[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by Maestro

As many said the best thing is go to a parking lot and spend as much time as you can there with no cars, if you can find without light pole that would be great. I did not do any Driving instructors with my kids, my wife and I did it ourselves and had no issues. My son failed the first time for one reason, he thought he knew best so the instructor failed him to prove his point. My daughter past the first time without an issue, and she did it in Feb, with piles of snow all over the place, pot holes galore, and it was foggy and raining at the time of the test.

We were told that testing instructors will fail you the first time if did not go to driving school, which obviously was not true. Both my kids had 100's of hours in the car and well over 3000 miles under their belts before they ever took the test. They also drove in all kinds of weather, day and night and on every kind of road. Ever time we want anywhere we made the kids drive us. For the last two years as my kids learned to drive the wife and I hardly drove anywhere. Now my kids fight to decide who gets to drive us someplace, it nice having them drive us around.

The last and most important rule we had, was this, If we told them to do something they were to do it immediately and not argue and discuss it before hand while driving. However we would tell them later what they were doing wrong or what was happening around them which required them to do something.

Also, I taught both my kids to drive a manual transmission while they were on a permit so they both can drive any car now.

One last point, most driving schools have everyday people working there, and they are the same people you probably scream about on the roads. I know my kids friends went to driving schools since the parents could not deal with teaching them. My kids will not drive with them, they tell me they are dangerous drivers, why because the do things to the letter of the law and guild lines, verse driving predicable so people know what you are about to do.

I give you a couple of examples, they will wait at stop signs until the road is almost clear, like 500 ft of no cars, when merging in traffic or changing lanes they will wait until they have plenty of room to move over. What happen is usually the person right behind them get tired of waiting for them so they go around them so they never get to merge or change lanes since cars keep going around them. Instructors tell these kids not to turn or change lanes unless there is plenty distance between them and any other cars. Yeah in the perfect world if everyone did the same thing.

They do not teach the new driver about the car, about how fast it can accelerate or how quickly it can stop. I spent an entire day in a park lot with my kids just accelerating and hard braking so they learn how the car responds especially automatics. The hardest things my kids learn was the automatic lag, from the time you press the accelerator until the car finally starts going. Same with braking distance. I spent time making my kids stop the cars before some point in the parking lot. The goal was to get at close without passing and they could only hit the brakes when I said brake.

Great information! Thanks for the tips

[Litos]

Originally Posted by grieverr

To this day, I STILL haven't had my own room! From sharing a bedroom with my siblings, to roommates in college, to moving back home (where my brother was still living, too), and now with my wife!!

at least you had a bedroom to share...

we had a living room and a couch that turned into a bed....

[JeM9]

Definitely taught myself, and didn't have my permit either. I waiting until 18 to get my license too to throw that in there

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by JeM9

Definitely taught myself, and didn't have my permit either. I waiting until 18 to get my license too to throw that in there

Yeah I grew up in the day that that you could go and get your license the same day you got your permit, they did not care as long as you could pass the test. I taught myself in my parents driveway, they has long dirt driveway so I spent time just driving up and down the driveway both forward and backwards and doing turns and various things, a few times I ventured out onto the road and drove around a bit, but never had to worry about other cars or police.

I also spent a lot of time driving tractors and such has kid so I have a good idea how to drive long before I turn 16.

[2011CrazE89]

Funny thing is in NY I took my road test in 1985. Just graduated high school. I had to understand hand signals but was not required to use them on my exam. I have never seen anyone use hand signals!

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

Funny thing is in NY I took my road test in 1985. Just graduated high school. I had to understand hand signals but was not required to use them on my exam. I have never seen anyone use hand signals!

Well, except the universal one.

[2011CrazE89]

I don't remember this question on the written test.

[MYovichZ4]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

Funny thing is in NY I took my road test in 1985. Just graduated high school. I had to understand hand signals but was not required to use them on my exam. I have never seen anyone use hand signals!

Don't forget the alternate hand signs

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

Funny thing is in NY I took my road test in 1985. Just graduated high school. I had to understand hand signals but was not required to use them on my exam. I have never seen anyone use hand signals!

In PA they still need to know them, couple of reason, old time cars which are still allowed on the road, Horse and Buggies which are also allowed on the roads in PA, and not all motor cycles have turn signal and obviously bikes are suppose to use hand signals. Lastly they tell you if your cars signal are not working you are suppose to use hand signals, but you will also get a ticket for no operational signal on your car which is not fair is hand signal are okay.

[UncleWede]

Only during daylight hours