<p>The SMART buses used to run in Livonia. I think they stopped a few years ago.</p>
<p>Vlad, yes there are some buses that go to a few places from AA but they only make one stop and it’s really useless to most people UNLESS they’re going to Ann Arbor and happen to live close to a stop. I live as close to Ann Arbor as I do to the nearest bus stop that goes to AA (about 30 minutes by car to each).</p>
<p>I’ll go further than Ema and say nothing else in the state compares. CATA is decent but nothing compared to AA’s bus systems.</p>
<p>"I have long said that bike-riding is a “pre-driving” skill. " - I agree. My grandmother, who never rode a bike, tried to learn to drive but gave up. </p>
<p>We have a problem around here with drivers speeding up to get through yellow lights. I made up this ditty and taught it to my kids from a young age. </p>
<p>STOP for the Red
and GO for the Green
but mellow for the yellow that’s in between.</p>
<p>However, many parents appear to fail to teach their bicycle-riding kids to obey traffic laws on their bicycles, resulting in bicycle-riding kids doing dangerous things like riding on the wrong side of the road at night without lights.</p>
<p>My mom has no balance and has never been confident on a bike. She also is not very confident as an auto driver, but thankfully is happy to be a passenger as much as possible.</p>
<p>I have friends who frequent the Canton-Ann Arbor bus route. It’s not exactly user-friendly - two daily departure times from Canton (both prior to 7:30 AM) and then two departure times from Ann Arbor later in the day. Is it an alternative to driving? Yes, if you’re lucky. Is it a true mass-transit option? Not by a long shot.</p>
<p>Ha, no Niq. When the oldest got into her teens, I started a game where they pointed out bad driving moves. If they were right, they got a “ding ding” verbal approval (and a 25 cents later). Sometimes the reported driver was me, but that was fair game - good discussion point. </p>
<p>In Colorado, student drivers must log at least 50 hours (10 at night) with parent before taking the test. I think it’s a good rule.</p>
<p>The same rule exists in Michigan, but by loging it’s all just self-reported, one could easily lie. Though without 50 hours practice I think almost anyone would be a pretty incompetent driver.</p>
<p>I think for a lot of people the 50 isn’t enough, and I think a certain number of hours should be mandated for the freeway. I wish more parents would take a proactive role in this and set their own rules specific to their kids needs, a lot of my friends were not really ready when they got their licenses in my opinion. I’m not sure that I was really ready either, but my parents didn’t let me use their car by myself for several months after I got my license while I practiced more.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I know anyone who’s parents didn’t have them fake the log. We didn’t even log like we should have, but we know I practiced for probably well over 100 hours… there was almost four years between when I got my permit and when I got my license. I was a slow learner.</p>
<p>@colorado_mom Florida has some similar; although, I believe it’s 40 hours total and 10 of them must be a night. </p>
<p>I didn’t drive on the freeway until about a week before having to move to college. The first 30 miles I was nervous, but after that I was comfortable. Now, after a semester of driving back and forth, I’m a pro on the highways. </p>
<p>
One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of parent can’t put forward the attention and time that teaching a kid to drive requires. They just need their kid to be licensed. That’s good that your parents had a good awareness of your comfort levels regarding you driving by yourself. </p>
<p>I got a car before I got my license to learn on and I remember the first time I drove by myself. I felt so free. The car felt so empty. I felt a little scared. But it was great.</p>
<p>@jym Eh…I have a horrible sense of direction, as well. Make driving confusing. I can ride a bike and swim, though.</p>
<p>We have a graduated licensing system here that usually takes about two years to complete before a driver has a full license. There are two driving tests and rules and requirements at each level. Driving on the highway is part of the second test.</p>
<p>I have a license, but rarely drive. It’s been a non-issue for most of my adult life, including college and graduate school. I wouldn’t worry too much about your daughter’s situation unless this is causing her a lot of distress. If she has a development in her life where driving becomes important, she’ll either learn or figure out a work-around. Just don’t give her the impression that her future hangs on her mastery of this skill on the usual schedule.</p>
<p>If she ends up trapped, so to speak, in the set of Seattle, Boston, New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Madison, Austin, Portland, Oakland/SF, DC, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis, well, there are worse fates. Plenty of excellent drivers choose to restrict themselves to those markets anyway.</p>
<p>*Quote:
Originally Posted by me
"I have long said that bike-riding is a “pre-driving” skill. "</p>
<p>coloradomom’s answer - I agree.</p>
<p>UCB’s answer…However, many parents appear to fail to teach their bicycle-riding kids to obey traffic laws on their bicycles, resulting in bicycle-riding kids doing dangerous things like riding on the wrong side of the road at night without lights.
*</p>
<p>That may be so, but even risky bike riders do learn some basics…such as the timing of how to turn, braking, street familiarity, etc. That said, the really crazy bike riders may end being risky car drivers…but that doesn’t mean that bike-riding isn’t a really good pre-driving skill </p>
<p>Zoosermom…did you bike ride? If so, did you do it very often?</p>
<p>My D was a bike rider but needed a lot of practice with driving. Like someone else said about their kid, her nose was always in a book while I was driving so she had never really observed me driving. My S was NOT a bike rider but was a much better driver from the get go. He was always observant and at a very young age would recognize landmarks or ask questions about driving. He paid attention.</p>
<p>Like someone else said about their kid, her nose was always in a book while I was driving so she had never really observed me driving. My S was NOT a bike rider but was a much better driver from the get go. He was always observant and at a very young age would recognize landmarks or ask questions about driving. He paid attention.</p>
<p>I was the one who said that. My older son kept his nose in a book, while my younger son paid attention.</p>
<p>I was shocked when older son really didn’t know how to get to many places that we frequently had visited. And when he did learn a main street, he wanted to use it all the time, even if it wasn’t the most efficient route…just because it was what he knew.</p>
<p>Yes, paying attention while others are driving can also be a pre-driving skill. Whenever you carefully watch someone do something and watch the process, it’s easier to successfully imitate. Certainly!</p>
<p>I had the same problem about not paying attention. In high school my friend who drove me to school used to tease me and, jokingly, say “If I kicked you out of the car right now, would you know how to get home?” I didn’t know how to get to the high school until after I graduated. I was always reading in the car and never learned how the roads went. Now that I am accustomed to driving if I ever tried to read in the car I would promptly be violently ill… I don’t know how I ever did that. But I didn’t start learning my way around until I started driving.</p>
<p>I never really thought it was from not paying attention as a child, but I guess that could make sense. But I suppose people who never drive must learn the roads somehow, I doubt they are staring intently out the windows of the bus to watch all the street signs-- or are they?</p>
<p>My 23 yo S still has not been behind the wheel. Has done the classroom hours for driver’s ed, but never drove. We pushed on this issue, but he would not budge. He is a big fan of public transit and takes a shuttle to work or rides a bike. His spouse says he <em>will</em> learn before they have kids. S was finally convinced of the need to learn when DIL had a kidney stone right after they moved to CA and they had to take an expensive cab to the hospital (and back and forth for follow-ups afterwards).</p>
<p>He was another one of those kids for who driving represented the loss of important reading time.</p>
<p>S2 was happy to learn to drive, but didn’t get his license til he was nearly 19. Because neither kiddo went to the local HS, it was normative for their friends to ride the school bus and not get licenses til they were close to 18. Parents were not going to let their kids drive on the DC Beltway and surrounding interstates in rush hour traffic.</p>
<p>To me it’s akin to learning how to swim. You may hate the water, have no intention of ever being in a pool or ocean. The idea of taking a cruise is repulsive. But one day circumstances may bring you to a lake, river, ocean, pool, yacht, beach, stream. And on that day there could be an accident where hopefully you would be able to save yourself or your child or your parent or a friend or stranger. Driving is like that. You don’t have to be the best but like swimming it’s a life skill everyone needs to learn. Professional instructors are best for both too especially if the student is fearful.</p>