Here we go again with more of your opinions on training teenagers to drive: the dangers, the right age and more helpful reference works. You folks make many good points.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
The recent columns on young drivers and safety have been excellent.
It's too bad longtime drivers fail to recognize the need for continuous learning and skill building.
My wife and I are teaching our third teenager to drive, and one advantage of this process is that we are sharpening our own skills.
With thousands of people injured or killed in traffic accidents each year and all the wasted money, you'd think our driver training and licensing requirements would be more stringent.
Because that is not the case, it's our own responsibility to protect ourselves and family members.
There are probably many little helpful driving tips and tricks we know (both good and bad) and should be passing on to our teenagers. Here are some:
• Go to an empty parking lot and practice a panic stop. Try swerving to get a feel for how the car or SUV performs. If we get snow or ice, and you can safely get to an empty parking lot, practice sliding the car to learn how to maintain control.
• On the highway, practice driving next to and behind a tractor-trailer. Learn how to deal with spray from trucks in rainy weather and buffeting wind when they pass.
A reader requested a good book for training a young driver. The Virginia driver's manual has some good tips and checklists for getting started. Go to www.dmvnow.com/webdoc/citizen/drivers/manual.asp.
Also, the Dying to Drive Web site has a number of parent tips and resources. Go to www.dying2drive.org/involved/forparents.php#help.
As you've said, there's no substitute for lots of practice. Even though they may have been to a particular track many times, professional racecar drivers still practice because their success depends on it. We should be doing it because our lives depend on it.
R.C. Matthiessen
