Driving

[AnneM]

Sam turned 17 on Thursday which in the UK is the age he can start to learn to drive a car ... and today he had his first lesson ! He came home from his 2 hour lesson very happy saying that the instructor said he did "really, REALLY well" ... which is great ... but OMG I am still a nervous wreck !!

I need a bit of encouragement particularly from those who have already been through this ... (Linda !! Kstquilter!) ... & anyone else who remembers their first driving days??

[Amsmom]

oh annie, lots of to you
as you know, my ds is not old enough to drive yet, but i can so understand and feel your concern. i think a huge thing is that if sam knows to ALWAYS wear his seatbelt,
and not go over the speed limt, no matter what, there is less to worry about. so many of the accidents i hear about involving teens are from them refusing to wear seat belts and from racing each other. sam is a smart, good kid, with a level head, so i think you are way ahead on that one.

[AnneM]

Thanks amsmom!!

It is strange that you mention the "racing" that can go on ... Sam said that when he was out with his instructor this morning there were a group of teenager "boy-racers" (as we call them) in the same area ... one of
them according to Sam was driving at a high speed with the car DOOR OPEN!! ...

Apparently his instructor used some very "colourful" language to describe these people and what they were doing!! (which Sam found funny - the language his instructor was using I mean!) ....

It has got to the point where some of the large shopping mall car parks now "tolerate" the boy racers in the evenings when they are empty .. the police keep an eye on it ... but the feeling seems to be that it is better to have them racing somewhere like that ("semi" controlled) than up and down roads in towns throughout the country .. !!

But more seriously .... please, please, please may my son NEVER, NEVER EVER be a 'boy racer'!!

[kstquilter]

i can sympathize soooo much!
i was a nervous wreck with brittany for awhile. chris is a better driver as a whole. the seat belt thing really isn't much of an issue since they've worn them their entire lives and ed and i both use ours every time we're in the car. so i don't have that worry quite so much. the kids aren't allowed to have any more than 1 kid in the car with them unless they are family members, by law. at least for 6 mos or so. brittany also drove and still drives a small truck so she isn't able to carry many people. i think all the distractions of other kids is a huge safety problem. to say nothing of the phone.
the kids aren't supposed to talk on the phone while driving. they are supposed to pull over. i know brittany doesn't but chris talks only long enough to answer the question someone called for or whatever. he doesn't carry on long conversations on the phone while driving.
i also worried about brittany driving after the meds have worn off. so many things to focus on with such huge consequences for mistakes.
driving the speed limit is big on most roads around here although kids dont' seem to be able to go 25 mph in the residential areas around here. however, you almost have to speed on the expressways or you can cause more danger.
i feel for you anne! i'm sure sam will be fine. i think other kids and cell phones are the biggest distractions that i've seen in my kids. they get busy talking or are changing the radio, eating, talking to the kids in the back seat, etc.
brittany has been in three accidents, no one was injured in any of them, thank goodness. all were because she stopped too close to the car in front of her. she either rear ended them or someone behind her hit her and pushed her into the car in front of her.
the little helpful hint i was always told was you should be able to see where the tires hit the pavement of the car in front of you when you stop. i've remembered that all these years and try to follow it as much as possible.
as much as i enjoy the kids driving themselves while i get to spend more time at home, i miss driving them and their friends. i feel like i've lost valuable information i used to hear while driving. i think it's become harder to keep up with various kids they would talk about and things that were going on.
the nerves do get better especially if sam turns out to be a good driver. brittany still makes me nervous although not so much with chris. he's a much better driver than she was and maybe still is. since the kids pay for their own gas, she lets me drive anytime we go somewhere together!!!
Good luck anne! i'm sure sam will do great. i'll be thinking about you!
karen

[Linda]

Cell phones and seat belts exactly right also eating while driving is a big NO NO

You know how nervous I was Anne...still am

Tell me some more about how long Sam will be with the instructor...I am wondering if it is the same as here in the states.

I feel for ya girl...we are more nervous than the kids are. Paul is doing fine...I am not afraid to be with him in the car anymore ;D ;D ;D

[AnneM]

THANKYOU Karen and Linda!! .. Karen - the cellphone (or mobiles as we call them) is something that really strikes me ... Sam's phone seems to ring sooo constantly ... and I just can't imagine him "ignoring" it !! but he HAS to .. he HAS to !! Karen I also loved your very helpful hint and I am going to remember that in future AND I am going to pass it on to Sam !! ... We have the same things with speed-limits here as you describe .. they have REALLY toughened up on this in the past few years ... and the cameras are "everywhere" ... Our residential limit is 30 mph and our freeway (which we call amotorway) limit is 70 mph but just as you say to drive TOOOO slow on the motorway is just as dangerous as driving toooo fast !!

Linda - Oh yes !! I remember SOOOOO well how nervous you were when Paul started to drive !! ... and as you say ... still are!! You asked about how long Sam needs instruction for in the UK ... the Government recommend "45 hours of instruction" (that is Paid-For-Instruction ... NOT the extra practice that we will give him independently!) ... but most people say this is ridiculously high and the norm is around 25 hours of paid-for-instruction ... (is that about the same?)

He has to do a "theory" test ... and then later a "practical test" ... MOST people fail these on their first attempt ... I would estimate it will be 6-8 months before Sam is a fully fledged driver and able to drive without being accompanied by someone OVER 21. He then should wear "P" plates for a full year ... these are not "compulsory" but are recommended and give other drives the message that "I am a new driver" ...

Is this all similar to the US ??

[Linda]

We have what is called Graduated Driver Licensing.

A teen has to be 14 years,8 months old to enroll

We have what is called segment 1with 24 hours of in class instruction ..6 hours of behind the wheel instruction. Once that is completed thet get a Certificate of completion. It is not a permit to drive. The teens take a 100 question test...they have to pass this or go back to square one!!!

Then the teen and parent go to Secretary of State to apply for a Level 1 license.The parent must sign for the teen.

With the Level 1 license the teen can only drive with a parent or someone over the age of 21. The teen must must hold a Level 1 license for at least 180 days to be eligible for a Level 2 License.

Segment 2 you have to have 6 hours of classroom instruction. Completed at least 30 of the mandatory 50 hours of parent-teen driving,which includes 2 of the 10 hours of night time driving.

The teen must complete both segment 1 and 2 including a road skill test.

Then whoopie...they get to drive unsupervised if they have passed everything,except for the hours of midnight and 5am.

Graduated licensing ends for all teens at age 18.

I am sure I have forgotten something...and this is for Michigan....I don't know about other states.

[sportsmom]

Linda I think you got it all pretty good . I like the idea about the "P" plate~~~I wish we had something like that here so other drivers would be aware that there is a new driver in the car.

Anne it will get better~~~trust me!!! I am not afraid to ride with Riley anymore ( at first I wanted a brake on my side of the car hahahaha----I didn't care at what cost hahaha). He has been driving his Grandmas spree (moped) for the last month and after he got it out most of the other kids went out and bought one~~~anyways he was the only one to wear a helmet and the police stopped him and told him what a good job he has been doing and also told him great job for wearing the helmet. Now the police are strongly encouraging the other kids to wear a helmet as well.

[Linda]

What bothered me right from the beginning was I thought there might be a problem with distraction After all our kids are ADHD ;D ;D

I have been with Paul several times and he is VERY focosed...I wonder why that is? maybe it is something he really loves to do who knows ;D ;D ;D

Anyway Anne...go with it...like the rest of us that have teens....we don't have much choice ;D ;D ;D

[finnmom]

Anne, although I´am not there with ds yet, I´ll be following you, way too fast if you ask me

I´am sure Sam will do fine, he did drive the scooter for a while didn´t he, so he know´s a lot already.

From Linda´s description I got the idea that our europian driver´s test is a lot more like than our´s and U.S. In here it´s; 15 hour´s theory, 25 hour´s driving with instructor and then theory-test and driving test.

edited to say that kid´s have to be 18 before they can get the license in here

[vickilyn32]

We also have a graduated drivers license. The kids cannot get their permit untill they are 15, but can start the classroom part of the parent taught drivers education while they are 14. The parent taught drivers ed is 32 classroom hours and 14 driving hours. At 16 they get their license, but can only drive with one friend and it must be between the hours of 5:00am and 12:00am. They also must have the permit for a total of 6 months before they get the license, no mater how old they are when they get the permit.

[AnneM]

This is really interesting ... and it's also interesting to see the similarities and yet variations across the States in the US ... (which I guess is a little like Europe ... since Marja's description is the closest to ours and yet still with differences) ...

One thing is clear and that is that the age in the US to 'start' is quite a bit younger than it is here ... and in fact here they are considering upping the age from 17 to 18 here which will mean it is even longer for our kids to even think about starting driving ...

The classroom based lessons sound like a good idea to me ... we don't have those lessons ... but they DO have to 'revise' and they DO have pass a Theory Test and a Hazard Awareness Test ... before they can even consider their "Practical" test ... but there is no "classroom" based preparation for this ... it is up to the individual to prepare through either revising books or cd's etc.etc. I definitely like the idea of the classroom based lessons for this though!! ... (Especially for Sam who is hopeless at "revising" on his own but would do well in a classroom based revision!)

[kstquilter]

they've been talking about changing the driving age since brittany started high school 6 years ago. the kids used to get all worried but now they just think it's a scare tactic and ignore it!
the kids here in IL have driver's ed in high school for one semester instead of p.e. in their sophomore year. that's the 2nd of four years for those of you across the pond!
much of this has changed just since brittany got her license. chris was in the first semester becuase his birthday in is early nov. we took him to the dmv during the first week or two of class to take the written test and get his permit. with the permit he was allowed to drive with a parent or someone with a license over 21 i think. he continued the class throughout the semester and had to pass a written test in class. he did about 6 hours behind the wheel during class. we had to fill out a paper with at least 25 hours of driving with us.
after that, we went to the dmv, he took the physical driving test, passed, got his picture taken, picked up his license and drove us home as a licensed driver.
i think most of our kids pass the first time. but they had a booklet to study from that came from the dmv as well as his classwork.
i'm sure all our kids will be fine, it's us we need to worry about!! plenty of non-adhd kids get in accidents or get tickets as well as our kids. i still worry about focus but do know that brittany can almost hyper-focus when she wants to or needs to. wish she'd do more of it while driving!
karen

[Linda]

Anne I just got the bill today for putting Paul on our insurance $1,000 a year....How about in the UK?

[AnneM]

linda said:

Anne I just got the bill today for putting Paul on our insurance $1,000 a year....How about in the UK?

OMG LInda !! ... YIKES IT HURTS DOESN'T IT?? We have just put Sam on our "little" car this year and our insurance has gone up from £170 (around $200) per year to £850 (around $1500) .... but that is "fully comprehensive"... We can get it a little cheaper by going down to Third Party Fire and Theft for ALL of us which would be £580 (around $1000 - same as you) ... and we may well do just that...

IF however he was to buy his OWN car within this first year it would cost him £1500 in insurance (around $2600) so in other words THAT is "out of the question" !! There is no way a "new driver" can afford their own car UNLESS of course they are "mega rich" LOL!!