My daughter and I spent two days in Birmingham last week for a “New Driver Car Control Clinic.” This is “hands-on, in-car training that consists of a 120-minute discussion of vehicle dynamics and human dynamics followed by four hours of in-car instruction in accident avoidance and defensive driving maneuvers.” The program requires parental participation (parents are the “coaches”). We met at the empty food court of an outlet mall on a Friday evening for the classroom portion. The instructor talked and we watched a video about horrible things that have happened to young drivers and how they can be avoided (such as what to do if your wheel drops off the pavement). “We begin with an understanding of the psychology and physics of crashes, vehicle dynamics, human responses and the likely outcomes of failure.” We also received a 56-page workbook, New Driver Car Control: From Kamikaze to Competent, and a 45-minute DVD detailing all the in-car exercises so we can practice them on our own (which is a necessary part of getting this training to become automatic). The next afternoon we met in the parking lot at the outlet mall for the in-car training session. There were only four student-parent teams in our session (usually they have 10) so we got to do more repetitions of each exercise than they normally do. Between exercises we all got out of our cars for more explanations and instructions. Each team was given a two-way radio, but they were only for one-way use. #1 rule: only the instructor is allowed to talk on the radio. He talked each driver through the exercise and we could all hear his comments about their performance. He teased people for hitting cones or missing targets, but it was in a fun way and he was making the kids feel comfortable about making mistakes while they were learning. He told everyone ahead of time that they would not be perfect! My daughter was much better than me at understanding what she was supposed to be doing on the various courses. As the coach, my job was mainly to observe and keep quiet! We were car #4 so we got to see all the other cars do each exercise first. Each one starts with putting the car in the “starting gate” which was marked by two cones. You have to get the center of the wheels lined up with the cones, even though you can’t see them when you get close. The instructor showed each driver what to look for on the outside of their car (we used our own cars) to be able to line up with the cones.
We started out with a very slow exercise, the “roll-on roll-off slalom.” This was just weaving between a straight line series of cones and trying to stay close to the cones. The object was to develop sensitivity to speed and distance, develop smoothness in managing the accelerator and steering wheel, and just to become comfortable. On one one-through the drivers held the radio up to their ear like a cell phone; they all found out how difficult it is to maneuver the car while on the phone.
Next we did “threading the needle.” This exercise helps develop precision steering (most driving uses very little turning of the steering wheel – a 90 degree turn only takes one half of a turn on the steering wheel), teaches how to get the car in the right place every time you enter a tight space (they learn that you have to turn a little to the right before making the left turn, and vice versa, into a tight space), instills a knowledge of the car’s turning radius, and develops speed control in turning. The instructor explained where they need to be looking during each part of each turn and when to start each turn in order to avoid having a back wheel hit a cone. They also learned to fight the tendency to use the gas as soon as they start to steer – they have to brake and steer at the same time (which comes into play during emergency stopping). He also talked to us about the lock-to-lock steering mechanism on our cars. At the end of each run-through during the first two exercises the drivers stopped the car and lined up with a cone, just like they did in the starting gate.
So, I felt pretty comfortable at this point and was thinking this isn’t so bad…then we did the “threshold braking” exercise. The instructor talked about ABS brakes and explained how they work and how the pedal feels in an emergency stop. All the cars had ABS so we did not learn about “pumping the brakes.” The purpose of this exercise was to experience using maximum braking force, preprogram the subconscious for emergency braking, and exercise visual skills in judging stopping distances. We left the starting gate and got up to 20-25 mph (this sounds slow but when you are in a parking lot headed for people and cones it feels very fast!!). We were supposed to stop somewhere before a box of cones, but we were not concerned with the exact spot in this part of the exercise. The first time through, people tended to be timid – stopping way too soon, not getting up to speed, or stopping in several increments. My daughter had no trouble speeding up and slamming on those brakes, but she did stop way before the box – the instructor was impressed with how fast she stopped our minivan! Even with ABS, everyone left rubber on the black top. After each car stopped short, the instructor had them start from that position and continue forward until he gave the signal to stop. The parking lot ended at a 20-ft drop-off not far beyond there and I was terrified! It didn’t bother my daughter, in fact she enjoyed this! On the way back to the starting box we then did the same thing but tried to stop inside a box of cones. It took many times before anyone ended up in the box after slamming on the brakes. Whenever someone did stop in the box the instructor had everyone honk their horns for them. Next, the instructor pulled his van over to the braking area and watered down the pavement. Now we did the exercise on wet pavement and saw how much more distance it took to stop the car. I was very worried about trying to stop on wet pavement with that 20-ft drop-off not far away, but my daughter pounded those brakes and the ABS system worked great. She said she liked the bumping feeling in the pedal (the valves in the system opening and closing). A local Birmingham TV news cameraman showed up about this time and filmed for a while. The Car Control Clinic is based in Cincinnati (and the instructor had driven down from there) but they hold clinics all over the U.S. and they are trying to get the word out about their company.
The next exercise was so terrifying that I had to close my eyes each time. Two of the mothers got out of their cars and had their kids do it alone. My daughter told me she would hold it against me for the rest of my life if I got out of the car! “Stop-in-a-box” is similar to the previous exercise except now there was a short lane of cones and a rectangle of cones at the end of the straight-of-way that represented a semi truck blocking the road and cars on either side of the road. We blasted down the straight-of-way at 20 mph (I’m serious – it feels like 70 mph)! The instructor was standing at the end of the box. As we entered the lane of cones he suddenly signaled either left or right. The idea was to slam on the brakes but wait until passing the two cars on the sides before cranking the steering wheel until it locks (while still braking) and land within the rectangle without hitting any cones. Only one of the drivers accomplished this during about four tries each (he got to get out of his car and accept the accolades of the rest of the class!). Your hands have to move very fast to get that steering wheel cranked all the way to the locked position (no crossing over – that’s big trouble with the airbag). You knew you did well with the steering if your steering wheel was locked when you came to a stop. I just couldn’t stand watching us baring down on the instructor and waiting for him to make the turning signal (you are not supposed to take your foot off the gas until you see his signal). I just knew, each time, that we were going to hit him before he made the signal! After the first time I just closed my eyes and then it wasn’t nearly as bad. The braking and turning weren’t too scary after the first time either. After my daughter’s first attempt the instructor told her to concentrate on moving her hands faster. On the next round I had my eyes closed but as we were turning I knew something didn’t feel right; we kept turning too long. It turned out that she was concentrating so hard on her hands that she forgot the brakes at first!! The next time around she did great though. After sideswiping the “semi truck” a couple of times she got to the point where she just hit a couple of “rose bushes” on the side of the road – “$19.95 at Home Depot!” Eventually the instructor said the kids had all done well enough to survive this emergency and it was now the parents’ turn to try it. I seriously thought he was kidding, but he was not! We each did it twice. I just could not keep my foot on the gas until he gave the signal so I started to slow, and I sideswiped the semi truck both times anyway (my performance was typical of the parents). When we finished and I was heading to the parking area, the instructor flagged me down; I needed to back up to release the cone I was dragging away with me!
The kids got their diplomas and we were finished. My daughter really enjoyed this clinic and thinks that it was very useful. I do too. Now she knows what to expect when she slams on the brakes – how to turn at the same time, how much distance it can take to stop, and where to be looking (once you see the obstacle, you are supposed to look for an escape route – if you keep looking at the obstacle, you are sure to hit it). She knows she can slam on the brakes on wet pavement, and that it will take longer to stop. She knows she has to really crank the steering wheel in an emergency avoidance maneuver. She also has a better idea of the dimensions of our car and how to get it through tight spaces. Now, we are supposed to find a parking lot and practice these exercises (along with a couple more) on our own. I’m volunteering my husband for this duty!! And my other daughter is taking her driver’s permit test this month – I’m going to have two teenagers learning to drive!
The clinic cost $179 – I reminded myself that of everything we concentrate on in our children’s education, none of it is as important, and potentially life-saving, as keeping them safe on the road! This is a miniscule investment when it comes to that. You’ll want your teenagers’ friends to take this course too if your teenager is ever going to be in a car with them!
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