> Any tips for a nervous teenager? I really
don't want to kill the instructor and wreck the
car, but above that, I'm not sure how I'm going
to do.

I think you'll do fine. I have a feeling that it's the
overconfident ones that do poorly. I remember
my first driving lesson with my mother in a
school parking lot. I was very timid; I was
amazed at how the car responded to the
slightest tap of my foot on the pedal. But you
get used to it.

Most driving instructors are very capable and
used to dealing with all ranges of feelings in
the kids they teach, from overconfidence to
"utter terror." I imagine having their own
braking pedal on the passenger side of the
car helps.

Here's a tip or two that I remember learning
during driver's ed. Your instructor(s) will
probably tell you this stuff too.

You should always leave at least one car
length between you and the person in front of
you when you're driving. At faster speeds, you
need to leave even more distance. This gives
you time to react when the car in front of you
suddenly slams on their brakes, for whatever
reason.

When you're approaching a stop sign or red
traffic light, take your foot off the gas and start
easing on the brake pedal about twenty feet or
so before the stop. This way you can come to
a gradual, easy, pleasant stop, rather than
jerking to a sudden stop and giving your
instructor a case of whiplash.

When stopping behind another car at a
sign/light, try to make sure you can still see
the rear wheels of the car in front of you when
you stop. If you can see their wheels, then
there's no chance of your accidentally
bumping into them.

When passing another car that's moving
slower, make sure you leave adequate
distance *behind* you before pulling back over
into the same lane in front of them. The way I
do this is to look in my rearview mirror. When I
can see the other car's headlights in my
mirror, then I know I've got enough room to
pull back over.

That's about all I can think of for now. If I think
of any more, I'll add to this thread. Again, I
think you'll do fine.

Gri"driving progress"shny