How can I get a shot at driving?

[SolidSnake15]

I was FINALLY able to get my Florida Learners Permit about 3 weeks ago and still I haven't gotten a shot behind the wheel. There have been hundreds of chances that my parents could have given me, but when I ask I get chewed out and nearly grounded for a week.

How can I get my point across that I want to drive. My moms excuse is that I have never been behind the wheel before, (which I have) and I need to practice first. Please help.

 

[Philly]

So you have your permit so you can gain experience and your parents won't let you drive because you don't have enough experience?

Tell them that their job is to teach you how to be an adult and if they aren't teaching you things then they aren't being very good parents. Ask if you can go to a parking lot with either of them in some industrial area after everybody has left. Or ask if you can drive on residential streets.

 

[TopHat]

They won't let you practice because you haven't practiced?

 

[Gashlycrumb]

Can you get them to pay for a driving instructor to teach you the basics? It should only take a couple of lessons at the most. An added advantage of doing this is you will be less likely to pick up some bad habits from your parents.

 

[Philly]

Can you get them to pay for a driving instructor to teach you the basics? It should only take a couple of lessons at the most. An added advantage of doing this is you will be less likely to pick up some bad habits from your parents.

AH-HA! 💡 driver's ed?

 

[PLmatt91]

Yeah, either sign up for driver's ed, or if you're not gonna proceed through that step, tell them it's their responsibility to get you behind the wheel in order to prepare for your drivers license test in the next 6 months. That's what I did.

 

[Gashlycrumb]

Is drivers ed free in the US?

 

[TB]

Bonus - Drivers Ed will typically lower insurance costs. Pay to take the class and get a discount on the bill.

Yes, please.

Edit:

Is drivers ed free in the US?

I was going to take it in high school (14 years ago, for those keeping score at home) but not enough people signed up for it but our insurance lady gave me the discount anyway. A quick search looks like it clocks in at about $40.

 

[Loon]

So you have your permit so you can gain experience and your parents won't let you drive because you don't have enough experience?

Tell them that their job is to teach you how to be an adult and if they aren't teaching you things then they aren't being very good parents. Ask if you can go to a parking lot with either of them in some industrial area after everybody has left. Or ask if you can drive on residential streets.

Yeah I don't think informing them of this will help his cause any...

 

[Gashlycrumb]

In New Zealand if you take a defensive drivers course you can get your full licence quicker and a big discount of your insurance. I did it when I got mine, it was well worth it. I think it is much better getting taught by an independent person, rather than your parents. It saves a lot of arguments.

 

[Joey D]

In New Zealand if you take a defensive drivers course you can get your full licence quicker and a big discount of your insurance. I did it when I got mine, it was well worth it. I think it is much better getting taught by an independent person, rather than your parents. It saves a lot of arguments.

Getting a license in the US is a joke, you don't even need to know a single word or English.

 

[YSSMAN]

Very true. Even if Michigan has "the toughest driving standards in the country," way too many illegals pass it easily.

Get out there and practice, you're gonna need it in Florida. I'd recommend the same empty parking lot procedure as others. Thats how I learned to drive stick, I'm sure the same rules apply elsewhere.

 

[SolidSnake15]

Thanks for the help guys, although philly cheese's idea would get me slapped and my permit broken in half. Problem is most stores with big enough parking lots around here are open until around 12AM-3AM. That means people parked in the lot.

 

[Formula1Driver]

I am curious how the licensing works in the US.

In Canada (or Ontario atleast) we have to write a test about road signs and rules of the road, its pretty easy and you get your "G1" which means you can only drive with somone who has had their G (full license) for 5 years but no highway driving. You can pay for drivers training (which goes anywhere between $400-$900) and after 8 months you can take your in-car G2 test which means you can drive by yourself on any road but there are restrictions about your blood/alchohol level, etc.... If you do not do driver's training, you have to wait 12 months from your G1 to do your G2 test and you do not get a discount on insurance (which is astronomical in Canada). After 1 year of G2 you can apply for your G.

So thats what I am going through now (finished part 1 of driver's training) and I am just curious how it works for you guys in the states.

 

[Kylehnat]

In the U.S., if you can bear to stand in line at the DMV for 90 minutes, they'll just give you a license.

 

[Philly]

Thanks for the help guys, although philly cheese's idea would get me slapped and my permit broken in half. Problem is most stores with big enough parking lots around here are open until around 12AM-3AM. That means people parked in the lot.

Yeah. I didn't put that very well.

If you're by a fairly large airport or by a big industrial company, you could always go to their parking lots which should be empty by about 8.

 

[Barracuda]

My parents are the complete opposite, lol. I've had my permit since February and the most i've done is park my dad's mustang in a parking lot (I was a bit nervous because it's a standard). My dad keeps trying to get me to drive, especially considering February is only a month away, and that is when I can get my license (I live in Florida as well).

If your parents wont help you, you could always talk to the parents of a very good friend. Hell, you'll probably have a better chance of your friends parents helping you out then your own.

I've noticed that people here in Florida drive like idiots, like they don't even know the basic things you learn to pass that extremely simple computer test you do for the permit. I couldn't even compare the stupid driving ive seen here to that of the Mass-holes from when I used to live up north.

 

[Philly]

You could do what I did and do just enough to pass the test and wait for the passenger restrictions to be lifted and have a friend who can't drive yet teach you.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Ask your parents to buy you driving lessons.

 

[TB]

I've noticed that people here in Florida drive like idiots, like they don't even know the basic things you learn to pass that extremely simple computer test you do for the permit. I couldn't even compare the stupid driving ive seen here to that of the Mass-holes from when I used to live up north.

I was in Florida a few weeks ago and I will completely agree with this. The concept of smooth starts and coasting to lights completely eludes them. My wife never gets carsick when I'm driving. Until we went to Florida, that is.

Don't even get me started on the tailgating...

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I think it is much better getting taught by an independent person, rather than your parents. It saves a lot of arguments.

True, this. Get a professional to teach you to drive, then you just need your parents to sit in the passenger seat while you gain enough experience.

 

[AMG.]

I’d advise you to take lessons from a driving teacher. You may get your parents to help you out if you offer to pay a certain amount from your weekly/monthly allowance (assuming you receive such a thing).

Average price in NL
Learning materials (road signs and rules of the road, situations, multiple choice questions etc) € 50
Theory exam € 35 Must be passed before you can take the driving exam (3 errors and you fail)
Intakelesson (90 minutes) € 50
Driving lesson, 20 hours @ € 35
Driving exam (incl. examinator & instructor time , + car) € 200
The ‘licence’ itself € 35

This is what it might cost in the Netherlands IF you pass first time Eur 1070. (=USD 1570)
Most likely you’ll need more than 20 hours practice though (in NL) to pass 1st time, and there is NO way you are allowed to learn-drive without a certified instructor beside you.

AMG.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Atleast start to learn in a car with dual controls. I really can't see how anyone in their right mind would get in a car with a brand new driver and not have dual controls, and that includes the most trusting of parents.

So yeah, get some lessons with a pro and then go out with your parents.

 

[SolidSnake15]

You guys are certainly right about most drivers here in Florida. A lot of Floridians have high confidence (many because of drugs) which makes us want to be "good" drivers by peeling out and stopping real quickly. Problem is most people here don't exactly know the proper techniques.

Dude racing is so incredibly easy!!!!! Floor it, turn, floor it again!!!!!! Nothing special!!!!

I know people who actually believe that. They think because they can win a drag race with an automatic transmission makes them a good racer.
_______________________________

I can't really afford a professional driving teacher, and my parents aren't going to pay for one, I know that for sure. I asked my mom last night if I could drive after school, she said mabey.

 

[TB]

I just thought of a new option - join an after school activity that requires frequent trips to practice - football, baseball, band, etc. Eventually your parents will get tired of taking you everywhere and they'll be itching for you to be able to drive yourself.

 

[Omnis]

I really can't see how anyone in their right mind would get in a car with a brand new driver and not have dual controls, and that includes the most trusting of parents.

That's what I did.

Don't sweat it too hard if the car is an automatic. Losing your manual gearbox virginity is a completely different story, however.

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

That's what I did.

Don't sweat it too hard if the car is an automatic. Losing your manual gearbox virginity is a completely different story, however.

It's not that bad if you just relax. It feels funny at first, but once used to it, it's great.

 

[FoolKiller]

This sounds just like my parents. I did Driver's Ed and at the time there were no age limits on the licensed driver in the car with you so I drove friends' cars. But my skill for getting my parents to let me drive was that everytime we went anywhere I would say, "Can I drive?" and accept whatever answer I got without whining. Eventually, the non-stop asking with total acceptance annoyed them more than begging because they kept thinking I was sick or depressed.

And no matter how narrow the road and how big the car do not tell your father that his Oldmsobile is too wide and you feel like every car coming along is going to hit you. I had to go out with a tape measure and measure the lane and the car and tell him the difference. Answer: three feet on each side, which means anywhere between 3-9 feet between myself and oncoming traffic in the other lane if I stayed in the center of my lane. And that was a narrow two-lane highway.

It's not that bad if you just relax. It feels funny at first, but once used to it, it's great.

Are we still talking about a manual transnmission?

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

Are we still talking about a manual transnmission?

Yes. Get your mind out of the gutter

 

[Dave A]

True, this. Get a professional to teach you to drive, then you just need your parents to sit in the passenger seat while you gain enough experience.

That's what I did, got all the tips and techniques off the instructor (hurt my bank balance a bit though) then I spent a lot of time just driving around in the Vectra and Mini with one of the folks next to me. I still had a couple of lessons before the test though, jsut to be on the safe side. I didn't pass first time though, I did something I'd never done in all my lessons and times driving with my parents and hit the kerb during the turn in the road, I couldn't believe how I'd managed to. Second time round I actually made more errors but none were major so I passed.

If I'd just practised with my parents first then I would have picked up a lot of bad habbits off my parents, once I passed I picked them up along with a few of my own though.