Beach Driving on the Peninsula
It is an ironic commentary on the bureaucratic state of things that in Washington teens cannot get a driver’s license until they have passed driver training programs involving a number of requirements – including 30 hours of classroom instruction – yet there apparently is no requirement that our public schools offer such a course. Our tax dollars at work, once again…
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for the requirements. I just don’t think it’s fair that kids and parents have to find a way to meet them by traveling a couple of hours each way in order to attend the appropriate classes. It seems like another punishment for living in a remote area – an area, in fact, where being able to drive is almost a necessity.
1949 Plymouth
My dad taught me to drive. We didn’t have courses like Driver’s Education or Driver Training at school in those days, at least not in San Rafael, California where I went to high school. On the other hand, getting a learner’s permit followed by a driver’s license was pretty straight forward. What was needed was a willing adult who had an operable vehicle and a bit of time to devote. And patience.
What we had in my family was a 1949 Plymouth with a manual transmission – clutch with a gear shift on the steering column – no seat belts, no airbags, no turn signals. Just a no frills car and very calm and understanding father. We also had a nearby parking lot that wasn’t used much on Sundays and a variety of roads and highways as my skills improved. I got my license on my 16th birthday in 1952. Twenty years and a few months later, my son Charlie got his license on his 16th birthday.
1969 Beetle
By then, driving classes were being offered at public high schools, at least in California. I think Charlie actually took Driver’s Education at Canyon High in Castro Valley but somehow he couldn’t work the practical part, Driver’s Training, into his class schedule. So I taught him. We had a 1969 Volkswagen bug and we headed for the high school parking lot for practice. I don’t remember any problems…
Still, I think a professional approach in these days of road rage and smart cars and other twenty-first century innovations is a very good idea. How nice it would be if our good ideas and our rules and regs were a bit more user-friendly. As in, how do responsible teenagers in outlying areas meet all those requirements, anyway?
My first driving lesson was I’m my parents stick land cruiser in a field in northern CA when I was 12. I very nearly flipped it. For the next 3 years I was relegated to driving up and down the Oysterville lane…clearly it worked and I passed my test on my 16th birthday!
I can’t help but wonder what it will be like by the time Si and Gin are ready for their licenses! Whatever is in store, the lane awaits!
My father started me driving at age 12–on the beach–and I took drivers’ education in high school with Mr. Crumb, but I putted around Seaview with my dad for years. I started my older boys on the beach off Ocean Park. By the time the baby was learning, it was the empty parking lot at Gig Harbor High School. I did not learn to drive a stick until I was 20. Again with my dad. Great memories.
Hi Sydney, I believe you also graduated SRHS in ’53. We did have Drivers Ed! I even remember the teacher’s name, Carter Faust!
What a memory, huh? No! His wife worked for the phone company and got me a job
there, while we were still in HS. I’ve been ever grateful! C.
GREAT memory, Claudette! And now that you say about it, I do remember vaguely that Drivers’ Ed was offered. Was Drivers’ Training also offered? I guess what I should have said is that taking a class was not required in order to get your license as it is today, at least in Washington.