My twin boys have recently completed the classroom portion of Driver’s Ed and are now moving into the behind the wheel portion of the training. Of course I want to be a supportive Dad, so I figured I would give them a head start and take them out for some training before they head out with the instructor for the first time.
As I get into the car with driver #1, he looks a bit uneasy, and so I try mightly to project total calm and confidence in him. The truth is, I think I’m more nervous than he is. Now comes the preflight checklist…
Wallet – Check
Seat Adjustment – Check
Seatbelt -Check
Rearview Mirror Adjustment – Check
Left Side Mirror Adjustment – Check
Right Side Mirror Adjustment – Check
Start your engine – Check
Foot on the Break – Check
Release Emergency Break – Check
Put the vehicle in D for Drive and off we go.
What a thrill for us both as he heads down our street, clutching the wheel with a death grip as he strains to avoid the parked cars. After 10 minutes he’s starting to loosen up and I figure he’s ready for a little advice. “10 and 2” I say. He’s concentrating hard on keeping the car in his lane, which is always a good idea, so I add “That’s where your hands should be on the wheel, Son, 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock.” As he brings the car slowly to a complete stop he looks at me and says, “No Dad, it’s 9 and 3.” Before I can respond he quickly adds, “they did a study and found that when an airbag deploys, having your hands at 9 and 3 is much safer for the driver.”
But, but, but…I want to protest but thinking about his comment for just one second it makes total sense. Having your hands in the “old school” position of 10 and 2 would give you a double knuckle sandwich in the event of a front airbag deployment. It seems silly that I wouldn’t have immediately figured that out myself, but I honestly just never thought about it. The old 10 and 2 “rule” was something that was ingrained into my generation of driver’s ed, so much so that failure to use it would result in failure of the driving exam. Today it’s a sign of outdated thinking, thinking that hasn’t kept up with the technological and safety advances of the 21st century.
Amazingly, my thirty years of driving experience was instantly taken to the next level by my fifteen year old son on his first day behind the wheel. As a parent, one of the greatest things is the number of things you can learn from your children, but this one example for me was different. This was a skill which I was very experienced in and one in which I was certain I knew everything worth knowing. The truth is that not knowing what you don’t know can, at times, really hurt you.
I recently found some tweets from @sradick which led me to a post from @shalala85 and it really got me thinking that a reverse mentoring program might be a great way to teach the old dogs in our association. For me, the lightbulb is in and it’s time to flip the switch.
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