Friday Night Road Rally - October 26
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Well, it certainly requires a driver to be aware of a lot of things while driving (looking for road signs and other landmarks, watching the odometer, managing speed closely, etc) and to be able to react quickly ("crap, turn right HERE") and make proper decisions ("No, I can't make that turn, we'll have to go past it and turn around"... or "if I nail the brakes hard enough to make that turn, I'll probably get rear-ended by the car behind me"). It could be a lot for a new driver to handle, especially a night rally. But, if they're ready for it, it could help them learn to multitask while driving.
As a former driving instructor, I found that the first hurdle to "situational awareness" is to be sure that the student is fully confident with driving the car. Put them through some autocross-type situations to prove to them that the car is capable of far more than what they normally ask it to do. Be sure they understand how hard they can brake (and use ABS properly if they have it... threshold brake if they don't) if they need do, and that the car can stop REALLY quickly if they ask it to. Also find some narrow curvy roads and teach them "how big the car is" and how to get around without straying from a lane or driving through the dirt. Practice in those areas of "control and confidence" first. Once they're confident in the car and aren't thinking about THAT aspect of driving, then they'll have plenty of mental energy to put toward watching the traffic around them, looking for road hazards ahead, etc. Basically... once they're comfortable with the car, you start putting them in more and more intimidating situations. More lanes, more traffic, strange "non-standard" intersections that require them to look and think, that sort of thing. But, always teach the basics first.
As a former driving instructor, I found that the first hurdle to "situational awareness" is to be sure that the student is fully confident with driving the car. Put them through some autocross-type situations to prove to them that the car is capable of far more than what they normally ask it to do. Be sure they understand how hard they can brake (and use ABS properly if they have it... threshold brake if they don't) if they need do, and that the car can stop REALLY quickly if they ask it to. Also find some narrow curvy roads and teach them "how big the car is" and how to get around without straying from a lane or driving through the dirt. Practice in those areas of "control and confidence" first. Once they're confident in the car and aren't thinking about THAT aspect of driving, then they'll have plenty of mental energy to put toward watching the traffic around them, looking for road hazards ahead, etc. Basically... once they're comfortable with the car, you start putting them in more and more intimidating situations. More lanes, more traffic, strange "non-standard" intersections that require them to look and think, that sort of thing. But, always teach the basics first.
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Sounds good. I think with a proper co-pilot this would be a good experience. I'll run it by him to see if he is interested. Daytime would definitely be a plus. Thanks for your insight.
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It's looking like the Friday night rallies are a bust. Not enough people are able to do them. So, we'll probably shift to daytime weekend rallies and hope that fits with more people's schedules.
I've also noticed that nobody plans ahead more than a week or two... so I'm gonna take a couple weeks off before making final decisions on what to do for November. Will likely do Saturday, probably a 10am start. It's a tossup between Nov 24 (Thanksgiving weekend) and Dec 1. Nov 24 could maybe work well if I make it a very "family friendly" fun rally... or it could flop from everybody being out-of-town or out shopping. I'm just not sure. Could use some feedback on that.
I've also noticed that nobody plans ahead more than a week or two... so I'm gonna take a couple weeks off before making final decisions on what to do for November. Will likely do Saturday, probably a 10am start. It's a tossup between Nov 24 (Thanksgiving weekend) and Dec 1. Nov 24 could maybe work well if I make it a very "family friendly" fun rally... or it could flop from everybody being out-of-town or out shopping. I'm just not sure. Could use some feedback on that.
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