Dead Man Driving

theDreamer · 11-16-2009, 11:06 AM

It use to be pretty decent learning, but they have dumped it down to make it "easier."

~Parallel parking - I had a 5 minute lesson in this and did horrible, yet passed.
~Not required to learn manual transmission - Before drivers ed I went on two driving trips with my father to a parking lot to learn to drive in a huge old diesel suburban. Two days after I got my learners permit, I was told if I wanted to drive I had to learn manual. Thank you parents.
~Drivers education courses are now mostly about just being on the road, the basic check list is this: Did they drive on a road of 35MPH (Yes/NO), Did they drive on a road of 55MPH (Yes/No), Are they doing normal pre-driving checklists (Yes/No). There are a few more but you see how easy it is.

No real focus on things that matter in real world driving.

phelan · 11-16-2009, 03:42 PM

Even when I was 16 and just learning to drive, I knew California driving laws were ridiculously lax. These days it's basically as if the DMV were saying "Here's your license, just pay us your car's registration fees and get out of my sight". It's saddening.

Even now I have friends who won't be bothered with learning manual transmission. They will continue to take their auto-tranny cars, load up some loud R&B or Hip-Hop, and proceed to text, talk to friends on their phones, do whatever in their cars. Scariest I've seen? The ones that put on makeup while they're driving full speed on the highway. Ultimate fail.

I'm the only one of the group who is actually willing (and I'm doing it next year) to take an advanced driving course to sharpen my skills on the road...and the depressing part is my education will only do so much against the drunkard who could slam their vehicle into me at a moment's notice.

yellowZ · 05-26-2010, 12:46 PM

Great post.
Having taught motorcycle safety for years, I find this a sad reminder that we contribute to these accidents. All of the little things we can do before to increase our safety zone gives us the 10ths of a second to avoid an accident. Yet, there are forces beyond our control too. I guess we just need to slow down and take the time to drive.
Kevin

11-16-2009, 11:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
theDreamer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 30,879 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 4212	It use to be pretty decent learning, but they have dumped it down to make it "easier." ~Parallel parking - I had a 5 minute lesson in this and did horrible, yet passed. ~Not required to learn manual transmission - Before drivers ed I went on two driving trips with my father to a parking lot to learn to drive in a huge old diesel suburban. Two days after I got my learners permit, I was told if I wanted to drive I had to learn manual. Thank you parents. ~Drivers education courses are now mostly about just being on the road, the basic check list is this: Did they drive on a road of 35MPH (Yes/NO), Did they drive on a road of 55MPH (Yes/No), Are they doing normal pre-driving checklists (Yes/No). There are a few more but you see how easy it is. No real focus on things that matter in real world driving. __________________ theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

11-16-2009, 03:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
phelan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CA Age: 40 Posts: 9,513 Drives: Scoobaroo Rep Power: 3408	Even when I was 16 and just learning to drive, I knew California driving laws were ridiculously lax. These days it's basically as if the DMV were saying "Here's your license, just pay us your car's registration fees and get out of my sight". It's saddening. Even now I have friends who won't be bothered with learning manual transmission. They will continue to take their auto-tranny cars, load up some loud R&B or Hip-Hop, and proceed to text, talk to friends on their phones, do whatever in their cars. Scariest I've seen? The ones that put on makeup while they're driving full speed on the highway. Ultimate fail. I'm the only one of the group who is actually willing (and I'm doing it next year) to take an advanced driving course to sharpen my skills on the road...and the depressing part is my education will only do so much against the drunkard who could slam their vehicle into me at a moment's notice. __________________ 凛 ('Rin') - 2009 Nissan 370Z With silence comes peace. With peace comes freedom. With freedom comes silence.

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05-26-2010, 12:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
yellowZ Base Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 77 Drives: Nissan 370Z - Yellow Rep Power: 17	Great post. Having taught motorcycle safety for years, I find this a sad reminder that we contribute to these accidents. All of the little things we can do before to increase our safety zone gives us the 10ths of a second to avoid an accident. Yet, there are forces beyond our control too. I guess we just need to slow down and take the time to drive. Kevin