Teaching someone to drive is really damn scary.

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm teaching my 25 year old roommate how to drive. She's from China, has never driven anything, and she's learning how to do it on my stick shift to boot.

We've got the starting down ok. But man, it's scary on the road. And back in the day I would jump my car, drive way too fast, etc.

1. She doesn't know that you need to start stopping well in advance of something, so she tends to come to abrupt stops (working on it).

2. She doesn't have a habit of looking back and forth at an intersection, so there's been a couple times at first when she makes a half-hearted stop, but she doesn't check for traffic - she just stops and starts again - doesn't turn her head to actually look. I didn't expect this at first and luckily we were in a quiet neighborhood at night and I was looking at how her head *wasn't* moving.

3. Reversing the car. Oh god, where do I start. Doesn't know to look back, doesn't know to check her mirrors, etc.

4. Parking. She can't aim my little Honda Fit with any degree of accuracy.

5. Takes her eyes off the road for a long time when moving. Today she was driving at 20mph and she looked down at the shifter knob for like 4 seconds straight. At this time we drifted right and I had to move the steering wheel for her before we clipped a parked truck.

Holy shit, I really gotta start at square zero. I guess this is what happens when you've got someone who has traditionally taken public transportation or walked everywhere for their entire life and has never driven... well, anything (go-carts, bicycles, uhh..... video games)

 

[ultimatebob]

Heh... you're trying to teach an Asian female driver how to drive with a stick shift?

Isn't that the worst case scenario possible??

Dude, get a professional to teach her before she wrecks your car or gets you both killed!

 

[Soundmanred]

Repost

 

[lord_emperor]

Pics?

 

[Printer Bandit]

make sure your will is up to date.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Heh... you're trying to teach an Asian female driver how to drive with a stick shift?

Isn't that the worst case scenario possible??

Dude, get a professional to teach her before she wrecks your car or gets you both killed!

I like a challenge? At first I figured "how tough can it be?" I was wrong.

She's got a professional teacher lined up for next week. I think I'm just going to let them take the risk.

I had to explain to her today that if you hit a pedestrian or bicyclist with a 2,000lb car, even at 15mph, and proceeded not to brake immediately afterwards and rolled over them, that you would kill them. She at first didn't get it.

 

[highland145]

I like a challenge? At first I figured "how tough can it be?" I was wrong.

She's got a professional teacher lined up for next week. I think I'm just going to let them take the risk.

I had to explain to her today that if you hit a pedestrian or bicyclist with a 2,000lb car, even at 15mph, and proceeded not to brake immediately afterwards and rolled over them, that you would kill them. She at first didn't get it.

Run......faster.......

 

[Fritzo]

I'm with ya. My 15 yo daughter is just now getting behind the wheel for her temps.

In fact, this pretty much sums up the experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NEZv0FUPtcc#t=20s

 

[overst33r]

I'm teaching my 25 year old roommate how to drive. She's from China...

...that's all I needed to read.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm with ya. My 15 yo daughter is just now getting behind the wheel for her temps.

In fact, this pretty much sums up the experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NEZv0FUPtcc#t=20s

Oh no, I think you've got it easy.

1. Your daughter has had 15 years of experience riding in cars in this country.

2. She can read English fluently.

3. She knows what the signs mean, and how to act at the signs.

4. She's probably driven other things in her life, and has at least a decent real world understanding of physics (ie. stopping distances).

5. She knows to look both ways when crossing an intersection.

 

[TheUnk]

It doesn't sound like she has a problem driving.. Based on her problems you listed, she just sounds dumb and should never operate a vehicle.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

I'm teaching my 25 year old roommate how to drive. She's from China

Do you have a deathwish?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

It doesn't sound like she has a problem driving.. Based on her problems you listed, she just sounds dumb and should never operate a vehicle.

You know, here's the thing. Like with many Chinese people I know who are fresh from China, they're super good at learning things from books and testing on said material.

Throw them out into the real world and... whoa. She could be a PhD in physics and still rear end a car because she only gave herself 4ft to stop. *shakes head*

 

[HardcoreRobot]

i knew it would be an asian female before entering the thread

 

[highland145]

Do you have a deathwish?

lol

Remember the post of the Asian woman in the Lexus that smashed the classic car? That's the first thing that came to mind.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Do you have a deathwish?

All I could think about at the time was how much I'd rather be skydiving. I would much rather jump out of an airplane. But jumping out of airplanes is really relaxing.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Don't do it, you'll die FBB.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Don't do it, you'll die FBB.

I now have an addition to my sig

 

[ViviTheMage]

haha

 

[HardcoreRobot]

the older they get, the harder it is to learn as well. its very likely she will NEVER be comfortable behind the wheel.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Some people shouldn't drive. Period. If you don't understand the basic tenet of "if you hit someone with this car, you can kill them," you shouldn't be operating a motor vehicle. She sounds like she will be considerably more dangerous on the road than your average drunk driver. Give her some figures on the cost of buying and operating a car vs. a bicycle or public transportation and let her come to her own conclusions. After all, if she fits into the stereotype of the Asian woman driver so well, maybe she'll fit another Asian stereotype and be real good at math.

 

[Krazy4Real]

She's from China, has never driven anything, and she's learning how to do it on my stick shift to boot.

WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! Stop! She shouldn't be on the road. Have her take professional lessons if she insists on learning to drive.

 

[irishScott]

Does she snorgle?

 

[BladeVenom]

I guess we'll soon be needing a new moderator for the Digital & Video Cameras section.

 

[irishScott]

Some people shouldn't drive. Period. If you don't understand the basic tenet of "if you hit someone with this car, you can kill them," you shouldn't be operating a motor vehicle. She sounds like she will be considerably more dangerous on the road than your average drunk driver. Give her some figures on the cost of buying and operating a car vs. a bicycle or public transportation and let her come to her own conclusions. After all, if she fits into the stereotype of the Asian woman driver so well, maybe she'll fit another Asian stereotype and be real good at math.

Even better. Tell her to stand still in the road and bump into her at 3-5 mph. Tell her to multiply that by 4, and that's half of what it'll feel like if she hits someone on a main road.