The past few weeks have been wild. My driving instructor has been really swamped and I've been busy with work. However, the more important delay in practice recently has been the fact the car was wrecked....and not by a bioptic driver. From what I hear it was the instructors fault. Just goes to show we ALL make mistakes. It's what we learn from them that matters. I recently had the opportunity to get out of the city and drive back in my hometown on some country roads. While not rocket science, there are several good learning points from my little getaway.
First, I really got a lot of practice at four way stops. I never realized there were no real red and green lights and intersections I've rode through, as a passenger, throughout my whole life. If you ask me 4 way stops are a accident waiting to happen. If you get to one and didn't know till you drive up it's one and don't know who got there first, it could be a mess. I especiallly find this a challenge becuase I can't see through car windows. So when you are motioning people with your hands to stop or go and mouthing verbal consent, just keep in mind anyone with a vision problem who is driving will not have the slightest clue you're doing any of that. You're wasting your time. My brother mentioned the unofficial "I'll let you go first" signal is when people blink thier headlights at you. It's basicly a courtesy call that it's your turn to go. One of my friends made me think that just meant cops where nearby. lol But at 4 way stops it has a different meaning.
I have to stop and say that driving in the town I grew up in my whole life was incredible. I mean, it was Iike I was in a dream. An out of body experience. Of course, just regular driving still seems like an out of body experience to me. I really could not fathom that I was in control of things. I drove to church and back, to my grandparents, all over the nearby small towns, the interstate and highway, and of course to Walmart. Now the Walmart trip brought about a sudden unexpected test that I had not encountered.........a downpour! We went from sun to a rainstorm in minuites and like they say: when it rained.....it poured. I had never had to use windshield wipers, find lights (on this car I've barely driven any) and so on. You can imagine that I was so relieved my brother was with me when this happened. But I still must have a licensed driver with me anytime I drive till I get my liscense. I took in more than any book could tell me. It's so amazing to me how the streets change when it rains so much that the yellow lines almost disappear under the high gloss water buildup. I leanred about hydroplaning...NO...I did not try it. lol I was told to keep to the side of the road with the least water if at all possible.
Aside from the rain I had a good bit of practice in the sun. I found that people love to go over the speed limit on country roads. I also found that when people are caught behind a recycling truck on a two way street they don't mind risking thier life to go around the truck and entering into incoming traffic! Just a little patience would go a LONG way....maybe a lifetime. Anyways, I guess i shouldn't open my mouth too wide, I may be the person doing all this one day. Oh, I also got caught behind a school bus. I had to be slowed by this school crossing zone during the end of the school day. All great experiences.
Of course, while on my vacation, my driving instructor calls me and says she has an opening......REALLLY???? When I'm gone way out of town I get this phone call for the FIRST time saying we can practice for the first time in weeks. Frustrating, but reality. The good news is the first day back in town we drove.....and the second day! I think this may be due to a more regular training schedule since some of her clinics have winded down. What did we do? Well she asked what I wanted....I told her that we had never parallel parked. So we went downtown, found a spot to test, and the rain started just in time. It was not heavy so we managed. She talked me through it and I parallel parked perfectly on the FIRST attempt! WOW! I must say that the driving manual did not instruct me to parallel park the way I did it. Anyhow, with that behind me, I can start doing it more frequently so I'll be ready for my drivers test.
I also told her I want practice changing lanes on the interstate in fast moving traffic. The way lanes suddnely run out of the freeway with little or no warning really concerns me. There were not always signs wanring you. So it's scary if no one will let you over when your lane runs out. If the car comes to a complete stop your chances of getting over at such a slow rate of speed go way down, not to mention your safety level. Lanes should not run out....thats all there is to it. Thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it. :) Oh, thats another thing I learned on my getaway! If you are on the freeway and passing a on ramp you should try and more over to the opossing lane so the people coming on won't have you in the way of them. See if everyone would do that, this lane ending thing would not be a big deal.
Seeing stop signs with the red filters during daylight driving seems to be the most difficult thing to do visually. That is of course just a day problem, but still important. I usually just go slow at most intersections I'm unfamiliar with to ensure I'm not about to run a stop sign. I hope to post a graphic soon of what the differences are between your view of a stop sign and the altered view by red filters.
I've been doing some research to find a basic car care maintenance class. Instead, I found this past week my city offered a awesome driving event that is done FREE to teach you how to drive during rare severe driving conditions. Read about it HERE. The official website is www.driversedge.com Definitely take a look at how they are mastering what drivers education classes fail to do: Teach hands on defensive driving and hazardous driving skills.
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