As I've dawdled at home over my coffee and cereal for the last few weeks, I've watched out the window as Rachel (the young woman who lives down the block) trudged off to catch the bus to school. One afternoon I stopped her as she returned home and inquired as to how her classes were going. She informed me that, among other things, she was taking Driver Ed.I remembered the Driver Ed. class I took one summer, some 45 years ago. Not only was it fun, it sure beat trying to learn how to drive during the regular school year when you've got all sorts of other activities and classes to deal with. Also, because of the day my birthday happened to fall on, if I took Driver Ed. during the summer, I could get my license during the second month of my sophomore year and be driving almost a full year ahead of all my classmates."I'm taking it at Ballard H. S.," Rachel told me. "The school that I go to doesn't offer Driver Ed. We meet for a class of almost two hours each day for a month and a half and then driving sessions are extra."I'll never forget Ernie Polte, my in-the-car driving instructor; he was also my high school swimming and water polo team coach. I would guess Polte was in his late 50s and from all the hours he put in on the pool deck he possessed a constantly sunburned nose.He drove an old, oxidized-green Chevy pickup that displayed about 10 years worth of membership stickers to one of the oldest surf clubs in southern California. All of us surfers looked up to him as a kind of "old man of the sea."Rachel told me she went through six driving sessions of about 40 minutes driving each time and then an hour-an-a-half of riding and watching two other students drive; her driving instructor taught Driver Ed. year-round.We used to spend about the same amount of time driving but there were only two students to a car. Often when we'd climb into the car we'd hear Polte announce, "I hear Newport's breaking (or Huntington Beach, or Seal Point, etc.) -- let's check it out." One of us would drive the 30 miles to the beach -- we'd get an ice cream cone at Will Wright's and then spend the next half-hour studying the surf -- then we'd switch places and the other one would drive home.Because of all the advance gossip, there were two driving lessons that I was apprehensive about: freeway driving and parallel parking. The day Polte commented, "Laguna's breaking -- let's take the freeway," I figured might be the day of my doom. Before we got to the on-ramp Polte had me pull over to the side for a little pep-talk."The first thing to remember," he told me, "is to always use your turn signals -- I want to see that flasher going 10 seconds before you move the wheel. "Think of the freeway as being two lanes wide -- the only time you use the left-hand lane is when you're passing someone and the right-hand lane is just used for getting on and off -- the rest of the time you should be in the center two lanes. Start accelerating as soon as we turn on to the entrance ramp -- you can't merge with traffic when you're going 30 miles per hour slower than they are."One more thing -- have fun!"I started down the on-ramp with my signal flashing and the engine moaning. I checked over my left shoulder and looked in both my mirrors. The freeway was virtually deserted -- I was all alone! Los Angeles, or more precisely Orange County, wasn't yet crowded enough 45 years ago to experience a constant rush hour 35 miles from the heart of the city; I'm glad I don't live there now."We practiced merging on the freeway," Rachel told me, "but that's about all. We were never on the freeway for more than a mile or two at a time."Rachel also told me about one "teaching aid" that I didn't get the pleasure to experience. Driver Ed. now utilizes a "simulator" that is equipped with all the car's controls, instruments and mirrors and has a movie projected around it. "We are supposed to 'drive' the thing six times for 20 minutes each time, but it was broken a lot."One of the former News editors used to tell a story of how one Driver Ed. teacher at Ballard required that the day's worst simulator "driver" would be required to wear a football helmet labeled "DUNCE" for the rest of the day. But then, he would also tell about some students who treated the simulator like a big video game with the object being to pick off pedestrians, so I wonder about its value."We had a test almost every day," Rachel replied when I asked her about the class work, "there was driving theory, road signs, traffic law and basic common sense to learn. We also saw movies about drinking and driving, the importance of seat belts and about 10 other things. There was a lot to learn."I smugly asked her how she did during the parallel parking segment of the class. After watching some Magnolia residents try to park in the village, I thought that this might be a portion of the class that is no longer taught."No problem," Rachel responded, "if you just remember that you have to back in, it's no sweat at all.""What kind of car did you use for the class?""Nissans and Mazdas. What did you use?"From the look in Rachel's eyes I could tell she was mentally adding decades to my age when I told her, "Studebakers -- Studebaker Larks."[[In-content Ad]]
