The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Elfmama]

A recent survey determined that 97% of US drivers felt that they were "above average" drivers.     And why should who feels they are an "above average" driver lay out $$$$ for lessons for their kid?

[Betelnut]

A recent survey determined that 97% of US drivers felt that they were "above average" drivers.     And why should who feels they are an "above average" driver lay out $$$$ for lessons for their kid?

LOL!  Sort of changes what "average" means, eh?

There was an interesting article in the Washington Post about optimism and how people are generally very optimistic about their lives and futures.  They underestimate--by a lot--their own odds of dying, getting cancer, losing their jobs, etc.  I think "How good a driver are you?" would fit into the same mold. 

[Seraphia]

A recent survey determined that 97% of US drivers felt that they were "above average" drivers.     And why should who feels they are an "above average" driver lay out $$$$ for lessons for their kid?

LOL!  Sort of changes what "average" means, eh?

There was an interesting article in the Washington Post about optimism and how people are generally very optimistic about their lives and futures.  They underestimate--by a lot--their own odds of dying, getting cancer, losing their jobs, etc.  I think "How good a driver are you?" would fit into the same mold.

I think the layman's term is Lake Woebegon Effect. You know, the place where "all the children are above average." The Wikipedia article on "Illusory Superiority" lists a whole bunch of specific areas where that sort of bias comes into play, but it pretty much boils down to: someone with limited knowledge doesn't know enough to recognize that lack. And driving ability is *definitely* on that list.

[Elfmama]

A recent survey determined that 97% of US drivers felt that they were "above average" drivers.     And why should who feels they are an "above average" driver lay out $$$$ for lessons for their kid?

Next dumb question: why do I not see errors in my post even when I proofread it before hitting the 'post' button, but they leap out at me when someone quotes me?

[kherbert05]

Drivers' Ed circa 1977 - we were instructed to put an automatic transmission into neutral when stopped at a  stoplight.  The theory being that in the event of a rear end collision it would somehow limit the damage to the driver/vehicle.  My brother had the same Drivers' Ed instructor in 1979 and was not taught that.   Instead that it was imperative to be in drive in that event that an evasive maneuver was needed and also that ones foot should be firmly on the brake pedal so that in the event of a rear end collision your vehicle would not be as likely to be pushed into oncoming traffic.

That sounds like terrible instruction. In the event of a rear end collision all the force of the accident would be transferred up your leg into your hips and pelvis with your foot on the brake like that. Still, I guess they maybe weren't as aware of these things in the 70s.

On that subject, my own "this might be a stupid question, but": Why do so many people in America learn to drive from their parents rather than using a qualified driving instructor? It seems to me like parents would simply pass their bad habits on to the kids. I've always wondered this when reading threads about terrible drivers.

I get the impression that 'Drivers' Ed' is class based.

What is really scary is that prior to 2010 people who were parent taught did NOT have to take the driving test in Texas. Their parents just had to sign a form saying the child was a good driver. Unfortunately when the law was changed they did not cancel the DL obtained under the old system.


I know a couple of people that tried to get their child's DL's pulled because the other parent (Join Custody) had done the sign off thing, but the child was not ready to be driving. The best they could do was sign their child up for a real class and prohibit them from driving when they were the parent in charge.

[RingTailedLemur]

I've heard that in many places in the States, the driving test is nowhere near as rigorous as the UK one.

[camlan]

I've heard that in many places in the States, the driving test is nowhere near as rigorous as the UK one.

What I've heard, on the other side of the pond, is that everywhere in the UK, the driving test is much more difficult than anywhere in the US.

My cousin, who lived in the UK for 10 years, and had been a licensed driver in the US for 20 years before moving there, studied and took lessons for three months before getting her license in the UK. And it wasn't just driving on the other side of the road that caused her difficulties--the UK test simply covers more things than the average US driving test.

[Luci45]

A recent survey determined that 97% of US drivers felt that they were "above average" drivers.     And why should who feels they are an "above average" driver lay out $$$$ for lessons for their kid?

Next dumb question: why do I not see errors in my post even when I proofread it before hitting the 'post' button, but they leap out at me when someone quotes me?

Oh, I wish I knew the answer to that!

I just mumble under my breath and sit here in profound embarrassment.

[Outdoor Girl]

I've heard that in many places in the States, the driving test is nowhere near as rigorous as the UK one.

What I've heard, on the other side of the pond, is that everywhere in the UK, the driving test is much more difficult than anywhere in the US.

My cousin, who lived in the UK for 10 years, and had been a licensed driver in the US for 20 years before moving there, studied and took lessons for three months before getting her license in the UK. And it wasn't just driving on the other side of the road that caused her difficulties--the UK test simply covers more things than the average US driving test.

The test can vary regionally, too, within the same Province, in Canada.  A cousin of mine lived in Big City.  He took his test and failed.  Then they moved to the cottage 2.5 hours away for the summer.  He retook his test in Small Town and passed, no problem.

[Virg]

perpetua wrote:

"That sounds like terrible instruction. In the event of a rear end collision all the force of the accident would be transferred up your leg into your hips and pelvis with your foot on the brake like that. Still, I guess they maybe weren't as aware of these things in the 70s."

I don't follow your logic here.  If you have your foot on your brake pedal and you're struck from behind, the car will tend to lurch forward, moving itself and the pedal away from you, not toward you.  More importantly, unless you're sitting such that you can lock your knee while pressing the pedal (and if you are, you're way too far from the pedals to drive safely), no impact of any kind will transfer up your leg to your hip because your knee will bend.

Virg

[artk2002]

On that subject, my own "this might be a stupid question, but": Why do so many people in America learn to drive from their parents rather than using a qualified driving instructor? It seems to me like parents would simply pass their bad habits on to the kids. I've always wondered this when reading threads about terrible drivers.

I get the impression that 'Drivers' Ed' is class based.

Driver's Ed is expensive. Some people pony up the money anyway, since some insurance companies will give you a break on new driver insurance if you have it. And some schools offer slightly cheaper classes to their students.

But a lot of teens figure they can drive just fine, so they don't need it, right? And the parents also figure they are good drivers, so they can teach their teens just fine, right? And thus the Special Snowflakery is passed down to the next generation.

In California, you must take a driver's training course to get your license, at least if you're under 18. The DMV requires 30 hours of in-class training as well as 6 hours on the road. My sons are taking it through the AAA and I've opted to add an extra 4 hours of in-car instruction, which will include night driving, freeway driving and the use of anti-lock brakes. Yes, it's $$$ but these are my only sons and I know that I don't have the patience or skill to teach them myself. I will teach them to drive a manual transmission once they've got the basics of driving down. Some schools offer driver's ed, but that is one of the things that gets cut early on in a budget crisis.

Before the boys can get their actual licenses, they will also have to wait 6 months and complete 50 hours of in-car practice with a licensed adult sitting next to them. Even after that, for the next full year, they can't drive any passengers under 20 or between 11PM and 5AM unless there is an adult in the car as well (there are exceptions for medical necessity, job, etc.)

On putting the car into neutral at a stop: I was taught that it was a bad idea because it makes it easier for you to be pushed into an intersection if you're rear-ended. Having the car in gear means that the engine's inertia will keep you from moving as far.

[Mental Magpie]

perpetua wrote:

"That sounds like terrible instruction. In the event of a rear end collision all the force of the accident would be transferred up your leg into your hips and pelvis with your foot on the brake like that. Still, I guess they maybe weren't as aware of these things in the 70s."

I don't follow your logic here.  If you have your foot on your brake pedal and you're struck from behind, the car will tend to lurch forward, moving itself and the pedal away from you, not toward you.  More importantly, unless you're sitting such that you can lock your knee while pressing the pedal (and if you are, you're way too far from the pedals to drive safely), no impact of any kind will transfer up your leg to your hip because your knee will bend.

Virg

Virg, the car will go forward and so will you when you're struck from behind.  The seat is connected to the car and you're in the seat.  Your body is thus not independent from the car.  I don't know about the energy transfer up the leg because I think we're all imagining that part a little differently.

[jpcher]

On that subject, my own "this might be a stupid question, but": Why do so many people in America learn to drive from their parents rather than using a qualified driving instructor? It seems to me like parents would simply pass their bad habits on to the kids. I've always wondered this when reading threads about terrible drivers.

I get the impression that 'Drivers' Ed' is class based.

Driver's Ed is expensive. Some people pony up the money anyway, since some insurance companies will give you a break on new driver insurance if you have it. And some schools offer slightly cheaper classes to their students.

But a lot of teens figure they can drive just fine, so they don't need it, right? And the parents also figure they are good drivers, so they can teach their teens just fine, right? And thus the Special Snowflakery is passed down to the next generation.

In California, you must take a driver's training course to get your license, at least if you're under 18. The DMV requires 30 hours of in-class training as well as 6 hours on the road. My sons are taking it through the AAA and I've opted to add an extra 4 hours of in-car instruction, which will include night driving, freeway driving and the use of anti-lock brakes. Yes, it's $$$ but these are my only sons and I know that I don't have the patience or skill to teach them myself. I will teach them to drive a manual transmission once they've got the basics of driving down. Some schools offer driver's ed, but that is one of the things that gets cut early on in a budget crisis.

Before the boys can get their actual licenses, they will also have to wait 6 months and complete 50 hours of in-car practice with a licensed adult sitting next to them. Even after that, for the next full year, they can't drive any passengers under 20 or between 11PM and 5AM unless there is an adult in the car as well (there are exceptions for medical necessity, job, etc.)

On putting the car into neutral at a stop: I was taught that it was a bad idea because it makes it easier for you to be pushed into an intersection if you're rear-ended. Having the car in gear means that the engine's inertia will keep you from moving as far.

Illinois laws are the same. Proof of passing a qualified drivers training course must be submitted at the time when you apply for your license.

[bopper]

New question -- Nook & Libraries

Stupid because I've had my Nook for almost a year and I should know the answer (but I prefer to buy instead of borrow.) I've looked at the B&N website and can't find out how to do this.

How do you borrow books from the library on your Nook?

Does it have to be a local library?

I'm thinking about getting a Nook for my mother for Xmas and she lives in very-small-town-USA. Does her town library need to have this function available (unlikely) or can she borrow books from any library?

Overdrive is the "big" e-book lending library.  If your mom's library is smaller, it might belong to a co-op that does Overdrive or another e-book lender.

If you want to PM me her library, I can look it up using a couple different sources.

(Reference librarian here, so I deal with e-books on a regular basis.)

I could never get Overdrive to work on my PC, but it worked like a charm on my iPad.  It is so awesome to have books freely and magically appear on your ipad to read!

[jpcher]

New question -- Nook & Libraries

Stupid because I've had my Nook for almost a year and I should know the answer (but I prefer to buy instead of borrow.) I've looked at the B&N website and can't find out how to do this.

How do you borrow books from the library on your Nook?

Does it have to be a local library?

I'm thinking about getting a Nook for my mother for Xmas and she lives in very-small-town-USA. Does her town library need to have this function available (unlikely) or can she borrow books from any library?

Overdrive is the "big" e-book lending library.  If your mom's library is smaller, it might belong to a co-op that does Overdrive or another e-book lender.

If you want to PM me her library, I can look it up using a couple different sources.

(Reference librarian here, so I deal with e-books on a regular basis.)

I could never get Overdrive to work on my PC, but it worked like a charm on my iPad.  It is so awesome to have books freely and magically appear on your ipad to read!

I started reading the first quote on this reply and thought "Oh. Good. More info. I posted something like that a while ago . . . Oh. Wait! That's ME! 

Just thought I'd give an update: My mother is sooo tickled pink with her nook. It seems that there was a bit of a problem loading the Overdrive on her PC, but working with her library they got the problem solved (I don't know the details.)

So you use an ipad instead of a nook tablet to borrow books from the library?