Driving? What did you do?

[slim 1,525]

We have a whole thread about this somewhere here in the RUB forum. I'd read that one too, as it was action-packed with info.

Like all other things on VJ, don't waste your money hiring someone to do something you can do yourself. That being said, training my wife almost led to our demise. My recommendation - have her learn in Russia before she gets here. Have her get an international DL and then take the American test straightaway after arrival.

As for insurance, adding my wife and her new car with full coverage lopped a whopping $30/month or so onto my already low rates. Hopp, you're getting screwed!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

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

I taught Alla myself. I bought a used mini-van at an auto auction for under $1000 which ran good and that was her "practice car" We started on back roads and empty parking lots. We practiced every day and she had her drivers lisence in about 2 months. During her learning period she hit about every stationary inanimate object she could find. She has yet to have an accident with another car or person though. Now she drives well and in August, after almost one year, we bought her a new car and she is quite comfortable and does very well now.

[BluesTraveler 0]

We have a whole thread about this somewhere here in the RUB forum. I'd read that one too, as it was action-packed with info.

Like all other things on VJ, don't waste your money hiring someone to do something you can do yourself. That being said, training my wife almost led to our demise. My recommendation - have her learn in Russia before she gets here. Have her get an international DL and then take the American test straightaway after arrival.

As for insurance, adding my wife and her new car with full coverage lopped a whopping $30/month or so onto my already low rates. Hopp, you're getting screwed!

My rates went down too after adding a wife. Most insurance companies have lower rates for married vs single. Go figure.

Really recommend having a professional teach her to drive. It will save you an unimaginable amount of stress if she learns to drive from a professional teacher. They just know all the tricks on how to explain the process.

[Turboguy 6]

One word of advice I learned the hard way. If you decide to teach her yourself what someone mentioned about a large parking lot, ie school parking lot is the way to go. I made the mistake of teaching my wife on back streets. She did great the first two days and just as I was getting a little confidence in her we stopped at a stop sign, made a right turn and she kept turning right over the curb and into the porch on a house doing $ 5,000 damage to my pickup. I didn't want it on her record so I paid for the repairs out of my own pocket, (ouch).

Big parking lots are the way to go. Better yet a professional teacher.

[akdiver 3]

Wife got her motorcycle license about 10 months after arriving here (:

[SuperDuper! 230]

Hopefully, all of our wives will be much better drivers than THESE folks.

Edited December 25, 2009 by Hopp

[sanuginz 0]

I taught Alena and she did very well at everything. She's been driving for 20 months now, but 2 months ago she got into the accident on the highway. I think she got scared of other drivers and jerked the wheel going about 65 mph and spun out into the guardrail. Thank god she was alright except a seat belt bruise and a some sore muscles and minor headaches. Now she has "driving anxiety" and is very scared to drive especially on the highway. She's slowly working her confidence back up again but it takes a while. The $10,000 car was wrecked and the insurance premium only went up $2 / month after. My rates with USAA also went down after adding her because of married status.

[Jasman0717 9]

I paid for driving lessons for Claudeth but she still doesn't drive. She hasn't even tried to study the drivers booklet so she could get a permit. She wants to drive but don't want to put in the effort. Something to the affect that if wishes were horses beggers might ride

[slim 1,525]

going about 65 mph

My wife will not go over 55.

I don't think I've ridden with her driving since she's had her license, so maybe she does when I'm not looking. I know whenever I drive her car though she's always yelling at me "you know you now near 80? You drive my car way too fast. She doesn't know more than 55... maybe 60. Don't beat her."

[LvivLovers 39]

My wife had no prior driving experience. I ended up teaching her in a big parking lot nearby. We did about 10 1-hour lessons and she got her driver's license on the 3rd attempt...one of her attempts she failed due to parallel parking so we practiced that a lot more. Another was sort of bogus...they had an obstacle course set up with a fake railroad crossing (markings were not like any in the book)...she didn't stop in the right spot. When we asked them what the law says about it, they weren't sure themselves. Anyway, she's driving great (much better than I expected)...only place she won't drive is on the highway, but I think that's wise since Atlanta's highways are crazy and I've had quite a few near-wrecks on them myself in the past few years.

[slim 1,525]

Atlanta's highways are crazy and I've had quite a few near-wrecks on them myself in the past few years.

I rearended a nice young lady down there in 2000. Course, it was me who was driving all crazy, but I thought that's how you're supposed to do it in the ATL. Only thing that got me was they stopped so suddenly. Going from 100 to a dead stop in a Taurs full of guys makes it kind of hard to avoid a 110lb. Korean girl in an Acura. Sliiiiide.

[LvivLovers 39]

I rearended a nice young lady down there in 2000. Course, it was me who was driving all crazy, but I thought that's how you're supposed to do it in the ATL. Only thing that got me was they stopped so suddenly. Going from 100 to a dead stop in a Taurs full of guys makes it kind of hard to avoid a 110lb. Korean girl in an Acura. Sliiiiide.

That's exactly how I've almost had several wrecks. You'll be cruising along at 85MPH+ and suddenly with no warning everything comes to a dead stop in less than a second. Every time it happens I'm looking in my rear view mirror to see if the person behind me is going to make it or not...so many times they've had to swerve off the road. Another thing here is you can't use turn signals or any other tell or drivers will speed up and not let you over. Anyway, I'm going to give her another few years of practice before she tries the highway.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My wife will not go over 55.

I don't think I've ridden with her driving since she's had her license, so maybe she does when I'm not looking. I know whenever I drive her car though she's always yelling at me "you know you now near 80? You drive my car way too fast. She doesn't know more than 55... maybe 60. Don't beat her."

I have the opposite problem. Get Alla onto the intersatte and you can't keep her BELOW 80 mph, a definite lead-foot on the highway. Around town and side streets she drives slower than normal.`

[slim 1,525]

That's exactly how I've almost had several wrecks. You'll be cruising along at 85MPH+ and suddenly with no warning everything comes to a dead stop in less than a second. Every time it happens I'm looking in my rear view mirror to see if the person behind me is going to make it or not...so many times they've had to swerve off the road. Another thing here is you can't use turn signals or any other tell or drivers will speed up and not let you over. Anyway, I'm going to give her another few years of practice before she tries the highway.

Atlanata is not for defensive drivers.

I have the opposite problem. Get Alla onto the intersatte and you can't keep her BELOW 80 mph, a definite lead-foot on the highway. Around town and side streets she drives slower than normal.`

Darned if you do, darned if you don't.

[Martyshk 137]

Atlanata is not for defensive drivers.

And I thought Jersey was bad....