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5- Driving on a quiet street

Driving on a quiet street – part one

Recommended minimum instructional time: 5 hours

Goal: Teach your teen to move and stop a vehicle safely and with confidence on quiet roads.

Location: Start in a large, level, mostly empty area. Move to a quiet neighborhood street when indicated.

Before moving out onto the road, make sure that your teen has reviewed the What Every Driver Must Know publication and other information received during driver education and is familiar with street signs, signals, pavement markings, right-of-way and speed laws.

Skill review

Starting in a quiet, large, level, empty area, review the skills learned so far. Have your teen drive several laps around the lot, practicing smooth braking and accelerating, maintaining steady speeds, steering into right and left turns, and using reference points to align the car with curbs (or lines).

Coach your teen to use “commentary driving” (see sidebar on page 2) throughout this lesson, if possible.

☐Skill one – lane position

When you and your teen feel ready, move to a quiet street.

With your teen behind the wheel, first have them practice driving straight in three different lane positions. Do this for several miles, practicing each position at least 10 times:

Center position : The most common position, with the vehicle centered within the lane. Coach your teen that they should stay in the center position under most circumstances.

Left position : The vehicle positioned to the left side of the lane. This is best used when approaching parked vehicles and potential hazards on the right (if there is no oncoming traffic). It should be avoided on a hill or a curve.

Right position : The vehicle positioned to the right side of the lane. This is usually done when making a right turn to allow for a safety margin on the left side of the vehicle and when approaching a hill or curve.

☐ Skill two – intersections

Coach your teen on these techniques for safely approaching an intersection:

  • Search for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, signs, and traffic signals.
  • Check the rearview mirror for any potential hazards behind the car.
  • At intersections with traffic signs, identify who has the right-of-way.  Yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles. Anticipate that other drivers may not appropriately yield the right-of-way. Be prepared to react if this happens.
  • If turning, put on the turn signal at least 100 feet before making the turn.
  • Look carefully for motorcyclists, especially if you are turning left at an intersection. A motorcycle’s small profile makes it difficult to spot and accurately judge its speed.
  • If a stop is required, stop behind the white stop line.
  • Select the best lane for travel by reading signs and pavement markings.

Emergency vehicles

Make sure your teen understands what to do if they encounter an emergency vehicle. First, turn down the radio to listen for the direction of the emergency vehicle. Stay calm and pull over to the nearest curb clear of intersections, and wait for the emergency vehicle to pass.

Driving on a quiet street – part two

Goal: Teach your teen to turn both right and left safely and with confidence on quiet roads.

Location: A quiet block of single-lane roads, ideally without traffic signals at the intersections.

☐Skill one – right turns

When your teen is comfortable with lane positions and intersections, it’s time to practice turns. Start with right turns. Have your teen drive clockwise around the block until proficient:

  • Pick a line at the center of the intended travel path while steering through a turn. Make sure your teen doesn’t fixate on one specific spot, but instead focuses on a broader path.
  • Focus on smooth braking into the turn and acceleration out of the turn, as previously practiced in the large, level, empty area.
  • Always check mirrors before turns and signal at least 100 feet before turning. Check for bicyclists coming from behind on the shoulder of the road or in a bicycle lane.

    Have your teen drive around the block making right turns. When they are proficient, drive around the block making left turns until they are proficient.

☐ Skill two – left turns

When your teen is proficient at right turns, move on to left turns. Have your teen drive counterclockwise around the block until proficient, coaching them on these techniques for safe left turns:

  • Look carefully for oncoming motorcyclists, especially if you are turning left at an intersection. A motorcycle’s small profile makes it difficult to spot and accurately judge its speed.
  • Position the vehicle close to the yellow line in the middle of the road.
  • If there is a stop sign or red light, stop with wheels pointed straight and make sure to stop before the stop line, crosswalk, or sidewalk, whichever is first.
  • Search the intersection in all directions for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, signs, and signals.
  • Select a gap in traffic and pull straight forward toward the middle of the intersection. Coach your teen to avoid hesitating.
  • At intersections with a stop sign or signal, keep your front wheels pointed straight ahead until you start your turn. If your wheels aren’t straight and another vehicle hits you from the rear, you can be pushed into oncoming traffic
  • Use the yellow line on the street being turned onto as a target. Turn into the travel lane closest to the yellow line.
  • When the turn is complete, let the steering wheel slide back through the hands.
  • Pick a new target 15–20 seconds ahead in the center of the travel path and accelerate gradually.

Be sure to practice with your teen in a variety of conditions, including at night and in inclement weather as much as possible.

Focus

Most drivers have a tendency to steer in the direction they look. If their eyes move to one side, the car may drift in that direction, too. Remind your teen to focus on a path line in the middle of their travel lane. The rest of the area should be scanned quickly but frequently.

Michigan Lefts

Michigan Lefts or indirect left turns are commonly required at intersections. To turn left, a driver must first turn right and then use the the designated left turn lane to make a U-turn and go back thorough the intersection in the intended travel direction.