Teaching foreign friends to drive

Just before spring break a friend of mine asked me if I would be willing to teach her to drive. She's from Macau (China) and needs her American license.

  

Before you start making "Asian Drivers" jokes... 

she beat you to them. She made all kinds of comments and jokes about how in Asia, everyone is a bad driver. My favorite comment was "You should know, you've been to Korea." For a reitteration about what it was like being in Korea and their driving style.

We talked about what its like driving there, and how she did on her test. My honest statement is I don't ever want my own car in Korea. I am debating on a bike, but that's a big maybe. The public transportation is good... might be safer.

I’ve had my license 10 years now and I’m pretty comfortable with the road. I’ve never caused and accident, although a car has hit me.  I’ve only gotten speeding tickets, because well.. I had a 1990 Toyota Corolla, and those babies can go FAST…  

However I think she would have been better off with asking someone with more knowledge.   

Well not being one to disappoint I took her out to the many back farm roads that surround the fields of  Skagit Valley.   

The three things I has her tell me to say in her language was Left, Right and Stop~ These were important.

I wanted her to get comfortable with being behind the wheel and getting up to speed. She needed practice with gas/pleasestop/beforewehit/thatcar/break.

  The great thing about Skagit Valley back roads is lots of space and very few vehicles. This was a good thing because she’s from another country, and therefore needed time to process directions given: Left turn, Right turn, get into the turn lane… and since we missed it keep going.   

She also had to get used to our blinker. In her country the right blinker is on the right and the left on the left, unlike here where both are on the left (up/down= right/left) So when I told her to turn right… 

 I wanted to make sure she knew how to merge onto the highway ...

... to safely change lanes ...

 and to park. We did a lot of parking.

  

I don't think she'll ever get one of these. 

 

and your tail light is busted.

Eventually she would slow down when we needed to turn by slowing down to 18 mph on a 45 to turn in a quarter mile. This got better.

And this is why you let people know you're slowing down.

I tried to instill in her some of the rules of the road, as in how not to piss off your fellow drivers.  

 I posted "Student Driver" in the back window big enough for all to see (and yet not block the view) to warn people to keep back. 

However we were still given plenty of dirty looks, ya know, because you know everyone is the BEST driver and never had to learn…

My car

Anyway I did my best to teach her to communicate with other drivers, and get her used to the real rules of the road. 

Such as right of way, turning etiquette, and that you MUST put the E-Brake down BEFORE you move.    My poor car.  I did not realize how tired teaching someone to drive would be. With my back issues and being in the car all day, I come home SO TIRED.

At least my current car is an automatic. 

The Corolla is a standard, and that’s what I learned to drive on. 

I’m really happy I didn’t have to teach her to shift gears. 

"That's the clutch That's the CLUTCH"