Teaching a teenager to drive

[Delg8tor]

Here in Delaware drivers education is mandatory and is taught in the 10th grade. My son took it before he was even old enough to get his permit which I thought was interesting. If you pass the class you don't have to take a road test which is also interesting.
He has a Ram 1500 that he inherited from his grandfather but he is itching to buy a 2 door jeep with manual transmission. I keep trying to talk him out of it because stick is a pain in the arse around here with the traffic and hills and of course the winters like was mentioned above. But, alas he is young and will probably do it anyway.

 

[Delg8tor]

Speaking of this particular child of mine... His grandfather used to take him up to the school parking lot like so many others and let him drive his jeep around. No biggie. Same man also had a candy apple red C6 Z06 Corvette. I got separated and then divorced not long after he passed. I mentioned to my son that I never got to drive the 'Vette before we split and asked if his mother or aunt did before selling it. He said no but he did! Of course I did a double take. His grandfather had taken him to the beach one weekend when he was about 14-15 and let him drive the car out on some back roads inland. I just shook my head. Lucky kid.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Start them on dirt roads at twelve. By 14 they're ready to drive the family on most every trip.

 

[Lake Gator]

Start them on dirt roads at twelve. By 14 they're ready to drive the family on most every trip.

I started driving at 13...unbeknownst to my parents. When Mom and Dad left for a vacation they left me and some older brothers behind. My best friend and I "borrowed" our family's second car and took it for a joy ride. Nearly killed ourselves missing a head-on collision by a few seconds and returned home scared sh×tless. Never did it again.

 

[MJMGator]

Learned on Racetrack Rd. and then took driver's ed at school. That said, you never really "learn" until you drive in normal situations out in traffic over a period of time.

 

[itsgr82bag8r]

My 15 year old daughter. It is going to kill me. Negotiating turns at different speeds seems to be a major sticking point.

She'll need a photo ID.

 

[L-boy]

I started driving at 13...unbeknownst to my parents. When Mom and Dad left for a vacation they left me and some older brothers behind. My best friend and I "borrowed" our family's second car and took it for a joy ride. Nearly killed ourselves missing a head-on collision by a few seconds and returned home scared sh×tless. Never did it again.

When we visited my grandparents on the farm, my parents would let me drive down the dirt road to the farmstead. Then once or twice my grandad actually let me drive the car down the two lane highway. Parents had no idea.

Living here in DFW area, there aren't many rural roads around here, unless maybe you get way out of town, so it was harder to find her driving opportunities before now. The first time she did drive was about a year ago on my brother in laws farm-pasture in South Dakota in his old truck. That was interesting. She really knew nothing at all going in.

 

[bradgator2]

I have a sweet off road gocart for my girls. They've gotten pretty good, even drifting a little. I let them take the steering wheel and sit on my lap and drive my truck in my "neighborhood".

 

[TheDouglas78]

When we visited my grandparents on the farm, my parents would let me drive down the dirt road to the farmstead. Then once or twice my grandad actually let me drive the car down the two lane highway. Parents had no idea.

Similar story when I was younger 8-13, a lot of dirt roads and small roads in Bradford county and Hawthorne. Granddad would let me drive his car on his lap. Later the riding lawn mower out on the property, or sometimes the beat up truck. We have a tree farm with some dirt roads in Bradford County, but if you messed up you were having to call a farmer and their tracker to pull you out of a fire lane.

 

[Delg8tor]

Similar story when I was younger 8-13, a lot of dirt roads and small roads in Bradford county and Hawthorne. Granddad would let me drive his car on his lap. Later the riding lawn mower out on the property, or sometimes the beat up truck. We have a tree farm with some dirt roads in Bradford County, but if you messed up you were having to call a farmer and their tracker to pull you out of a fire lane.

That reminds me of another story about my son and his grandfather. They had a beach house outside Bethany Beach Delaware. It was about 1 1/2 acres with the back half being wide open. The rest was more manicured with some out buildings and a pool. He would let my boy cut the grass on the back half. He's flying around in circles barely big enough to keep the seat down for the switch to engage and keep the mower turned on. The crazy thing about it was that the mower leaked gas and theoretically could have burst out in flames has the gas hit the right spot.

 

[daytonacane]

My dad taught me to drive using a stick shift in the heart of town on Main St. in Jacksonville,FL....whiplashing down the street we would go. Also became a pro at backing up as we had a really long driveway at home lined with sycamore trees. My dad built race cars and he gave me a little dodge coup the 2nd semester of the 11th grade. However, no racing or going fast for me. He put a governor on it and I could only got up to 40 mph.