Originally Posted by cewilson
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Simply?
The part of the brain that is responsible for decision making/judgement calls is not fully developed in young "Adults" and doesn't finish developing until the early to mid 20's.
Add to this that changing nature of kids these days and their failure to accept consequence and you have an issue.
Sure im painting with broad strokes and there are exceptions to the rule but P platers are behind the 8 ball from the beginning.
And with changes in the roads, cars and attitudes over the last 40 or so years the deck is well stacked against new drivers so we cant just blame the kids for this.
Mums and Dads who dont parent properly in some areas are an issue, teaching L platers in the family wagon is an issue and not allowing enough time for the Professional instructors to do their jobs is also an issue.
Im not going into the parenting thing because its a minefield of opinion and emotion and even im not dumb enough to open that can of worms but the Mum and Dad Sunday morning drive thing is worth a mention.
Most of us parents have been driving for 20 or so years by the time we have to strap ourselves in the passenger seat with Lil Johnny at the wheel and very few of us have ever been re-tested and most of us are not familiar with changes in road law which sometimes becomes painfully apparent when the kids get their learners book.
As a result id wager that a huge percentage of us would fail a learners test miserably if we were to sit one without studying and the VicRoads online practice exams are a good way to check this for Victorians and im sure the RTA has similar for other states.
So blissfully ignorant we venture out when the roads are dead quiet and pass our bad habits and sometimes ignorance of the law on to our kids which Driving instructors then have to iron out.
So heres the other issue, I know we are expensive and in rural areas a pain in the bum to get to (A lot dont do home pickups in rural areas so you have to bring your kids to them) but we are often a vital part of the checks and balances when it comes to your Kids surviving their first 12 months on P plates.
Early on in the 120 hours book your kid in with an instructor, even if its to get the ball rolling and save you some grey hair and clutch material, often the first lesson is free and 2 lessons will do the trick and this also saves you a bit of grief.
Remember that we have pedals on our side :-)
Then again about half way through its helpful to knock off some of the cockiness kids develop to throw them into the hands of an instructor who is trained to handle the sometimes inflated ego of the hormone and pride inflated maniacs some kids turn into AND some instructors will let you ride along in the left rear seat if you ask and promise to be totally silent unless engaged in chat by the instructor (Which is a great way to get the kids used to when the tester sits in the back) and you can pick up a few tricks while you ride along.
Finally, Do not allow your kids to book in for the test on their Birthday.... Either book it yourself when you feel they are ready or let the instructor tell you when your Child is ready and/or book the test for you.
To book in as soon as they are legally able to sit the test adds pressure at an age where they already have more than enough on their plates and if you control this aspect of their life it also gives the kids someone to blame when their mates apply social pressure re this cruel cruel denial of their "right" to operate a car by themselves.
Industry figures show that it usually takes between 9 and 12 lessons to gain an automatic license and a bit more for a Manual ticket and I have to say that when I re-certified 5 ish years ago the hardest part for me was relearning to drive like a good L plater to demonstrate that I had learned what was taught and could apply this knowledge.
Hope this all helps,
Tony
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