First Driving Lesson

[Dress2Jacket]

I witnessed one just a few minutes ago as I was walking around our neighborhood. An SUV pulled to a stop and a HS aged boy and his Dad opened the doors and swapped sides of the vehicle with the kid climbing in on the driver's side. In my mind I thought "first driving lesson". I was 50 yards behind them and on the other side of the street, so I felt fairly safe.

As I continued my walk, I watched for the signs which indicate a vehicle is about to start moving - brake lights, followed by a flash of reverse lights as the transmission is shifted from P, through R and N, landing at D. Didn't happen. Instead, the SUV revved up, didn't go anywhere, and then revved higher. A few seconds later, the engine returned to idle, the brake lights came on, the reverse lights flashed, and the SUV started slowly up the hill. No harm, no foul, and I got a laugh out of it.

It was a lot easier when I was a kid. I just taught myself (staying on our property in West Cobb) when the parents left me at home by myself. Nobody saw my mistakes.

Not sure how I am gonna teach the boy to drive when that day comes. There are few appropriate places around here now.

 

[slugboy]

I witnessed one just a few minutes ago as I was walking around our neighborhood. An SUV pulled to a stop and a HS aged boy and his Dad opened the doors and swapped sides of the vehicle with the kid climbing in on the driver's side. In my mind I thought "first driving lesson". I was 50 yards behind them and on the other side of the street, so I felt fairly safe.

As I continued my walk, I watched for the signs which indicate a vehicle is about to start moving - brake lights, followed by a flash of reverse lights as the transmission is shifted from P, through R and N, landing at D. Didn't happen. Instead, the SUV revved up, didn't go anywhere, and then revved higher. A few seconds later, the engine returned to idle, the brake lights came on, the reverse lights flashed, and the SUV started slowly up the hill. No harm, no foul, and I got a laugh out of it.

It was a lot easier when I was a kid. I just taught myself (staying on our property in West Cobb) when the parents left me at home by myself. Nobody saw my mistakes.

Not sure how I am gonna teach the boy to drive when that day comes. There are few appropriate places around here now.

Nearly abandoned mall parking lots are a great place to practice.

 

[FredJacket]

I witnessed one just a few minutes ago as I was walking around our neighborhood. An SUV pulled to a stop and a HS aged boy and his Dad opened the doors and swapped sides of the vehicle with the kid climbing in on the driver's side. In my mind I thought "first driving lesson". I was 50 yards behind them and on the other side of the street, so I felt fairly safe.

As I continued my walk, I watched for the signs which indicate a vehicle is about to start moving - brake lights, followed by a flash of reverse lights as the transmission is shifted from P, through R and N, landing at D. Didn't happen. Instead, the SUV revved up, didn't go anywhere, and then revved higher. A few seconds later, the engine returned to idle, the brake lights came on, the reverse lights flashed, and the SUV started slowly up the hill. No harm, no foul, and I got a laugh out of it.

It was a lot easier when I was a kid. I just taught myself (staying on our property in West Cobb) when the parents left me at home by myself. Nobody saw my mistakes.

Not sure how I am gonna teach the boy to drive when that day comes. There are few appropriate places around here now.

I used church parking lots... couldn't hurt, right?

 

[swarmer]

My first driving lesson was the Sunday after the GT and FSU game in Tallahassee in 2001. On the way home my dad stopped somewhere in South Georgia for a pit stop and asked me if I wanted to drive since we were in a pretty remote location. We skipped around whatever small town we were in for 30 minutes or so then he started giving me directions to the highway for a bigger test.

A little while later he told me I was doing great and to keep going north until He told me to get off. He was asleep within 5 minutes.

pretty sure tailgating got the best of the day before.