl in the car beheaded a bird and Mr. McL branded her Lizzie Borden and sent her to the backseat, bumping me up to the front.
Fond memories of learning to drive, fond.
May 29th, 2006 at 7:16 am
I went to a small school in the country and the girls’ basketball coach taught Driver’s Ed. Our lessons consisted of “Fat Jack” as we called him behind his back, called us “Dumb Bells” and “Idiots” and then we had to drive him somewhere so he could eat lunch.
I did pass but I think it was because living where we did there were hardly any other cars on the road.
Loved your story though! I was on Drill Team too and my best friend had a red “Sun Turd” as we called it!!
May 29th, 2006 at 8:40 am
Amen! The first time I got pulled over was on an army base. I got pulled over by a really horrible guy in a beret who pulled A GUN on me. It was so traumatic thought I’d never drive again…and almost didn’t.
PS…my first car was a pontiac sunbird too. I miss that car sometimes.
May 29th, 2006 at 11:24 am
ITA with you — I think driver’s ed courses should talk about what to do and what not to do when you’re pulled over. Curbside etiquette, I guess.
I also think the age in which one can legally drive should be higher than it is right now. Here, it’s 16, and although we have “Graduated Licensing” here, which means a person doesn’t just get their license and go, like I did when I got my license, I still think 16 is way too young to be driving.
May 29th, 2006 at 11:58 am
You are right on.
The only cars available to me at 16 were stick shifts and I was so miserable at shifting, it took all my concentration. So duh, I wasn’t paying much attention to the road. I am sooo lucky I never killed anybody or anything. I’m a very good, attentive driver now but I think that came with the realization that I am a mere mortal. Teenagers don’t get that and shouldn’t be allowed to drive, if you ask ol’ fuddy duddy me.
May 29th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
I was like you and didn’t want to learn to drive either. It didn’t help that I had to learn on a stick shift.
I hope they raise the driving age. 16 year olds have no place operating heavy machinary at high speeds.
May 29th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
I was actually very anxious to learn how to drive. I grew up in the sticks…8 miles “from town” and I couldn’t wait to drive. It was my ticket to freedom! I still get panicky when I see those flashing lights, though, and agree that at some point you should be taught what to do/not to do when you are pulled over by the police. I’ll probably put some sort of tracking device on my girls when they get their driver’s license so I know where they are at all times.
May 29th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Your pull-over story reminds me of my first when I was 16. I was driving home one night and noticed that someone was SERIOUSLY tailgating me. I slowed down and watched them in the mirror to see what they would do. Suddenly, lights flashed and I knew it was a cop pulling me over. When he made it up to my window, he told me that I’d gone over the double yellow line in the middle of the road. I retorted very sassily, “That’s ’cause you were tailgating me and I thought you were drunk or something!” Fortunately, this made the cop sheepish rather than pissed and he let me go.
May 30th, 2006 at 12:12 am
What a great story that almost everyone can relate to! Driving didn’t come easily to me, either. Cooking and driving are two things that just don’t particularly interest me… so if and when I ever become independently wealthy, a personal chef and chauffeur are on my top ten list of things to invest in.
(speaking of the independently wealthy, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I LOVED your gwyneth paltrow story you linked me to at my blog! You seem way too young to have had so many interesting experiences already.)
May 30th, 2006 at 12:56 am
In Canada, the legal age to start to drive is 16, but then for a year you need an adult drive with you, and blah, blah, balh….
but if you live in Toronto, or a bigger city, many many peopel don’t. I didnt for a long time because people are such awful drivers! Anyway, whenevrer I see a cop car, I just know I’ve done something wrong…I get all sweaty and nervous….argh!
May 30th, 2006 at 5:45 am
I didn’t learn to drive until I was 21. My mother never learned at all. I bought my own first car from a yard sale for 300.00. I loved that car, even though it didn’t have a hood or a front fender. I drove it that way, until a nice police officer told me to GET IT FIXED ALREADY OR NEXT TIME I SEE YOU I WILL WRITE YOU A MILLION TICKETS, SO HELP ME GOD.
I think I gave the poor policeman a headache.
May 30th, 2006 at 7:16 am
I couldn’t agree more. There needs to be more basic “what if” scenarios taught in drivers ed. I remember being pulled over for the first time when I was 17…I actually cried because I was so nervous. Luckily, the officer was kind and helped me through it.
May 30th, 2006 at 11:50 am
It makes me really sad to see the amount of deadly accidents that happen here in Ohio involving teen drivers. With all the distractions today’s kids have (cell phones, ipods, cd players) not to mention that all the adult drives on the road are driving around on their cell phones with their heads up their asses, kids need to be taught differently than we were.
May 30th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
When I was old enough to get my permit, my parents wanted me to learn to drive through formal classes (I took driver’s ed through a nearby private school, not my own school) so they didn’t give me much practice time. Well, most of the other kids in my class had had a lot of practice time, so I was much more nervous and inexperienced behind the wheel. Not to mention, self-conscious with my peers in the car behind me.
After failing my driver’s test twice — due to inexperience, etc. — my parents finally started letting me actually practice driving. My skills improved considerably. But I don’t feel like I became a very good driver until I had several years of driving under my belt. I get scared for all the teenagers that feel so confident and make such deadly mistakes due to inexperience and immaturity.
May 30th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
The first time I got pulled over, I didn’t have a driver’s license. I also didn’t know how to turn a corner so I ended up on the wrong side of the street when I was pulling over. My ticket was for driving without a license and driving on the wrong side of the street. Doh. It was my sister’s boyfriend’s car.
I think Driver’s Ed should definitely teach you what to do if you get pulled over. Your attitude has a lot to do with how a cop treats you, especially when you’re a teenager.
Of course, in my case it wouldn’t have helped since I hadn’t actually taken Driver’s Ed yet…
May 30th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
I had forgotten about the maneuverability test until I saw those diagrams. Just seeing that makes my stomach queasy again. I hated that part of the test. The instructor always told me how important it was, and I always replied, “Well, how about I just never parallel park, OK?”
Truthfully, the real driving practice came when I went to college, and had to maneuver carefully in a small college town PACKED with cars. It was because of those days that I am now complimented on how well I can parallel park.
May 31st, 2006 at 2:40 pm
The first time I was pulled over, I cried. Just spontaneously burst into tears. It worked!
I like to use this method for all tense, authority-related situations.
March 16th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Hey, I live in Erin, Ontario, which is 1 hour west of Toronto. My first car was a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis LIMO! Yes I said a limo haha. That lasted me a month until drunk teenager figured running a stop sign in his ‘03 Mazda pick-up would win against my limo. Wrong. I ended up ripping his box along with the axle completly off his truck and bent the frame 90%. My car still ran surprisingly, but the cop wanted it towed. After that, I needed a car fast for my job so I bought a ‘94 Sunbird for a hundred bucks. I ended up driving it for two years and it’s still going now. The funniest time was when my buddies and I were at a party and then there was a cop waiting for us to leave. So me, being the only sober one, left first and got pulled over. The cop checked me to see if I was drinking. All of my drunk friends drove by lol. I needed to buy a truck so two days ago I bought a 2002 Dodge 2500 4×4 Diesel, and the Sunbirds going to the demolition derby this spring! As of teaching stuff in drivers ed, they should go over a bit more of drinking and driving and how it can affect your life. It’s a big deal, but as long as you drive responsibly there is no problem at getting your lisence at 16.