Tips for a young adult driver?

[adrian]

I did some drivers education last year in HS, but I didn't want to drive my Mom's Ford Aerostar EXT (those vans that can hold 7 passengers and their cargo). During Drivers Ed, I drove a Toyota Echo, so it was a nice small car (but with the small engine, it didn't do that good). When I drove it up the H2, it strained under the incline, and I barely passed other drivers.

When I last drove it, I went from Waipahu, to Ewa Beach, onto the H1, onto the H2, down to Pearl City, and back into Waipahu. I got bored staring at the road and trying to navigate the vehicle, so I got sleepy a few times. If I drive that to school (from Waipahu to Downtown) then I might cause a few incidents along the way.

I can drive good in video games (such as Grand Theft Auto and Grand Turismo 3) but then I don't have have a gun to shoot people or I can speed to 150mph and do banked curves.

How did you learn how to drive? What tips did you use?

[808_m3]

I didn't take driver's ed. I learned driving from my dad and my brothers. We basically did a few runs around the neighborhood and then took the freeway the next day.. :)

As far as tips go, you just learn different techniques over time. I suppose the best tip to follow are good techniques for defensive driving. You know, learning how to look ahead for possible accidents and taking action to avoid them.

Another tip I've learned recently is to not drive behind large tractor trailers. I've had my share of crack/chipped windshields from flying debris.

[Glen Miyashiro]

The biggest tip I can give to young drivers in Hawai'i is:

Don't speed. There's no rush.

Speeding will not help you get there that much faster. There is too much traffic on the road for you to get very far, and the distances are too short for speeding to save you much time.

Suppose you need to go 15 miles, from Waipahu to town. If you go at 45 mph -- and that's averaged over your whole trip! -- it takes you 20 minutes. If you go at 60 mph, it takes you 15 minutes. If you go at 90 mph, it takes you 10 minutes. It's not worth it to speed, because you won't save all that much time. Lay off the gas, and don't risk your neck.

[Miulang]

Drive defensively. Pay attention to other drivers (because many are lolo). Keep your distance between yourself and the car in front. Don't try to "outmacho" somebody else. Don't get into situations where "road rage" could occur because you never know what the other driver might do (or whether s/he has a weapon).

Learn how to navigate out of a tight situation (i.e. what would you do if you were on H-1, driving with the flow and all of the sudden the car in front of you stopped suddenly?)

If you can't be alert driving the car (that means keeping both hands on the wheel and staying awake), keep taking the bus. You're going to be behind the wheel of a 1-ton object that could kill or injure yourself or someone else if you're not an attentive driver. :D

Miulang

[kimo55]

The biggest tip I can give to young drivers in Hawai'i is:

Don't speed. There's no rush.


Yes!


I see those dreaded 'lanespace fillers" alla time on da roads.
You know the kind, what they breed on the L.A. freeways. They see any empty space about the size of a car near them and they zoom in and out to fill it. Each time. driving fast, recklessly, dangerously, like some jerk from da san fernando valley.

Then, half hour later or so, i see them right next to me at da light. Wanna say:
Eh. lolo. You t'ink you got here any fastah driving like an el lay ay-hole?!


Nope.

jes drive with aloha. Act as if everyone on da road is your mother or father or auntie..
go slow to wheah you goin' an you live longer and happier.

Respect. patience.
Show it, share it, and garanz barbaranz, you goin see it back atcha. I no bulai you, brah.

[adrian]

If you can't be alert driving the car (that means keeping both hands on the wheel and staying awake), keep taking the bus. You're going to be behind the wheel of a 1-ton object that could kill or injure yourself or someone else if you're not an attentive driver. :D

Miulang
As long as its isn't long and I have something that my eyes can look at (instead of the road) then I'm okay.

But now that you mentioned it, mornings will be hard. If my current schedule will continue next quarter, then I'll be driving at 6-6:30am, and while I'm on the bus, I'm finding myself going to sleep.

[craigwatanabe]

Don't listen to talk radio in the car during rush hour! Those shows will really get your blood pressure up and then you'll take it out on that car with the Bush/Cheney bumper sticker holding up traffic in front of you. :D

But seriously, go with this attitude: You can only go as fast as the car in front of you so if you're late just accept that fact instead of trying to make that Republican car go faster so you can shave a couple of minutes of your already late schedule. Next time leave that much earlier.

For cars that tail gate, move to the right and let em pass you. Better to have an irate driver flip you the bird as he careens into the car in front of you as you let him pass rather than have an irate driver tailgating you for the distance.

When you drive, don't let your passengers (your friends) distract you and don't take on a dare to do something stupid while driving. And make them use their seatbelts. You as the driver will be cited for every passenger not wearing them.

And don't buy a truck. You'll be the U-Haul of all your friends and friends you never heard of before.

A car is for transportation not to boost your ego. A wrecked tricked out car is as bad as a wrecked ego and both don't look cool at all after the fact.

And finally use common sense and of course drive defensively. Assume for the worst case scenerio and have an egress for every situation you could possibly encounter by knowing where you and every car around you are so you know exactly how to steer clear from catastrophe.

[easTTriver]

recently, the latest defensive driving skill i picked up was to avoid staying in another driver's blind spot.