Then you sweep you eyes back and forth in a pattern that scans the areas from the horizon all the way back to your vehicle, check your mirrors and then once again aim as far as you can up the center of your intended path. That’s the eye-search pattern you want to establish. Of course, that pattern will be interrupted by various hazards or situations that demand your attention and response. Nevertheless, that is the pattern you work to develop into a habit.

Watch this video for more details:

As you may remember, “targeting” is one of the three major habits you need to become a collision-free driver.

Targeting well ahead sets the scene, gives you an opportunity to see what’s going on well in advance so you have time to assess and respond, helps you maintain your lane position, and helps reduce your blood pressure!

That’s why it is so important for you to continue to ask your student questions that force him/her to look way ahead. (“What color is the 2nd light up ahead?”, “Is one of the lanes up ahead moving slowly?”, “What target is in the center of our intended path?”, “What is the Path of Least Resistance?”).

It’s easy to get complacent about this once your student has pretty good manipulative skills (she/he can start, stop, turn, park and not scare you!) and you feel like you can actually breathe more easily now compared to what it was like a few days before!

Take a look at the video I’ve created for you about Targeting. It’s a multi-part series (7 parts in all), just about how to use targeting. I think you’ll like it and I believe it will help you.

How you can benefit from my preparing for my second triathlon – it’s this weekend! Around the first of the year my niece’s husband, Keith, suggested that we do a triathlon at the end of April in Kemah. I reluctantly agreed to do it.

Yes, doing the triathlon – the open water 500 meter swim, the 20k bike, and the 5k run is a challenge for me, the real challenge is what I have to do to prepare for the event.

This time I altered my training regimen and got some coaching. My swim coach is a friend (we used to play basketball together at the “Y” – in our youth) who, it turns out is quite an accomplished swimmer and swim coach. He was helping a group of masters swimmers and invited me to join in their practices.

I hesitated to join the group because I told him I didn’t think I could keep up with them. He said that wasn’t an issue and that I could work at my own pace. Well, I started swimming with them and, even though I can’t keep up with them (most of them are 20 years younger and were college swimmers – when I was a kid I only swam at the “Y”), I’ve been swimming with them since October. Swimming with this group, I’ve become a stronger swimmer.

My friend, Bruce (a nationally ranked swimmer), has helped me improve my stroke. He has helped me improve my stroke by making it much more efficient – I used to swim the 25 yards in 15 strokes (front crawl or freestyle), and now I can do it in 12 strokes (10 strokes if I really focus on doing a low stroke count).

Also, about six weeks ago, I started taking a cycling class at the “Y” – one of those “spinning” classes. Torture for 45 minutes, twice a week – but I believe that will help me on the bike portion. The different instructors have each given me tips on how to ride more efficiently – and they’re not afraid to push me during these sessions.

I’ll let you all know how this event turns out. It should be fun.

The way you coach your student in the vehicle makes a difference. That’s why I created the audio series – to give you the tools to prepare for each time you go out in the vehicle with your son or your daughter.

Be sure to review these even if you listened to them once already. Why? Because, after doing some in-vehicle coaching, you now bring more experience to the table. We learn from what we know. I suspect that you could pick up one or two key points about the Point of No Return or Stabilizing the Rear or how to improve your student’s eye movement, simply by reviewing one or two of the audios.

You could listen to them in the car on the way to work or home. Sharpen your own skills as a coach and your student will reap the rewards.

Say nothing. Wait to see how long it takes for your teen to realize that the mirror is not positioned correctly. Hopefully, you won’t have to wait too long. If you have to wait a bit or your teen does not notice it in the first few minutes, it’s time to pull over and have a discussion about eye movement and checking the rear space.

In fact, if you do this frequently – before your practice session starts, during a break, anytime you and your teen exit the vehicle for a demonstration, etc., your teen is likely to start checking to make sure that the mirror is properly positioned every time he/she gets behind-the-wheel. Isn’t that what you want?

Watch this video about “Surprising your Student by moving the Mirror”. Enjoy!

After talking with the Texas DPS and attending a session where one of their troopers was the main speaker, we thought we needed to alert you all to the changes in how the DPS Driver License Offices in Texas are handling their scheduling of road tests.

Yes, everyone must now take a road test (these are no longer waived) and, depending on the driver license office you go to, you may be able to schedule your road test online.

That’s right, you can go to the DPS website and schedule your road test online – if that driver license office you wish to go to offers that service. You can still go into the driver license office and schedule your road test in person. You may get a road test that day, but that may not happen if you are in one of the larger urban areas.

According the Esther Vasquez at the DPS, it still is first come, first serve. According to Trooper Sarah Cadan of the DPS, even if you schedule your appointment online, you must still go to that driver license office at least two days in advance to pay for the test and to verify that you have the correct paperwork.

Trooper Cadan also stated that by scheduling your appointment online, you are more likely to get an appointment sooner than if you go to the office in person and schedule an appointment. Hey, I found that hard to believe, so I asked her and she repeated that you are more likely to get an appointment sooner by scheduling it online.

Here’s the link to the DPS website:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/OnlineServices.htm

The DPS is in transition with this service – some offices have it, some don’t. Be sure to check to check their website to get the up to date information on the location you want to use.

You can watch our video for more details.

We receive a great question from one of you all: If you have to slow suddenly, is checking the mirror a good idea since the driver probably needs to focus on the situation ahead?

This is a very good question and I suggest that you click on the video I’ve created to respond to this question.

Yes, this is a valid point. If you have to slow immediately, checking the mirror before braking quickly may cost you time and space you don’t have. If this occurs, it’s because you ended up in some kind of trap – most likely, one that could be avoided. A sudden brake usually occurs because either you are not leaving enough front space (following distance), haven’t looked far enough ahead to anticipate a trap, or you are surprised by a threat from the side. These are typically preventable situations.

Of course, the purpose of the habit of checking the mirrors in general is to be aware of where your escape routes are and if there are any threats from the rear.

Checking the mirror before taking your foot off the accelerator is an extremely important habit because it tells the driver whether he needs to tap the brakes quickly a few times (in case someone from the rear is closing too fast), or whether it’s safer (or necessary)to change lanes to avoid getting tagged from the rear.

Click on the video link to see a more detailed explanation of why checking your mirrors BEFORE taking your foot off the accelerator is a critical habit for collision-free driving.

Being anxious about driving or learning to drive is normal. Most new drivers feel uneasy when they start, struggle to process everything that’s happening in and outside of their vehicle, and then admit that they are surprised that it’s not as easy as they thought.

That is partly because when they see others drive (like you, their parents), it seems so easy.

Expect this anxiety to cause a tight grip on the steering wheel, a fixed stare, and short breaths.

So help your student to release that tension by taking a deep breath, moving their eyes, turning their head to check the blind spot, and even stopping the vehicle and getting out for a demonstration or discussion.

As their tension returns prompt your student to take a deep breath – then a deeper breath and make sure the exhale is done slowly.

Also, prompt a light grip on the wheel.

A little tension is good – you want the student to be alert and pay attention. You also want the student to be able to function at ease. It’s an interesting balance.

Today’s tip was prompted by a written comment I received from Jocelyn, a parent, in Sugar Land, Texas. Go ahead and play the video to hear the whole comment.

Essentially, she thanked my emphasis on the positive teaching techniques in Driver Ed in a Box® and how the discussions with her teen are creating a great bond with her teenager.

Everyone remembers where they learned to drive, who taught them, how it went, what their experience was like. Those memories will last a lifetime. Your sacrifice and investment of your time now can pay you big dividends later. Be sure to watch the video.

The details of how to comply with this are available from the Texas DPS website or, if you are using our online Driver Ed in a Box course, it is available to you there.

The purpose of this new requirement is to prevent fraud and to make sure that anyone who receives a Texas driver license or ID actually resides in the state of Texas.

Download the form here. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader)