28 — Friday, July 2, 1999 — North Shore News

ONE of ICEC’s latest
ad campaigns insists
that today’s new dri-

ver’s get better training.

Really now?

. Truth be known, ICBC
has only r.ianaged to regulate
the duration of the learning
process, not the process itself.

And while a token effort
has been made to promote
“professional” driving instruc-
tion; parents today are often

Ing SC:

too overwhelmed by choices
when it comes to driving

schools: Cut-throat hacks
offering a driver's ed class
cheaper than your last oil
change; the more expensive
“quality assured” institutions
of good status that stil! man-
age to create a nightmare for
parents with one bad instruc-
tor or a mishandled booking;
or fair Priced little schools
that can’t be found for the
aforementioned mass lack of
class.

It’s no wonder parents are

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Sy

ions

opting to teach their kids to
drive without the help of
TEBC endorsed “profession-
als,

Statistically speaking, the
vast majority of parents and
guardians take this task upon
themselves, in spite of the fact
that there are about a zillion
driving schools out there that
will cut 2 kid’s mandatory
learning period in half.

Sull, this does not excuse
those parents who insist on
teaching their kids to drive
bur teach them imprenerly.

. There are a few tell-tale
signs that a parent/guardian
is mishandling their role as

’ teacher as they dawdle along

the road and here’s your first

clue: A big, fat piece of paper

upon which has been scrawled
in jiffy marker the words °

ty. . No particle board! we offer a

designs i in solid woods & wrought iron

“New location of
| Al & Shannon
| and the Dancing Dogs

just minutes over the
Second Narrows Bridge

Suite Dreams
Baenicure poe...

“nEw dRIvEr,” or a variation
thereof, and pasted dead-cen-
tre to the rear window of
daddy's Oldsmobile.

To many, such signage
merely states that daddy had
the courtesy of warning
other’s about little Johnny’s
potential ineptitude, as if the
cute little magnetic “N” sign
issued by ICBC is too vague.

But this hand-made, two-
word sign spcaks volumes: It.
means that daddy hasn’t clued
into the fact that: a) Little.

.Johony can’t see squat out

the rar window for the big
2.” poster; b) Johnny hasn’t a
care in the world for what
may be coming up behind
him; and c) Johnny may very
well never know the imp r=
tance of that crucial li

device called the rear- view
mirror. .

First of all, folks, “New
Driver” or “Student Driver”
signs’are not required of you -
{but they are for ‘driving:

. : schools). :.

jake for headaches ©

Never were. Only the
magnetic diamonds with the
N or L, which is a good
thing. Aside from their ability
to obstruct Johnny’s view,
paper signs have a tendency
to inake other drivers treat
you differently, usually rudely,
and therefore misleading
Johnny as to the true nuances
of driving on the roads today.

Secondly, if you feel you
must use such a sign, if only
to deflect the angry glares of
other drivers away from you,
the brave teacher/passenger,
to Johnny the novice Klatz,
make-it a small, legible sign.
placed in the bottom comer:
of the rear window on the”
driver’s side. Lettering need .
be no more than two inches ~
high (the dsiving schoot stan-
dard) to be legible. Such, a-
size and placement offers the
feast amount of rear- view
. obstruction; if any. =

While you're reat it, start.

Dedicated t to making your car,
es in appearance, : :