Driving? What did you do?

[Jeff and Tatiana 0]

So I have been thinking of this a bit lately as she is due to arrive very soon. Of course there is the wedding and all of that, but I had wondered how did those of you who have wives who did not drive ever before choose to handle the learning to drive senario?

Did you teach them yourselves?

Did you send them to a private school where they learn the rules and how to drive at the same time?

Did you do a combination, school and then practice with you on the weekends or something?

I am leaning toward the last one. Where the brunt of the critisizm is done by the instructor and I only encourage during our practices. hehe. Just wondering what others have done.

-Jeff

[wissooner 0]

I think it depends on how much experience behind the wheel she already has. In my wife's case, she already had a Russian DL but it had been several years since she had driven a car. So upon arrival she just needed some weekend practice in a parking lot with me to 'refresh' herself with driving. She read up on the rules of the road, aced her written test, got her learner's permit, drove with me for a few months, and then passed her driving test on her 2nd try. Today she is probably a better driver than I am...

I would suggest though, that if she has no experience at all, then send to driving school rather than teach her yourself. IMHO, that would be bettter for the both of you.

[clueless_in_usa 8]

So I have been thinking of this a bit lately as she is due to arrive very soon. Of course there is the wedding and all of that, but I had wondered how did those of you who have wives who did not drive ever before choose to handle the learning to drive senario?

Did you teach them yourselves?

Did you send them to a private school where they learn the rules and how to drive at the same time?

Did you do a combination, school and then practice with you on the weekends or something?

I am leaning toward the last one. Where the brunt of the critisizm is done by the instructor and I only encourage during our practices. hehe. Just wondering what others have done.

-Jeff

The question you need to answer first is this:

What will the insurance company do if she has an accident while driving my car? Accidents do happen anytime, anywhere.

After I got the answer to that question, there is no way I am going to let my wife drive my car. It will be cheaper to pay for professional driving lessons.

And by the way, in most states she is not allowed to drive if she does not have at least a learner's permit (meaning that she already passed the written exam). A foreign license is also accepted.

I hope this helps.

[Neonred 3,518]

My wife had never driven before. First I took her on weekends to a large school parking lot to give her a little experience. Then she got her learners permit. We practiced in some quiet areas, then I paid for a private lesson. The instructor said she was pretty good and could probably pass the test with just a little more practice. One day without telling me she and her girlfriend went to the DMV and she took and passed her driving test. She has been driving for about a year now and so far so good.

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

For my wife, I had her reading the drivers manual for a while and then I would quiz her. After a little while, we went to the DMV and she got a learner's permit and then I started teaching her how to drive myself. After a couple of months when I was confortable with her driving (she has never driven before), we finally went for her driving test (which was yesterday) and she passed with flying colors.

An alternative is buying a cheap, I mean, really cheap car (clunker) and let her practice on it, then once she is confortable enough (and you of course), then "upgrade" the car and even let her drive yours.

[Jeff and Tatiana 0]

She has never driven before ever. So, then I think I will go with the professional option once she has her learner's permit. So to start it will be some reading and quizzing then the professional classes and a bit of weekend practice. I have two vehicles already as one is my truck and then the everyday car I drive to work as it does better on gas. Hmm, well she can drive one or the other to practice, I imagine the car would be easier to pass the test, but you never know maybe she likes being up high.

Great! Thanks for the information everyone!

-Jeff

[Scott and Iryna 2]

I spent a significant amount of time teaching her (she also had never been behind the wheel of a car), and it was quite scary! Private lessons or classes were out of the question because her English was very poor. She is much better now (almost a year later), and has had 3 or 4 private lessons. New Hampshire does not have a Russian version of the drivers manual, but California does. Obviously it's not the same, but there is enough in common for her to learn. I downloaded it from here:

www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/foreign_hdbk/dl600R.pdf

She reads each section, and then we practice. Hopefully by the spring she'll be ready to take her tests. I sure hope so!!

[SuperDuper! 230]

One thing to keep in mind. For the first time driver, and for those of us who have 20-something brides, insurance rates are gonna be sky high.

So, if the man is not in a particular hurry, or their is no immediate need for her to drive, DO have her study and practice for her drivers license, as insurance Co's look at the time she has been licensed. So if she just has a DL for a year and not driving, it is a good thing, in terms of having driving experience, as far as the Insurers are concerned.

[Neonred 3,518]

One thing to keep in mind. For the first time driver, and for those of us who have 20-something brides, insurance rates are gonna be sky high.

So, if the man is not in a particular hurry, or their is no immediate need for her to drive, DO have her study and practice for her drivers license, as insurance Co's look at the time she has been licensed. So if she just has a DL for a year and not driving, it is a good thing, in terms of having driving experience, as far as the Insurers are concerned.

Of course my wife is not a 20 something, but the funny thing was my insurance went down when I added her (and I've never had an accident or ticket). It had something to do with being a married driver.

[SuperDuper! 230]

One thing to keep in mind. For the first time driver, and for those of us who have 20-something brides, insurance rates are gonna be sky high.

So, if the man is not in a particular hurry, or their is no immediate need for her to drive, DO have her study and practice for her drivers license, as insurance Co's look at the time she has been licensed. So if she just has a DL for a year and not driving, it is a good thing, in terms of having driving experience, as far as the Insurers are concerned.

Of course my wife is not a 20 something, but the funny thing was my insurance went down when I added her (and I've never had an accident or ticket). It had something to do with being a married driver.

Wow, you have a great insurer then. Never in my life have i heard of an insurer actually request less money per year to take on the additional liability of another driver. You better keep this one on the DownLow and never question it!

[Neonred 3,518]

One thing to keep in mind. For the first time driver, and for those of us who have 20-something brides, insurance rates are gonna be sky high.

So, if the man is not in a particular hurry, or their is no immediate need for her to drive, DO have her study and practice for her drivers license, as insurance Co's look at the time she has been licensed. So if she just has a DL for a year and not driving, it is a good thing, in terms of having driving experience, as far as the Insurers are concerned.

Of course my wife is not a 20 something, but the funny thing was my insurance went down when I added her (and I've never had an accident or ticket). It had something to do with being a married driver.

Wow, you have a great insurer then. Never in my life have i heard of an insurer actually request less money per year to take on the additional liability of another driver. You better keep this one on the DownLow and never question it!

It was AIG which became 20th Century. Last month they sent me a renewal with a couple hundred dollar a year increase so I switched to Progressive.

[akdiver 3]

Did you teach them yourselves?

My wife was a "non-driver" before she came here.

a). She got the manual from the DMV and studied it for a week.

B). Went back to the DMV, she took test and got learner's permit.

c). Practiced for a two weeks or so, under my instruction.

d). Went back to DMV, she took road test and got license.

She had her driver's license after being here just under a month, and before we got married.

Pretty brainless overall - nothing to worry about.

One thing to keep in mind. For the first time driver, and for those of us who have 20-something brides, insurance rates are gonna be sky high.

I disagree entirely. It didn't cost me anything to add her to my policy. As it stands now, the rate for her and "her car" is about half of what it is for me and "my" Jeep. Edited December 19, 2009 by akdiver

[SuperDuper! 230]

My wife was a "non-driver" before she came here.

a). She got the manual from the DMV and studied it for a week.

B). Went back to the DMV, she took test and got learner's permit.

c). Practiced for a two weeks or so, under my instruction.

d). Went back to DMV, she took road test and got license.

She had her driver's license after being here just under a month, and before we got married.

Pretty brainless overall - nothing to worry about.

I disagree entirely. It didn't cost me anything to add her to my policy. As it stands now, the rate for her and "her car" is about half of what it is for me and "my" Jeep.

Wow, I wish you guys would stop rubbing it in. I mean 99 of 100 of us have to pay MORE when adding a person to the Car Insurance Policy. I mean, you guys got Insurers that are taking on the liability of another driver, maybe offering a Million Dollars in total insurance coverage, and actually reducing or maintaining the cost of your annual insurance premium. Please, don't spread that around. You got a really great deal, and I hope it lasts for you. I guess I will just have to be the sucker in the room who has to pay a lot more when I add my bride to my auto and health insurance. Someone has to pay. Might as well let it be me.

[radacos 0]

Even though I've been living in the States since I was 20, I had never been behind the wheel of a car until September (never really needed to drive). I took four lessons at a driving school, which were useful for learning the basics of how to operate a vehicle, and then I drove with my husband for a total of about 10-12 hours over a couple months. I passed my driving test the first time I took it.

For what it's worth, insurance wise, my husband added me to his insurance when he bought his car two years ago (I had a learner's permit then); when I bought my beater a few months ago and added it to our insurance, the increase only amounted to about $25/month. Putting your spouse on your insurance as soon as she has her learner's permit might help with the cost...

[Neonred 3,518]

Wow, I wish you guys would stop rubbing it in. I mean 99 of 100 of us have to pay MORE when adding a person to the Car Insurance Policy. I mean, you guys got Insurers that are taking on the liability of another driver, maybe offering a Million Dollars in total insurance coverage, and actually reducing or maintaining the cost of your annual insurance premium. Please, don't spread that around. You got a really great deal, and I hope it lasts for you. I guess I will just have to be the sucker in the room who has to pay a lot more when I add my bride to my auto and health insurance. Someone has to pay. Might as well let it be me.

Spend a little time online getting quotes from a number of companies. You might be surprised how much you can save.