Driver's Ed

[Sherie]

I want Sheena to take driver's ed this summer. The requirements here in TX for a permit are 36 hours of classroom instruction and 14 hours of driving, 7 of that is actual driving, 7 is observation. They team up 2 people and one instructor per car so that each person gets 7 hours behind the wheel.

My question is, do you think I should ask for one-on-one lessons for her? I think her range of motion will definitely impact her driving and she may need some additional time to learn to use her mirrors. I will discuss this with the schools too, I'm sure they've dealt with similar situations.

How long did it take for you to get comfortable driving, especially with a long fusion? Any tips or modifications we can do to make it easier for her?

Thanks!

[txmarinemom]

I want Sheena to take driver's ed this summer. The requirements here in TX for a permit are 36 hours of classroom instruction and 14 hours of driving, 7 of that is actual driving, 7 is observation. They team up 2 people and one instructor per car so that each person gets 7 hours behind the wheel.

My question is, do you think I should ask for one-on-one lessons for her? I think her range of motion will definitely impact her driving and she may need some additional time to learn to use her mirrors. I will discuss this with the schools too, I'm sure they've dealt with similar situations.

How long did it take for you to get comfortable driving, especially with a long fusion? Any tips or modifications we can do to make it easier for her?

Thanks!

Sherie, I did the state "at home" drivers ed with Jett back in (hmmm ... maybe 2002? That sounds right because he had his permit at 14, and he's 20 now), and perhaps that's a better (certainly less expensive) option.

Timewise, you can't do more than an hour of road practice per day, so it's possible to do it after work.

Scary, yes, but you know they didn't require (I'm not sure about now) an on the road test?

(eek!)

My fusion's not nearly as long as Sheena's, but one suggestion I'd have for her (as teeny as she is) is a seat booster. She's going to be a bit challenged as it is seeing over a headrest. I have also noticed I feel my hardware a LOT more (being small framed) leaning back on the car seat - and plan to get a memory foam seat cover. When I locate one (if she thinks it might help) I'll send you the link.

Someone (I believe with cervical plating) had mentioned extended mirrors in another thread ... I'll have to dig around and see if I can find the post - or maybe they'll beat me to it.

Regards,
Pam

[Aussiemum]

Just a side note on all of this - totally irrelevant. My 16 year old just got what we call L's for Learners. She has to do 120 documented hours of driving and 30 night time before she can go for her "P" when she turns 17.

It's all about to change here with not getting your L's until your 17 and P (Provisional) until 18. Also after 11pm a P Plater may only carry 1 passenger. Too many young people dying on the roads.

Irrelevant to the question but thought I'd just fill you in on that bit of trivia.

Cheers
Del

[Snoopy]

Wow, just like our kids' surgeries, the requirements for driving are very different. In PA, our kids can't get their learner's permit until they are 16. They are required so many hours of classroom time, 50 hours of driving, and they can't even take their driving test for six months.

Jamie is 3 years post-op and we haven't made any adjustments for her while driving. If she had to have surgery, I'm glad it was before she got her driver's license. That way, she learned to drive with her limitations caused by her long fusion (T3-L2).

Mary Lou

[MATJESNIC]

Mary Lou,

When Jamie changes to the left lane, does she turn her body and check her blind spot?

[LorDon]

Sherie,
I'm so glad that you asked this question because I've been wondering this myself. Although Chris has his permit, he hasn't had his 6 hours of behind the wheel driving lessons and I haven't had the nerve to let him practice since his surgery. Quite frankly, I'm scared to death to let him drive now. He's actually scheduled for his driver's test in April and I told him that we may need to postpone it and he flipped out. The fact that he is a new driver with a fusion that isn't solid is giving me a lot more gray hairs than I care to admit........

[Sherie]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I think the extended mirrors are a good option, I'm mostly concerned about her changing lanes and backing up and that should help with both. I know at this point Sheena can't turn at all, I don't know if that will improve over time so I think she'll need to just rely on the mirrors. A backup camera would be nice if that's something that could be installed after factory.

I prefer her to take instruction from the pros, they may be able to teach her something that we would forget, and then she'll drive with us for several years before we let her loose. I'm not thrilled about 15 and 16 year olds out on the road but I'm glad she'll have the opportunity to get a lot of experience with us before she heads off to college.

I don't think our requirements are stringent enough. In Japan, my cousin said she had to take months of instruction to get a license. In this country, a lot of it is left to the parent to make sure the kids are mature enough to get behind the wheel, and unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Yeah, it scares the heck out of me to think of Sheena driving out in Houston. She's going to be a good driver, it's the rest of them I'm worried about.

[Geish]

At 15 weeks post op (has it really been that long?) with a long fusion (T4-Sacrum) I still do not drive on So Calif busy freeways. I don't feel comfortable enough using my mirrors in heavy traffic. I have no problem with them on roads that are not so crowded. I had someone put blind spot mirrors ($2 each) on my existing mirrors but they put them on the inner edge instead of the outer edge like I asked and now I need to change them out. I still can't get quite the right sight line with them where they are now.

I am getting better about being able to see clearly left and right when stopping at an intersection. At first I had to make sure I pulled up square if I was turning right so I could see on coming traffic. Also at 5'8" I use a pillow for the first time in my life while driving. I don't sit on it but I use it to make the car seat more comfortable on my back.

I've found that I don't need to make a lot of accommodations to drive but I do need more time getting in and out of the car. Also, backing out of parking spaces is a challenge since I can't look over my shoulder to back up, but need to rely on mirrors to clear my way.

[flowerpower]

Hi Sherie,

It may be that Sheena will be able to turn & look over shoulder a little more as time goes on. I had the same worry with Joe, but not too long ago I had him sit in drivers seat to see if he would be able to turn far enough, and to my surprise he was. I will still get the extended mirrors, but it wasn't as much of a problem as I anticipated. Of course though, he is farther out of surgery than Sheena is.

Renee

[Sherie]

Geish, I don't blame you for not getting on the busy freeways, if it's anything like Houston at rush hour.....it makes me shudder thinking about my kids out there. Sheena said she'll move to Japan and commute on the trains, doesn't sound too bad to me!

I think I can talk her into using a pillow if it helps, now if we call it a booster seat~I don't think that would go over too well. I always laugh when we're at the pediatricians office, those booster seat posters say kids up to 4'9" should be in one, I'm just 2" over that, I should probably get one for myself.

Renee, I was hoping you would post something about Joe. Has he started driving yet? I figured her flexibility would improve with time, I just didn't know how much. Like everything else so far, I will prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

[trulyaries]

I have had trouble with the "rear view" since my first surgery. I'm real sensitive about it because I can't turn backward very well. I have the little blind spot mirrors on the outside but I can't get used to them. I also have an oversized rear view mirror inside that works quite well. Only problem is it covers up the directional thing on my regular mirror, which I need most of the time. (I'm directionally challenged!) I drive a small SUV so that's part of the problem with visibility behind me, I think. Bottom line I try to avoid backing up as much as possible, and I'm doubly cautious changing lanes etc. Needless to say, if anyone is with me they become my "spotters." Sorry I don't have any answers for you - I'm still looking for better solutions.

[Sherie]

Sorry I don't have any answers for you - I'm still looking for better solutions.

That's ok, I just want to know what to expect. I've been kind of practicing myself, just using my mirrors to back up and it makes me nervous. I find that if I have to park where you must back up, it's easier to go ahead and back in first when you park then you don't have to worry about running anyone over when you're leaving.

I used to drive a pickup that just had a front row bench and it was much easier to see behind me when backing up. I'm not sure she would appreciate driving a pickup, but I think her dad and I would like it! We have a small RV, I told her we would let her practice driving that so she would be able to drive anything, she said "no thanks".

[txmarinemom]

I'm not thrilled about 15 and 16 year olds out on the road but I'm glad she'll have the opportunity to get a lot of experience with us before she heads off to college. ...
Yeah, it scares the heck out of me to think of Sheena driving out in Houston. She's going to be a good driver, it's the rest of them I'm worried about.

I hear ya (especially driving in Houston). I've been back on the freeways several weeks, but I can't imagine merging onto 45 S through Downtown from I-10 East without being able to turn my head. You'd think by the way everyone merges there - and the narrow misses all the time - that NO ONE turns their head or looks.

Sherie, I think I told you, I have forbidden my Mom to even drive up here from her house ... you know my place is easy enough to find, but she'd NEVER make it through Downtown headed north on 45 without incident.

While Jett got his permit at 14, everyone, kids can't get their license in Texas until 16 (or 15 with a valid hardship where they MUST drive, and then it's usually restricted to school/work/daylight hours, etc. - and they used to have a 14 year old licensed clause for agricultural cases ... not sure if that still exists).

Larra (my daughter) is 18, and just recently got her permit (she bikes everywhere ... probably rides 15 miles a week, easily). She was NOT ready to drive at 16 (she's as ADHHHHD as I am), and I'm just now even semi-comfortable she's ready. She's doing the at home course, but her Dad is having to work with her. No way am I taking my 7 week old fusion on the road with her ...

All I know is one of the happiest days of my life was when Jett joined the Marines and dropped off my car insurance. OMG, it quadrupled when I'd added him!

Talking about Houston drivers, Larra's been hit on her bike now 3 times (last week, in Midtown, a guy in a Z4 rolled into her back tire while she was stopped!) That's one of the big reasons I'm supportive of her driving now (so she'll have a cage around her).

(BTW, the idiot cop told her she shouldn't be riding on roads where there were cars! Sherie, do you know of any of those around here??? )

Yes, this is the same child who's house burned down March 9th. She's gonna give me a heart attack ...

Pam

[Sherie]

Poor kid, she's had some bad luck but she's lucky nothing worse happened to her. My sister was hit on her bike and was in the hospital for 3 days with a concussion.

I don't know where Sheena will end up going to school, but I'm torn about her living here and driving into Houston, or just going off and living on campus in a smaller town. She'll have to decide but either way, I'm already feeling the time slipping away fast. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

By the way, there's a dirt road behind our house if Larra wants to safely ride her bike there, I'll keep an eye on her.

[CurvySAT05]

I used to be fused to L5 and had no problem checking my blind spot. I was able to turn enough that just a slight shift of my body in the seat was good enough to see everything. That being said,
I just had revision in Dec from T2-Ilium and find it near impossible to do much more than see out my side windows. I got one of those "extended" mirrors and it is wonderful. It gives you a really wide angle so you can see basically everything. You get the whole back window, the driver and passenger side rear windows and a bit of the driver and passenger side front windows (depending on how you have the rear view mirror positioned in the first place). I now have virtually no blind spots just by using my rear view mirror, then by using the side mirrors I am able to see absolutely EVERYTHING else!!! The extended mirror I have attaches with a little sticky tab to the top of the rear view mirror and is a little smaller than the regular mirror. It has a curved shape to it so that it gets everything in view, rather than being really long.
I highly recommend one of these to anyone with problems turning to check their blind spots.