So.... how are the driving lessons going?

[mox 298]

Or we could just take the low road and say that women have a harder time grasping these concepts because they have tinier brains, or all the blood rushes to their womb or something.

Umm I dont think there has ever been a direct correlation between brain size and intelligence, remember that Neaderthal's had brains that we nearly 30% larger than modern humans, would that make them smarter????

Ahhh, so you take the position that women can't drive because all the blood is rushing to their womb then, and it has nothing to do with their tiny brains. ic.

[slim 1,530]

in the concepts of defensive driving and driving etiquette................................... she works close to home and seldom travels outside our neighborhood without me to keep her out of trouble on the crazy streets of Houston.

Defensive driving and driving etiquette are something I'm very worried about. We live in a place where, like Houston, driving without a little etiquette can be dangerous for reasons other than being in an accident. All I can do is hope that it never gets to that level.

One other thing.... have you guys changed a tire with your wives/daughters? I was going to do -

Lesson 1. Driving

Lesson 2. Changing the Tire and other Safety Concerns

Lesson 3. Take Test

But we're doing Lessons 1-???? (currently on 6 or 7, I forget because it's been so much!) still on the driving part. Have any of you witnessed the wife/daughter change the spare? After trying to teach my wife the intricacies of working a combination lock, I figured we'd have to spend a few hours on the tire lessons. We're not even close to that part yet.

[mox 298]

One other thing.... have you guys changed a tire with your wives/daughters? I was going to do -

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that the procedure eventually comes down to:

1. Pull over

2. Turn on hazard lights

3. Remove cell phone from purse

4. Call slim

4. Wait

[Bobalouie 0]

One other thing.... have you guys changed a tire with your wives/daughters? I was going to do -

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that the procedure eventually comes down to:

1. Pull over

2. Turn on hazard lights

3. Remove cell phone from purse

4. Call slim

4. Wait

I am going to add her to my AAA account. So, mine will look like:

1. Pull over

2. Turn on hazard lights

3. Remove Cell phone from Purse

4. Call AAA

5. Call Bob because she doesnt know where she is

6. Bob calls AAA to tell them where she is

7. Repeat 4-6 ad nauseum.

8. eventually fix tire myself.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Oh for sure! I know that Alla would never change a tire! That is a job for a man. I was scolded once for asking her to carry a few grocery bags once! "Jeffery, I look like horse? You are man, yes?" I joked back with what does she do when I am not in Russia? She replied, "I must explain? I think you know. You are not with me so, yes, I must to carry. But you are with me, so what you think?"

One other thing.... have you guys changed a tire with your wives/daughters? I was going to do -

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that the procedure eventually comes down to:

1. Pull over

2. Turn on hazard lights

3. Remove cell phone from purse

4. Call slim

4. Wait

[slim 1,530]

You guys are spot-on with the replies but believe it or not, she said "Yes of course I must know how to change tire. If I will be drive then I must know how to change tire."

(Of course, the "steps" listed above are all true... she just wants me to know that she'll "know" how to change it. Probably b!tching at me to hurry up all the while because she could've just done it herself. Well then why did I come out here? Ah... marriage is great!)

[peejay 327]

in the concepts of defensive driving and driving etiquette................................... she works close to home and seldom travels outside our neighborhood without me to keep her out of trouble on the crazy streets of Houston.

Defensive driving and driving etiquette are something I'm very worried about. We live in a place where, like Houston, driving without a little etiquette can be dangerous for reasons other than being in an accident. All I can do is hope that it never gets to that level.

One other thing.... have you guys changed a tire with your wives/daughters? I was going to do -

Lesson 1. Driving

Lesson 2. Changing the Tire and other Safety Concerns

Lesson 3. Take Test

But we're doing Lessons 1-???? (currently on 6 or 7, I forget because it's been so much!) still on the driving part. Have any of you witnessed the wife/daughter change the spare? After trying to teach my wife the intricacies of working a combination lock, I figured we'd have to spend a few hours on the tire lessons. We're not even close to that part yet.

I was very apprehensive about turning the girls loose on the streets of Houston alone. Unfortunately I work offshore in the oil industry and spend quite a lot of time away from home. So they really had to learn to get around town without depending on me or our neighbors all the time. All you can do is teach them the best that you can and hope for the best. You cannot protect them all the time.

After 4 years of being married to my wife, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. My wife has her own car and pretty much goes where she wants to, but at 46 years old she doesn't travel far from home alone unless she has to or there is a good reason. She has been on some wild adventures around town without me and has survived them so far. She gets lost all the time and tells me about her adventures afterward. I worry, but she's an adult and has her own life to live.

She did get a flat tire several months ago. She got off of work and found her car had a flat tire. I was out of town and instead of calling one of our neighbors or getting someone to change the tire, she drove home on the rim for 3+ miles. It wasn't the best choice, but I didn't get upset about it. I just bought a new tire and told her that there were better options she should have chosen. I really don't think my wife has the physical strength or mechanical ability to change a tire. Some women can and some can't.

My stepdaughter still has her license, but doesn't own a car anymore. Her mom and I bought her an old beat up Toyota Corolla several months after she got her license in 2004. I spent hundreds of dollars repairing bent rims, busted tires, broken struts, busted tail lights, and other damages from mishaps she got into while driving. In 2006 she hit a tree and spent 10 days in the hospital and several months recuperating. Her mom and I are hesitant to get her another car and we haven't. She lives with her Ukrainian boyfriend across town from us and she takes the bus or he takes her around in his car. Sometimes me or my wife take her places when her boyfriend has to work. So owning a car didn't turn out well for her, but she gets by without one. Even in a sprawling town like Houston. Driving isn't for everyone.

I don't want to scare anybody, but that is how it turned out for us so far.

[dagobert2 0]

I remember first driving with Olga in her Lada (or as she referred to it, her "lady") in and around Kazan. I considered her a pretty decent driver of moderate experience. When she came for a visit in the US again, she asked to drive one day. It was on a very challenging expressway in the Chicago area that was under heavy construction (I80 Borman Expressway). I was scared to death. The concept of staying in her lane or lane changes was obviously foreign and that was a really bad situation to be finding that out as the 18 wheelers kept reminding us. When she finally moved here for good I was very nervous at first. Lane changes, stopping distance, merging, blind spots were all very new concepts and had to be "taught". But she has improved her skills very quickly. Santa brought her a new GPS and after only 2 months in the US she was cruising the greater Chicago area like a pro. Now she is comfortable in most situations. She pointed out to me that highway driving even for an experienced Russian driver from anywhere other than Moscow is a foreign concept by definition. The average driver simply doesn't venture from their local city by car. They take a train or fly. The "open road" is just too hazardous for all but the most experienced professional drivers.

BTW - hello all from Chris and Olga. It has been a while. Married life has a way of occupying one's "spare time".

[slim 1,530]

I spent hundreds of dollars repairing bent rims, busted tires, broken struts, busted tail lights, and other damages from mishaps she got into while driving. In 2006 she hit a tree and spent 10 days in the hospital and several months recuperating.

This is what scares the daylights out of me. Sure, I'm concerned for her safety, but several hundred bucks here and there is going to really add up and a 10 day hospital stay would break us, financially. We both wouldn't be able to drive after that.

It really scares me that she'll be travelling at high speeds with other vehicles so close and trees all around. I might buy her a helmet and a 5-point safety harness, even with the four airbags. I was hoping to still have my F-150 when she was driving, just for her safety, but I don't think that would've been fair to the people around her. Or the trees, for that matter.

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

You guys are spot-on with the replies but believe it or not, she said "Yes of course I must know how to change tire. If I will be drive then I must know how to change tire."

(Of course, the "steps" listed above are all true... she just wants me to know that she'll "know" how to change it. Probably b!tching at me to hurry up all the while because she could've just done it herself. Well then why did I come out here? Ah... marriage is great!)

Of course the hardest part is to convince her to get out of the car while you change it.

[slim 1,530]

Like she would get out and risk getting dirty. FOOO!

[slim 1,530]

Anyone have any ideas or tips/suggestions on helping her learn to drive?

She's just not getting it. We've been driving at least a dozen times and she's not making steady progress. One day she'll improve, the next, she's right back to square one and just forgot everything she did the last time.

She's telling me it's something along the lines of not ever driving anything so it's very difficult for her to learn to drive a car. I thought maybe taking her to the go-karts or even a driving video game would help but it seems like stuff like that is even too difficult.

Would a Power Wheels Barbie Jeep be going to far?

[mox 298]

It might be time to enroll her in a driving school, or maybe have a friend or family member teach her. Sometimes there's just a "spousal" block in place, through nobody's fault, that keeps the learning from happening. And with a school, she might take it more seriously and overcome whatever mental block she's got in place right now.

[Bobalouie 0]

Anyone have any ideas or tips/suggestions on helping her learn to drive?

She's just not getting it. We've been driving at least a dozen times and she's not making steady progress. One day she'll improve, the next, she's right back to square one and just forgot everything she did the last time.

She's telling me it's something along the lines of not ever driving anything so it's very difficult for her to learn to drive a car. I thought maybe taking her to the go-karts or even a driving video game would help but it seems like stuff like that is even too difficult.

Would a Power Wheels Barbie Jeep be going to far?

You were a Zoomie, werent you slim? If so, I assume you can probably play a serious round of Golf. Even if you cant, borrow some clubs (if you need to) and go to the course with her. Make her drive you around in the golf cart. That might be a simpler, cheaper way for her to learn.

[visaveteran1 33]

My mother never learned to drive. My father tried to teach her and whatever happened (and it must have been bad)...it really turned my mom off. Back in the day, many women didn't drive in city areas with good public transportation and two good legs. And most families only had one car anyway

I remember the good old days before power brakes, power steering and auto trans...had to double clutch those mean, gear-grinding manual transmissions.

Now we got cars that practically drive themselves but does that translate into quick learning? I know Slims answer.