tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post2390898993562357844..comments2024-03-20T08:32:25.794-04:00Comments on Dept. of Nance: Bring The Car Back Around, Please: Driver's Re-EducationNancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-10346993945651853792014-01-31T09:22:44.954-05:002014-01-31T09:22:44.954-05:00Ortizzle--Your father...what a Treasure. My dad us...Ortizzle--Your father...what a Treasure. My dad used to infuriate me by bothering me with ways to make things easier; yours, with ways to make things harder! Your parallel parking practice could be an episode of Candid Camera. Bless his heart.<br /><br />By the time I got to you rotating all four tires, I felt so sorry for you, but I was (forgive me) laughing and laughing. <br /><br />I wonder how much the testers allow for general nervousness when newbies get behind the wheel? Certainly something life-threatening has to be a fail, but I would hope they are a bit generous and kind-hearted.<br /><br />Finally, I am routinely amazed at how much we are alike. You couldn't return to college if you didn't pass! Ditto.<br /><br />Mary G--Thank you so much. I know lots of teens who have no interest in driving as well. It's a hipster thing, maybe. Or maybe it's just a laziness in general. I really don't pretend to know. Lots of moms and dads are too eager to chauffeur, maybe, in the interest of knowing where their teens are. Where I live, public transportation is exceedingly poor, to the point of being nonexistent. I'd think they'd want to get a license.<br /><br />I'm not an expert at any facet of driving, so be grateful to your father. Because I'm such a latecomer, I am an exceedingly careful driver. That's about it.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-75384889057876440452014-01-30T20:38:48.803-05:002014-01-30T20:38:48.803-05:00I did the high school drivers' ed for my tempo...I did the high school drivers' ed for my temporary licence, but it was my dad who taught me to drive. Just to give you an idea of how much fun this was, he started off by drawing a diagram of the engine of the car so I would know how things worked. When it came to parallel parking, he took me down to my high school which had posts that could be moved around to practice this. After about half an hour of going around the little cul-de-sac and getting better and better at this, he started moving the posts closer and closer so that there were only inches on each side of the car. I did not see him do this when I was making my u-turns in the cul-de-sac, and kept thinking I was getting worse and worse. Which of course, I was. Part of his drivers' ed course was also learning how not to be a useless female who could not change a tire. So I got to learn that as well. And not just one, of course. To really have it down pat, we rotated all four tires.<br /><br />When it came time for me to buy my first <i>new</i> car, the oil crisis of 1973 meant that learning how to drive a standard transmission was going to be a big deal in terms of buying a cheaper car and saving on mileage. I hated learning at first, but have not regretted it since, and still drive a standard. <br /><br />Took me 3 tries to pass my driving test. One failure was totally undeserved: the cop said that I had not looked in the rear-view mirror before changing lanes. Which I had. But you don't argue with the DPS cops. The other failure (the first time, actually) was totally deserved: I made a hard left instead of a wide left, turning into three lanes of cars coming at us head on. Since I had gone to another place the second time around, I decided to go back to the first place for my final attempt, knowing that if I did not pass I would not be able to drive back to college with the used car I had just purchased. Guess who was there to give me the test? The same cop who watched me drive into the oncoming traffic. I was hoping he wouldn't remember. He did. And I finally passed it that time. Possibly because he felt sorry for me, or possibly because I didn't do anything nearly as stupid that time.Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-87749594335103588232014-01-30T10:37:06.518-05:002014-01-30T10:37:06.518-05:00My licence is on stone tablets too. And don't ...My licence is on stone tablets too. And don't get me started on parallel parking. I am a reluctant expert, due to my father's insistence. But I hated him at the time.MARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-90867275577049249652014-01-30T10:32:29.600-05:002014-01-30T10:32:29.600-05:00I've been chuckling ever since I read this pos...I've been chuckling ever since I read this post the first time. Lovely, lovely story. We all have our own, and our own driving fetishes, and they make great stories. <br />I cannot, absolutely cannot, understand why my step-grandsons refuse to learn to drive. Their ten year old sister has already picked out the the car she wants for her first one. And her grandpa, with a gleam in his eye, says maybe he will get one for her. I figure to take a long trip around that time because his daughter, mother of the future driver, may hunt him down with a taser.<br />I was at the drivers' licence bureau at 9:00 am on my 16th birthday.<br />Wonderful post and equally wonderful commentary.MARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-20537534752326781852014-01-28T09:10:56.545-05:002014-01-28T09:10:56.545-05:00MsCaroline--Oh, gosh. I hate backing in and out. F...MsCaroline--Oh, gosh. I hate backing in and out. For me, it's still and always a nightmare, even out of my own long driveway. When we first moved in, Rick used to walk beside the car and hold the wheel, steering me down to the road. Sigh. I think so much of it is confidence. And habit. I still contend that men love love love to use Reverse. It's like a Guy Thing--they have to do it.<br /><br />LaFF--Well, you are just a Born Driver. Bless your heart. My son Sam is the speed demon in the family. He drives a cute little Mazda, and he's forever calling me and telling me, "Hey, Mom. My insurance just went down. Another speeding ticket fell off!" He used to work in downtown Cleveland, and he couldn't resist the straightaway of I480. I speed on the turnpike and I90, but not at the clip he does. (And I've never gotten a ticket.)Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-79892338759757865762014-01-28T06:07:03.331-05:002014-01-28T06:07:03.331-05:00I didn't get my license until I was well past ...I didn't get my license until I was well past 20, thanks to growing up in Germany where the driving age was 18. I left for Uni in the USA when I was 17 and spent the first year on a campus in Boston where no freshmen had cars anyway. It took a transfer to a more suburban campus in VA and another year of school to realize a license was something I needed, but I finally did it. Fast forwarding, it took me almost a year to get up the nerve to drive in Seoul, and my parking has never been better (no space, tons of cars.) Best thing is that I've become so used to backing into a parking space (everyone does here for a quicker getaway)that I can zip backwards into any parking spot on the first try. I guess we all have to have something to be proud of. I still hate to drive, though. Love public transportation.MsCarolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03623997911568143459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-76095595038357940132014-01-27T14:39:47.831-05:002014-01-27T14:39:47.831-05:00Not to rub anyone's face in it, but I could be...Not to rub anyone's face in it, but I could be on the Olympic parallel parking team. I can park a car in a space with mere inches to spare in front and behind, and still be right next to the curb. It's always been that easy for me and I aced it on the driver's test, as the space they gave you was big enough to park a Mack truck.<br /><br />Not that I want to be on Top Gear, but I know how to drive like a race car driver. That came from owning a 1984 Nissan 300ZX that looked like an F-16 fighter plane cockpit when you sat in the driver's seat. I LOVED that car and it could take curves at speeds you don't even want to know about, and which I did on a regular basis. That could have something to do with the number of speeding tickets I got at that time in my life. Motherhood changed all that...Life at the Funny Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13163009005598548100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-7837601455611095242014-01-27T09:53:12.910-05:002014-01-27T09:53:12.910-05:00Rainbow Motel--I hear you. My driver's license...Rainbow Motel--I hear you. My driver's license was merely my ticket to school and work. Period. Heaven forbid if I wanted to drive my friends (for a change) to a movie or out to dinner or anyplace for an evening. The answer was always NO. I didn't get full driving privileges until I was out and married!<br /><br />Gina--A road test and parallel parking were the requirements back in my day. Now, in OH, they are a road test and something called "maneuverability." I have no idea what that is, but everyone says it is worse than parallel parking. I can parallel park now, but I would rather not.<br /><br />Nancy--Oh, the dreaded I287. Parts of that are hideous. I also hate the hairpin turns, esp. on the PA turnpike, climbing up and racing down the mountains with the huge semis. And my driver's license isn't on a stone tablet, so I'm not nearly as experienced as you are! LOL. After a drive like that, I end up with such shoulder pain for days because of being so hunched up and strained. I should try your method and close my eyes.<br /><br />j@jj--See my note to Gina. I don't think all the extr baloney like parallel parking and maneuverability should be part of the test, really. Backing out of the parking spot and pulling back in is enough of that. Learning to parallel park and maneuver should be part of the driving class.<br />As far as good advice from a driving instructor, mine kept intoning, "Look for dark and light spots in the road." She just kept saying it over and over and never said why. She also kept pointing out culvert markers. She was a goofy old bird.<br /><br />Bug--Ugh. He sounds like a perv. I hate the way some adults take advantage of teenagers in a power situation. Maybe he'll go to hell. LOL.<br /><br />Oh, I remember Pacers! I always thought they were so cute and bubbly looking. I feel like there is no way you could fail a driver's test in a Pacer with all those windows. What a great idea.<br /><br />Ally Bean--Thank you. You know, I tried that very angle with my parents, who were forever running to a local convenience store for one thing or another. "I can go to Convenient whenever you need anything!" I said brightly and helpfully. "That's right, you can," they said, while continuing to completely ignore and stonewall me. So I've simply added it to my Gigantic Journal Of Wrongs and moved on...mostly.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-79695450416417119952014-01-27T08:54:48.753-05:002014-01-27T08:54:48.753-05:00My dad took me into the garage and, pointing to th...My dad took me into the garage and, pointing to the car, said: "Do you know what this is?"<br /><br />"A station wagon, " I answered.<br /><br />"No. It's a two-ton death machine, " he stated emphatically. <br /><br />And thus, began my long teenage saga of having a license and never being allowed to drive the family car anywhere. The end.Rainbow Motelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14181387926946193981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-51409548380478042212014-01-26T23:34:46.012-05:002014-01-26T23:34:46.012-05:00Yes, as J stated, I did not need to learn parallel...Yes, as J stated, I did not need to learn parallel parking in order to pass my driver's test. I was able to pass the first time, driving my friend Michelle's car, which I had never driven before. But it was automatic, so we all figured I had a better chance with it than the stick shift Honda that was slated to be mine.Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11604097511444010759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-69572629754222676852014-01-26T20:47:42.352-05:002014-01-26T20:47:42.352-05:00Nance..
I've been around so long that
when Mo...Nance..<br /><br />I've been around so long that<br />when Moses came down from that mountain he was carrying the Ten Commandments and my driver's license.<br /><br />Not much frightens me on the road but there is one bad curve that we had to take to get to our son's house in Connecticut. It is the ramp that takes you from I-287 in White Plains,N.Y. to the Sawmill Parkway leading to Connecticut.<br /><br />The ramp is one tiny lane wide and has a 180 degree curve in it. That's not too bad but it's elevated and if you went over you would drop about 60 feet to the highway below.<br /><br />Protecting you on this precarious curve is a barrier about 10 inches high made of what looks like chicken wire. <br /><br />So, my husband, Roy, would always drive this part of the route so I could close my eyes as we traveled over it.<br /><br />As you know, poor Roy passed away in May and now I have to negotiate that curve myself and it scares me to death. My son asked me how I manage it now that Dad is gone and I tell him I do exactly what I have always done..I CLOSE MY EYES! So far, so good..Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09426821858355153898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-35861303837487881442014-01-26T00:54:17.460-05:002014-01-26T00:54:17.460-05:00Does it please you or horrify you to know that, at...Does it please you or horrify you to know that, at least in California, parallel parking is no longer required to pass your drivers test? It horrifies me, because I think a student needs to be able to deal with real life. <br /><br />I got my license at 17 I think. I lived in a semi small town, (250k people is big, but spread out, with country roads not far away). I don't think I got to be a good driver until I got my own car perhaps 2 years later. I loved driving. I still enjoy it at times, but not when stuck in traffic or merging lanes or so on. And to be honest, I do not enjoy parallel parking. I got good at it in San Francisco, when you had to squeeze your car into a small spot on a hill, quickly. But I've never liked it.<br /><br />My memories of my driving instructor (also in HS, also paid for by the state...no longer the case) are that she had some good advice *Blinker, Mirror, Blind Spot", and that she used to take us out for treats, like donuts or Taco Bell, which she would then eat in front of us.<br />Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653383372182667361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-65592391597670908002014-01-25T16:55:12.281-05:002014-01-25T16:55:12.281-05:00I wasn't in any hurry to get my license, but m...I wasn't in any hurry to get my license, but my parents seemed to think it was important so I got it at 16. Two memories:<br /><br />1. The driving instructor always had us drive to a local drugstore where he would leer at the pinup posters.<br />2. He told me I shouldn't gain anymore weight because I wouldn't fit behind the wheel (please note that, while I wasn't the least bit svelte, I probably weighed around 130 pounds at the time).<br /><br />Also, we had a VW Bus - manual transmission. That was fun to learn to drive! I took my cousin's Pacer for the test. The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-79953832228579048422014-01-25T15:23:56.798-05:002014-01-25T15:23:56.798-05:00Wonderful story. Can't imagine how frustratin...Wonderful story. Can't imagine how frustrating it must have been for you to not get your license immediately after taking the class. <br /><br />My mother saw me more as a potential chauffeur than a child, so she did anything & everything to help me learn to drive. Therefore, I got my license about as quickly as a kid can. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com