These aren't covered in driver's education classes. Teaching them to your kids might save time, money and possibly even your peace of mind.
- Video: Handling Tire Blowouts
- Bing: Find Rules for Teen Drivers
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Driver's education programs are great for teaching your kids how to operate a car and the rules of the road. But they don't teach them everything. That's where you come in.
An aspiring motorist who makes it through a typical driver's education program should have a good grasp of the rules of the road and basic car control. But the real world is full of other challenges the instructors don't cover in driving school — dead batteries, flat tires and those red-and-blue lights in the rearview mirror.
As a parent who has put three daughters on the road, I've received the teary phone call that follows a parking-lot fender bender, and even answered the door when the police followed my oldest home after a late-night street race. The fourth daughter starts driver training next year (OMG!), and she will not leave the driveway without absorbing the following real-world lessons; i.e., situations that every driver — young or old — should know how to handle.
Read: Driving Tips That Could Keep Your Teen Alive
A Flat Tire
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Statistics show that the average person will have five flat tires in their lifetime. It is best to be prepared for it.
A few weeks ago, my wife noticed the "tick, tick, tick" caused by a large bolt jammed through her left front tire just in time to pull into a miraculously handy tire store. But because your teen driver may not be that lucky, he or she needs to know the tire-changing drill.
Start by cracking open the vehicle owner's manual, which will offer detailed wheel-changing instructions specific to the car your teen is driving. The first step will be to locate the spare tire, the jack and other tools required to change the wheel.
"The spare and tools used to all be in the trunk," says Steve Marsh, ASE master technician and owner of High Country Automotive Repair in Frisco, Colo. "But I just had to go help a customer change a flat because she could not find the handle for the jack in her GMC Yukon. The jack was under the rear deck, but the handle was below the back seat. We found them after checking the owner's manual."
Marsh also likes the idea of a driveway tire-changing tutorial, a requirement for every new driver at my house. Each of my daughters has actually popped off the wheel cover, loosened the lug nuts, jacked up the car and lifted off the tire while I watched and offered guidance, but gave no physical help. The exercise was a confidence booster for both of us.
Watch Video: How to Change a Flat Tire
A Dead Battery
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The battery of your vehicle is essential because it supplies the short-term power to start the engine and enables auto accessories even if the car’s engine is turned off. On average, a car battery will last for about three to five years.
"Dad? I left the lights on and went into the mall, and now the car won't start."
This is why jumper cables should be required equipment for every car. Using jumper cables to start a car with a dead battery requires a second car, of course. Coach your young driver to seek help from a friend or law enforcement officer on the scene, but never from a stranger. Again, the owner's manual will provide a jump-starting procedure specific to the vehicle, so make that the next chapter the kid reads. Then practice jump-starting a car in the driveway.
"You can open the hood and not even find the battery on some late-model cars," Marsh says, "because it's under the back seat. In that case, there may be terminals located under the hood to use for jump-starting."
Bing: How to Jump-Start a Car
About the only way you can screw up this process is by crossing the cables, Marsh says. What happens? Ask my wife how her Dodge Omni caught on fire. Remember to attach the red cable clamps to the positive terminals of each car's battery (which is usually marked with a "+" sign and a red cable end), and the black clamp to the negative terminal on the donor car and, on the dead car, to an unpainted metal surface under the hood that is not a moving part. A bolt head usually works well. Start the donor car, turn off all lights and electrical accessories on the dead car, and turn the key. Zoom, zoom. If nothing happens, check to see that the black cable is on a good ground on the dead car. If it's still a no-go, maybe the starter is shot. Then you call for a tow truck.
Marsh says a portable jump starter (like the $67.25, 900-amp Jump 'n Carry 300XL, which is essentially an enclosed battery with two cables, is a good alternative to jumper cables.
Discuss: Do you have any tips that aren't taught in a driver's education class?
"That's what we carry on the tow truck," Marsh says. "There are consumer models that are compact enough to carry in the trunk, and with the jumper pack you don't need anyone to help you with a second vehicle."
Out of Gas
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In the Philadelphia area, calls from out-of-gas AAA members doubled between May 2007 and May 2008, from 81 to 161.
Point out the gas gauge. Explain that "E" stands for empty. When the low-fuel warning light comes on, it means get gas now — not after the movie. And when a young driver fails to heed or notice the light, and the car sputters to a halt, your advice should be to stay with the car. This applies to any situation that causes the car to simply stop running. Get the car safely off the roadway. Turn on the warning flashers and open the hood, the international sign of driver distress. If the driver has a phone, he or she should call a friend or family member for help. If that's not an option, sit tight and wait for a police officer. The officer may place a phone call for assistance, wait with the driver until help arrives or transport the driver to a safe location. If someone she doesn't know stops and offers to help, the young driver should lock the car doors and reply that she has called the police, who are on the way. Why? Because it's hard to tell a Good Samaritan from a creep.
Read: Top 10 Fuel Misers of 2010
Hired Help
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AAA anticipates it will rescue nearly 1.3 million stranded motorists between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3.
Let's stop here and consider two alternatives to self-help. If your youth is driving a late-model GM car or truck, it is likely equipped with the OnStar in-vehicle safety and security system. The basic Safe and Sound Plan costs about $200 a year and comes with unlimited 24/7 roadside assistance. Simply push a button and OnStar will send a GPS-guided professional to the mall with jumper cables. You can also set the kid up with a roadside assistance plan as a benefit to an auto insurance policy, or through an auto club such as AAA. One advantage of the AAA service is that it goes with the member, not with the vehicle, which is helpful when a friend's car breaks down in the middle of a road trip.
Read: How to Handle a Real Auto Emergency
The Fender Bender
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An accident occurs every six seconds in the U.S, according to Allstate Insurance. That translates into roughly five and a quarter million auto accidents per year.
Minor accidents are par for the course with young drivers. Progressive Insurance Co. offers this advice for young fender-bender victims:
- Make sure nobody is injured. If someone is hurt, dial 911 for help.
- Move the car out of traffic but do not leave the scene. Turn on the hazard warning lights, and then assess the damage.
- Call the police. If an adult is driving the other vehicle, he or she may try to intimidate a young driver. It's good to have an officer on hand to referee. Even if the police don't come to the scene, the accident has been reported.
- Call the parents.
- Zip your lip. Instruct your young driver to talk only to his parents, their insurance company or the police. Do not get into an argument with the other driver. Do not answer his or her questions. Do not admit fault for anything. Sit in your car and wait for the police.
- Before the other driver leaves the scene, get license plate numbers, name, phone number and address, and the name of his or her insurance company. Try to get the same from any witnesses.
Read: IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2010
Hello, Officer
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Responding to an Allstate Insurance survey,17 percent of teens said speeding is fun and 55 percent of teens said they exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph.
For a young driver, a traffic stop can be a nerve-wracking experience. Sgt. Jeffrey Nelson of the Wisconsin State Patrol has pulled over his share of nervous teens, and offers this advice.
"Young drivers need to learn to scan their mirrors so they see the red lights when they are in the distance, and start to yield the right of way immediately by moving to the right," Nelson says. "It could be an ambulance, a fire truck or a squad car. If I want to talk to you, I'll get behind you as you pull over. Never stop on the left side or median. Don't slam on your brakes and slow down suddenly. Hit your flashers and stay calm."
Watch Video: How to Avoid Road Rage
After you've come to a stop, stay in the vehicle unless the officer asks you to get out. Roll down your window when the officer approaches. Wait for the officer to ask for your license and other documents before you start digging in your purse or wallet. Keep both hands on the steering wheel where the officer can see them.
"You want to avoid what I call 'furtive movement' until I come to the car," Nelson says. "Don't start digging in the glove box, because it might look like you are reaching for a weapon or hiding something. And never reach under the seat."
Read: The Truth About Speed Traps
The officer will tell the driver why he has been stopped, and ask for a driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. It's helpful to keep them handy. The officer will take them back to his car and check his computer.
If there were ever a time for a young person to suck up, this is it. Give "yes sir, no sir" answers. Do not lie. Do not argue. You can argue in court if you think the ticket is unfair. And leave your cell phone alone.
Discuss: Do you have any tips that aren't taught in a driver's education class?
"You can call your parents after I'm done talking to you," Nelson says. "Right now I want you paying attention to the business at hand."
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Veteran moto-journalist and Wisconsin-native Charles Plueddeman has been driving, riding and testing automobiles, motorcycles, boats, ATVs and snowmobiles for more than 20 years. He is a regular contributor to Boating Magazine and Outdoor Life, and his product evaluation articles have appeared in Popular Mechanics, Men's Journal, AutoWorld, Playboy, Boats.com and many other national publications and Web sites.
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