6/23/24
Poppy, Rory,
Happy summer! I’ll bet you’re glad school is out. Teachers and administrators are likely just as glad as you.
It’s time for me to resume my driving advice letters. I still have a lot to share.
In a certain sense you already know how to drive. It’s sort of like walking in a crowd and avoiding running into other people. You just need to learn a different way of going forward (and backward), stopping, and turning. It is rather odd (and fun) that you can go forward by just flexing your right ankle. In a car you can flex your ankle and end up propelling you (and all passengers) to a speed of 60 or 70 or 80 miles each hour! FAST! Just by a little flex.
Stopping and turning in a car, as well, are motor skills you need to practice. You can do it!
Yes, walking in a crowd is similar to driving on a road but the consequence of a collision is astronomically higher! Consider the situation of driving on a two lane road at 60 mph ...
You stay in your lane, right? You pay close attention, right? But what would happen if the other driver going in the opposite direction would just “twitch their wrist” and swerve into your lane? This is why we take driving very seriously, have insurance, wear seat belts, and make sure that we don’t disturb the driver’s attention.
When a stoplight turns green it means we can go, right? Yes, and no. Such an intersection is called a “fresh light”. The first thing you do is make sure there isn’t a driver on the cross street who is (stupidly, dangerously) trying to speed through their red light. Then you can go.
Stop signs: 
(octagonal)
and speed limit signs: 
“Stop” means stop, right? Zero velocity, right? Well, yes, and no. Most people (including your parents, I presume) slow to almost zero and then pause and look carefully and, if the “coast is clear”, will then proceed.
“Limit” means that high but not higher, right? Well, yes, and no. Most people (including your parents, I presume) in a 65 mph zone will be going from 65 to 75 mph. You could get a speeding ticket for going 70 mph which is 5 mph over the limit but that really won't happen. My understanding and advice is that:
Love,
guJon