Baby You Can Drive...?

[Turboguy]

I begin to teach my girl to drive next week.  She said I should be scared but I wasn't until I opened this thread.  Any more pointers?  She did get her DL with the courses 2 years ago but never drove since.

Yes, a big suggestion.   Don't take her out on the streets for a few weeks.   Just find a big empty parking lot such as a school or a mall and keep her there for a couple of weeks.   Had I done that I would have saved $ 6000.00.    You can learn a lot in a parking lot.  I started VWRW off on deserted back streets thinking that was the best thing.  It wasn't.   VWRW has turned into a pretty decent driver but it is easy for anyone to make an expensive mistake in the early days.   By the way, VWRW takes her drivers test tomorrow afternoon. 

[Ronnie]

Good Luck VWRW.  I'll give you advice I gave my wife. 

When in doubt about which way to turn....go straight.  Don't forget turn signals.  Come to complete stops behind the line and don't ask the examiner "why?"

[BC]

When in doubt about which way to turn....go straight. 

went straight...

[Ronnie]

Dunno BC, looking at the damage looks more like she put the car in "R" for turn "Right". 

[Turboguy]

Good Luck VWRW.  I'll give you advice I gave my wife. 

When in doubt about which way to turn....go straight.  Don't forget turn signals.  Come to complete stops behind the line and don't ask the examiner "why?"

This might sound stupid but I think it helped.  VWRW had some trouble with right and left.   I would tell her to turn right and the next thing I knew we were going on the road to the left.

I came up with a little right, left exercise to help her.   We sat in our living room and I would call out a body part and right or left with her having to touch whatever I said   ie, right ear, left toe.    I would do these very rapidly.  It seemed like it helped.  We are doing that again tonight as a last minute prep for her test tomorrow afternoon.

[BC]

Dunno BC, looking at the damage looks more like she put the car in "R" for turn "Right". 

Was a T intersection..

[BC]

I came up with a little right, left exercise to help her.   We sat in our living room and I would call out a body part and right or left with her having to touch whatever I said   ie, right ear, left toe.    I would do these very rapidly.  It seemed like it helped.  We are doing that again tonight as a last minute prep for her test tomorrow afternoon.

no middle?.. that's where all the fun is..

[Ronnie]

no middle?.. that's where all the fun is..

Hooligan!

Turboguy... I wasn't kidding.  If she get's confused about right and left, she can panic and fail on the spot.  If confused, she should calmly repeat the examiner's instruction as if to be sure, while trying to remember.  If it's just a matter of translation, that' easy. Left starts with "L' just like "Lyeva"  Right starts with "R" which is the second letter of "prava"

If it's not a language issue but an orientation issue, then have her put an Icon on the passenger side of the dashboard...It won't help with her directional problem, but it will give the examiner something to pray to as the 18 wheeler t-bones his side of the car.

[Ronnie]

So Gator, VWRW.. How did the driving test go?

Yesterday, I noticed the garage door had been bashed in on the side where she parks her car.  She has no idea who did it, but she knows it wasn't her.   

Now I have to call my insurance agent and apologize for complaining last week that my premiums tripled when she was added.  The insurance companies seem to know about these things.

[BC]

If it's not a language issue but an orientation issue, then have her put an Icon on the passenger side of the dashboard...It won't help with her directional problem, but it will give the examiner something to pray to as the 18 wheeler t-bones his side of the car.

Ronnie,

Actually that's robably a pretty good technique.. I've heard of folks driving in UK tying a string around a finger on their left hand as a reminder which side of the road they should be on..

[BC]

So Gator, VWRW.. How did the driving test go?

Yesterday, I noticed the garage door had been bashed in on the side where she parks her car.  She has no idea who did it, but she knows it wasn't her.   

That's funny!.. After all it is your fault for putting the door at that particular spot in the first place..

[Gator]

So Gator, VWRW.. How did the driving test go?

On her first attempt she passed the written test 1-2 weeks after arriving here.  The only questions she missed were about distances (knowing only the metric system) and drugs.

She passed the driving test 2-3 weeks later, but was warned by the examiner that she was speeding. 

As I wrote earlier, she is a highly competent driver, who obviously has spent more time in Moscow in the driver's seat than she has in the kitchen.

The driver's license was valid for just 1-2 months (the remaining length of her fiancee visa) even though we had married (also quickly - two weeks after arrival).  When BCIS sent her a notice of receipt of her AOS application,  she was able to have the license extended for six months.

[Ronnie]

Sorry Gator, I think I got confused as to whose wife was taking the test.  I meant to ask Turboguy. 

[Turboguy]

Sorry Gator, I think I got confused as to whose wife was taking the test.  I meant to ask Turboguy. 

Well, ahhh, hummm, ahhh, emmmm,  Well, ahhh actually I goofed.  In practicing for the test we practiced the parallel parking more than anyone taking the test would ever do but we did not run the whole course.   When VWRW started off for the test she encountered something we had not practiced and had to make a decision and made the wrong one.  Totally my fault.  Anyway we try again this Thursday and now we have been running the whole course and I don't know what she could do to do anything more perfect than she has done in the practice runs.  It was a good learning experience.   The instructor did say she nailed the parallel parking.   She has done more parallel parking in getting ready for this test than I have done in my life.

[Ronnie]

I saw my insurance premiums more than double after adding the missus to my policy.  The said it was because of the fact that she has been licensed in the US less than 3 years.  I have Geico but Esurance has the same policy toward newly licenced drivers.

Can anyone recommend a company that isn't so punitive of newly licensed US drivers?

[GalinaF]

Hi, Ronnie. It’s strange that your auto insurance has increased that much. When we bought my first car, it was in my husband’s name, and he included that car on his policy as a second vehicle. Then, when I got my driver’s license, I was included as a second driver for that car, and the premium increased a little bit. I don’t remember actual numbers now, but the increase was insignificant, although I had received my driver’s license literally a few days before he added me to his policy. We had NGM Insurance Company at that moment.

About a year later, we switched to Geico, and our quote was less than we used to pay with our “old” insurance company (that’s why we switched). I had been licensed for less than two years at that moment.

Maybe you should call other auto insurance companies and ask them to give you a quote without emphasizing the fact that your wife got her DL recently.
Good luck!

[KenC]

Ronnie,
Years ago I had a great insurance salesman.  He owned hisown shop and wrote all my busness and personal insurance.  He gave me the best advice ever when it came to auto insurance: "don't ask and don't tell."  I had 2 kids reaching driving age and he told me that I was not required to report it to the insurance company, so I didn't.  They would be covered automatically by the policy so why stir anything up?  My rates never went up with 2 kids driving!  When I added Lena to my auto insurance, I never specified (nor did they ask) how long she had been driving.  I got a very minor charge for adding her, but nothing significant.  Maybe you are a victim of too much information!?
KenC

[aikorob]

Ronnie,
I have State Farm. I added Nata to my policy when she got her learner's permit--no increase in rates. He just said to let him know when she got her real license. Last month I did that, and the agent said no change in rates because of her age. He only asked her age, not experience when he was doing the papers.

[Ronnie]

The problem is that the insurance companies, at least in California, are specifically asking the person's age at the time they became licensed in the United States.  The have the birthdates so it's not a matter of giving information, it's a matter of being truthful or giving false information.  Having said that, I know that giving false information doesn't affect coverage if there's an accident, but they can cancel you and then you get put on some kind of shared list, I think.
I'm open to trying other companies, just looking for some suggestions.  I'll try State Farm, I never heard of NGM..

[KenC]

The problem is that the insurance companies, at least in California, are specifically asking the person's age at the time they became licensed in the United States.  The have the birthdates so it's not a matter of giving information, it's a matter of being truthful or giving false information.  Having said that, I know that giving false information doesn't affect coverage if there's an accident, but they can cancel you and then you get put on some kind of shared list, I think.
I'm open to trying other companies, just looking for some suggestions.  I'll try State Farm, I never heard of NGM..

Ronnie,
I know I am a little south of you, but not quite as far as Tijuana!  (Still in Cali)  Lena earned her first American DL here in CA.  We seriously had no issues like you speak of.  In fact, Lena has had two crashes with substantial dollar outlay from the insurance company and our rates still did not go up.  We use 21st Century.
KenC

[ScottinCrimea]

We were with Geico originally and they pulled the same thing, claiming that because she hadn't been licensed in the US for three years, the rates were higher. They claimed it was an issue of the state and couldn't be avoided.  They were constantly hassling us until we sent a copy of her US license, threatening to cancel us, even though her Ukraine license was good for 6 months in this state. I called Progressive to get a quote and specifically asked them if this would cause us to have higher rates and their response was, "We don't care".  I'm now paying about 40% less than I would have with Geico.

[Ronnie]

I'll check out 21st Century too.  Progressive was higher even before I got to adding my wife.

[Jet]

We were with Geico originally and they pulled the same thing, claiming that because she hadn't been licensed in the US for three years, the rates were higher. They claimed it was an issue of the state and couldn't be avoided. 

Same happened to us. Answering was unavoidable because they wanted to know WHICH U.S. insurance company she had been with for the prior 3 years, if none...pay up.
Further, they sent us a letter stating there would be a negative mark put on her credit record because otherwise she'd qualify for much lower rates 

[apple47]

Further, they sent us a letter stating there would be a negative mark put on her credit record because otherwise she'd qualify for much lower rates 

                 For what reason would the insurance co. have for putting a black mark on her credit record?  As I understand the credit score,it is about past performance    With no prior history I don't understand how they could report anything. 

                 With no prior history of insurance,I can understand a higher rate for this reason,don't see where the credit report is involved.   

                  My wife came here with 22 years driving experience and a current Kazakh drivers license.   She was given a temp license after a written test. And got her perm license a few months later.     I have had State Farm since 1975.   There was no increase in my rates when I added my wife as secondary driver on my car.      After she got her own car ,her rate was about $27.00 more than mine for a semi annual premium.   But,she had a better appointed car than I did,so I expected a higher rate.

            I am upset that an insurance co. could/would put a bad mark on a persons credit report in this situation or any situation as they have provisions by contract for handling nonpayment of premiums.   If it's not illegal it is definately  an unfriendly business practice.     Their name needs to be plastered across the internet to get this practice stopped.

                                                               ...Larry

[Ronnie]

Larry,
I know that some states actually base rates on a person credit report in part.  It's illegal for them to do that in California but I know Arizona is one that does it.  A person's credit history has become so important in today's world that everybody wants to use it as a threat or means of control over consumers.  You need to lobby your state representatives for a law that prevents insurance from affecting or being affected by your credit report.