What have you been doing today?

[obbie]

Gert wish those rules still applied to todays drivers.

[Wonder]

Mandi, the work you are doing is fantastic and I'm sure much appreciated by the individuals and families you care for, thanks goodness there are people like you around.

Suzanne, congratulations to your DD.

Exams all over in our house and DD got the mark she was hoping for with her portfolio so was very happy and relaxed last night. She had a group of friends over for a "quiet night" and it was anything but quiet. There seemed to be quite a few extra bodies upstairs this morning when I got DS up, and I doubt they will be surfacing any time soon.

[Nikkit]

Gert, you made me laugh out loud then, the dogs have gone off and are barking like there is a nutter in the house 
Yeah..ok...there is. 
But anyway, yes I do wish that there was a bit more training involved. At this stage the kids can get "L's" at 16. Sit a computer test, do 25 hours driving (have to log it in a book) with a licensed, sober, sane (??) person. Who happened to be me. Who after the first time with Miss 16 driving I was licensed, presumably sane, but after 5 minutes after being home was not sober! She also had paid driving lessons with an instructor (I had too...it was cheaper than the continuous supply of vodka I was buying )
After 25 hours she had to do her test with a policeman (I think...the driving instructor organised this, I wasn't there) She failed the first one and passed it the 2nd attempt. Then she had to do another 25 hours (logged in a book) as before. (and the licensed person ...me...was coping a lot better and the vodka consumption has slowed somewhat).
Now she has to sit a Hazard Perception Test - a computer test, and she is on her red "P's" for 6 months then can swap to green "P's" for 18 months.
That's it. (not too sure about the vodka consumption here...)
I think there should be a compulsory advanced driving lesson where kids are put into cars (controlled environment with an experienced instructor) and taken on to gravel roads, wet roads, at speed etc  and get them in a pickle and show them how to get out of it.
There are companies that do this and we will be doing this with our Miss 17.

And I'll still worry all the same!

Wonder - well done to your DD, mine has her last exam this arvo, and won't find out her ATAR score until end of December and if she has been accepted into uni or not. Meanwhile she has another job interview this week, so fingers crossed 

[Wonder]

Victorian's have to do 120 hours of supervised driving in all conditions all logged with full details, when they finally go for their licence the testers automatically take about 10% off so really you need to have at least 130 - 140hrs before trying to sit the test. We know quite a few parents who have "fudged" the hours and i just don't understand why you would do that, we will be making DD do more rather than less.

Nikkit, she won't know her attar until later in December but her first preference is a non attar interview and portfolio based course so she just needs to go well in English. She has her first "creative day" for her preferred course on Thursday and if she gets through that she will have a one on one interview and then have to submit her portfolio. Is your DD's preference to go to Uni or start work?

[BeezeeBee]

Congrats Suzanne. Your dd is doing very well. She is persevering....a hard thing to teach the kids.

Nikkit and Wonder, fingers crossed for your kids and their interviews.

My eldest is 14, and I'm nervous about the driving age. It took me 7 months before I would allow him to cycle to high school. Not sure about a bigger, more lethal transportation.

[obbie]

so different rules for driving now.
we had a learners license for 6 weeks, did a theory test, and a driving test, and it was easy.

[Nikkit]

Wonder - I think that 120 hours is a good idea. I have heard so many parents complain about 50 hours here    (we have to log all details and all driving conditions too) And heard them say that 'we'll add and hour here or there in the log book'. I have tried to talk to them about it, but some people just have an idea in their head and won't budge. (like me!)
Miss 17 has enough hours now, but I'm still making her drive and log them. She'll go sit her test next week for her P's.

I have no idea what her preference is Wonder. (It changes daily... ) MY preference is for her to get a job over the summer and then see if she has been accepted into uni. If she has, then she has a couple of $$ in her bank account and some experience in the work place, then she can go to uni and either quit the job or juggle both. If she doesn't get into uni, then she has a job and she can decide what she wants to do from there. She was thinking police force at one stage, but she has to be 18, so another 12 months away. But I think she may have changed her mind again on that one.
And why not...I'm over forty and I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up! 

No way is she sitting around home from now until whenever uni starts - it'll drive me insane!

[Wonder]

I think the more hours the better. DD only has about 40 so a long way to go. She hasn't done any driving in the last few months but is keen to start again. I'm hopless when she is driving and she is apparently a lot worse if I'm in the car with her. I really want her to get professional lessons so I have more comfort in her driving but she's been resistant up to now and prefers learning with DH. We are fortunate she has been working at Woolworths for over 12 months and will probably pick up more shifts with them as well as some work experience with an advertsing agency in late December and again in Jan. She has schoolies, then a trip to Tasmania for a music festival and then Cambodia at the start of Feb and hopefully in Jan she will help out with looking after her brother as both DH and i will be working.

[gertbysea]

We had to learn to  put snow chains on the car, Anti freeze in the radiator , drive on the highways, byways and dirt roads in any weather and if your six months was the second half of the year that meant driving in blizzards. Pretty scary but necessary. I can't ever remember anyone having an accident.  I don't know why schools do not adopt a driving program and local car dealers coming on board. God knows they teach a lot of useless stuff in schools.

Gert

[Yvette]

Sydney has 120 hours too 

[cookie1]

I got my license when dinosaurs were around. I had been driving since I was old enough to reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. About 6 or 7 I think. We learnt on the farm and used to drive out to check sheep, troughs etc.

[Emme]

I got my license when dinosaurs were around. I had been driving since I was old enough to reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. About 6 or 7 I think. We learnt on the farm and used to drive out to check sheep, troughs etc.

Me too Cookie, did exactly the same.  No sealed roads, all gravel. 

[arcadia]

I got my license when dinosaurs were around. I had been driving since I was old enough to reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. About 6 or 7 I think. We learnt on the farm and used to drive out to check sheep, troughs etc.

I have been driving since then also.  My 2 boys (5 & 6)are doing the same, with the dry and feeding cattle they love driving (steering). They will be competent drivers by the time they go to boarding school, and mainly on dirt roads as I can't see our roads getting bitumen anytime soon. They do drive the gator on their own and now can help dad with the weaners (or smaller cattle) on their 2 wheelers on their own without me having to go also.

[dede]

I loved been brought up on a farm, we were steering the ute while dad feed the sheep from an early age, I even drove a truck while bale carting when I was around 12 which was a great job, you would have to line up the hay bales to go up the escalator that was attached to the truck so the men could stack the hay.

[sue_purrb]

A friend called round on the day that my DS had gone driving for the first time on his own. She asked me what was wrong, and when I told her she said "Don't worry, it gets easier. It has to. It's physically impossible to sustain that level of anxiety for any length of time!"