Yahoo Autos Question of the Day: Should I Teach Myself How To Drive?
Dear Yahoo,
So, My father taught me a little bit how to drive, and I know how to handle the car and stuff, but I only know how to drive and feel safe around the areas that I know. Biggest problem, he never taught me how to park, and he never took me out of the highway freeway…because it is too dangerous. I got in a fight with him, (other reasons) and now there is no one that could teach me. The classes are expensive, and they do not offer enough driving classes.
I WANT TO buy a car, I do not know if an old or new one, and practice on that.
I want to teach myself how to drive somehow, but since I will learn it on my own, I’m thinking I might break certain things off and I was thinking to buy a used one instead of a new one…
Well for starters, it’s usually far less expensive to “break certain things off” with a used car versus a new car.
Parts are cheaper to replace on a used car. Insurance will likely be far cheaper as well, and all those pesky ways the tax man gets you, such as sales tax and registration fees, are usually in the hundreds of dollars with a used car instead of the several thousands.
That’s the good news. The bad news is what you eventually may break off could be made out of flesh and blood instead of metal and plastic. As a professional car buyer, I see dozens of totaled vehicles at auto auctions here in Georgia with the word “biohazard” written on them. Every single week.
Mazda RX-8 with biohazard warning. Photo: Copart.com
These vehicles were not subjected to some type of zombie apocalypse. The “Bio” portion of their hazard consists of human remains. Bloodstains on the carpet, round circles where the head hit the windshield, along with other DNA remnants scattered about.
Over 30,000 people died in car crashes last year and scores were maimed and disfigured. You don’t want to wind up a statistic, so for the love of your fellow human beings, and yourself, please do not teach yourself how to drive without someone experienced to guide you.
Learning how to drive these days is complicated, but perfectly achievable if you have the right instructor and patience. Martin Mesano has been an owner and driving instructor of the aptly named First Time Driving School in Fort Lee, New Jersey, for well over 25 years.
His advice to you?
If you’re thinking that you’re going to break things off, that’s a pretty negative attitude.
You should be in an environment where you feel comfortable asking questions. An instructor should try to break everything down into little steps…I tell (my students) “There is a problem with the mirrors. Do you know what it is?” I will ask the question to see what the student knows about handling blind spots, and I adjust my answer to what they do or do not know. That way they feel like they are in control of their driving, and slowly build the knowledge they need to become good drivers.
If you have an instructor that makes you comfortable and emphasizes the fundamentals in a nice way, you can do it all. But the best way for this to happen is to take your driving lessons, and then get practice at home with someone who can give you those extra positive experiences on the road.”
Take it real slow and maybe even put the brakes on getting a car for right now. If you don’t have an experienced teacher with you who is good at easily explaining the how and why of three-point turns, parallel parking, and the dozens of other skills you will need to master, those keys should not be in your hand.
You want freedom, and trust me, so do your parents. It may cost a little and be a minor hassle, so look at it this way: You’re investing in the tools that will give you an enduring freedom. It’s a healthy one for you and everybody else on the road — and nothing needs to get broken.
