Driving

Post Reply New Topic

I'm so confused about this abbreviated driving thing I need to take. I called the local BMV and they say it's an online class, but the official website says you can choose between an online class or one in person. If you take it online, you have to take 24 hours of driving lessons. If you take it in person, you only need four hours. None of this is free. Each lesson itself is at least $100.

And I'm here hoping and praying I don't get stuck with a crazy person who either doesn't know how to teach or flips out at me for the most trivial thing (such as accidentally turning off the headlights when putting on a turn signal) and makes me so nervous I throw up at the end of the lesson. Yes, my last driving instructor would do that. Make me so nervous from her flipping out over the most mundane things, I would get so nervous I would throw up.

Thankfully I was always able to get inside my apartment before she saw me. She was also the only one who was able to explain maneuverability to me in a way I understood. Step-by-step, every detail. The other ones I kinda wonder if they even knew what it is because they sure couldn't teach it and expected me to automatically know how to do it.

I'm having panic attacks practically every day now over this. The kind where I get so anxious I loose my food. I want to be able to drive so I can go to college (UC, or Akron are the schools I'm considering. Somewhere near a zoo so I can volunteer and get experience for my veterinary school resume. The more experience with animals you have, the better chances you have at getting accepted.) but there's no decent public transportation. So driving myself is my best option.

In general to get your driver's license for the first time, you need to undergo a written test and a driving test.

In Ohio, all new drivers are required to obtain a Temporary Instruction Permit Identification Card (TIPIC) learner's permit (also known as temps) in order to begin behind-the-wheel driving training.

In Ohio, Temporary Instruction Permit Identification Card (TIPIC) Requirements
* You must be at least 15 years and 6 months old.
* You must pass a vision screening.
* You must pass a knowledge test. (Generally this step requires classroom or on-line training coupled with memorizing the drivers education booklet for your state.)
* You must submit an application for a TIPIC at a driver exam station.

So if I assume that you passed the written test and obtained your temporary driving permit, the next step is to obtain your drivers training and then pass the driving tests. But some people fail their driver's test the first time around. So what happens next. Well one needs to take an abbreviate driving program. Here are the requirements for that program:

ABBREVIATED ADULT PROGRAMS
An applicant for an initial driver’s license, who is age 18 or older and who fails the first attempt at the maneuverability or road portion of the driving test, is required to take an abbreviated adult driver training course before attempting the driving test for a second time. The course will consist of one of the following:

A 4-hour in-person class followed by 4 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor with a licensed abbreviated adult driver training school.
A 4-hour state-approved online course followed by 4 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor affiliated with a licensed abbreviated adult driver training school.
A 4-hour in-person class followed by 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 years of age or older*.
A 4-hour state-approved online course followed by 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 years of age or older*.

*Applicants who choose the option for 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 years of age or older cannot complete more than four hours of driving in one day. In addition, applicants who choose this option are required to complete the Twenty-Four Hour Affidavit (BMV 5789).

So generally, that means either 4 hours of in person classroom training or approved online course followed by actual driving experience. The licensed driver 21 years of age or older does not need to be an instructor. It could be a parent or a friend. The requirement is that they be a licensed driver.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are a high school student, many schools offer drivers education classes to their students generally during the summer months. It seems like the program requirements are as follows:

Ohio's Graduated Driver License law mandates that a young driver receives a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction and 8 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction in driver training.

Students may take the 24 hours of education through an online program, but must complete behind-the-wheel training at a traditional driving school. Students also must complete at least 50 hours of in-car practice (10 at night) with a parent or legal guardian.

So I would interpret this as the requirements for a student driver trying to get their driver's license for the first time. But if they fail their driver's tests, it probably means they need to more training such as the abbreviated program listed above.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

The main point is that much of the follow on training can be done with the help of your relatives. They can take you down country roads with no traffic and then slowly increase your skills by moving to more crowded congested roads and freeways. This approach does not cost you megabucks.

When my daughters got their learner's permit, I spent a year teaching them how to drive. Of course in my case I was trying to teach them how to drive a stick shift which is a tad more difficult than driving an automatic. I spent hundreds of hours behind the wheel with each of them. And then they took their drivers test without any problems.

I will also give one other word of advise.

It is important to maintain control when driving. Stress can lead to panic attacks. It is important not to let stress get to you. One simple way to maintain control and prevent a panic attack is to perform deep breathing.

One technique for controlling panic is to implement deep breathing techniques. Force the body to take very deep slow breathes and vent the carbon dioxide buried deep within the lungs. Deep diaphragmatic breathing can be performed as follows:

1. Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs, then your upper lungs.
2. Hold your breath to the count of "three."
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach.

the deep breathing thing doesn't work when one is in the thick of the traffic mess and having to think rapidly and act just as rapidly. in the army my deep-breathing made my sergeants think i was crazy, and they sent me to the army shrink.