How do you deal with your GF's poor driving..

There's an American girl who lives near me and she's probably one of the best drivers I know. She used to work at a summer camp, and got her licence to drive the massive yellow school buses when she was 19, so she doesn't have the "I must drive a small car" complex like 99% of girls seem to. She's got a Ford Escape, but was telling me how she really enjoys thrashing her mum's "stick shift" mustang. She could also tell that my car was a V6 just from the sound, and knows more about mechanics than I do.

She'd be the perfect girl if she wasn't an extremely orthodox christian, with the corresponding levels of mental that go with it. :p
 
Mine drives an ambulance for a living so there's not much to complain about.
Apart from her complaining about my driving.
And sometimes forgetting she doesn't have a blue light in her car :p
 
No complaints here my Mrs is an excellent driver. Granted this is likely because I taught her and refused to let her out of an industrial estate till she could do half your list competently.

She now drives a 350z and has nothing negative to say about my plans for a new M3. I suggest new girlfriend as the way to resolve your issues :)

Hawker
 
I've only just got a new model so I wont be part exchanging her any time soon, unless she breaks down of course. ;)
She's a great ride :D:D:D
 
Acme said:
Brakes are cheaper to replace because they are consumable parts. The gearbox isn't going to break if you use it to decelerate unless you do some really stupid and violent downshifts with reasonable frequency. You shouldn't 'coast' because if someone hits you from behind and your foot gets knocked off of the pedal, you've just been shoved into the path of another car/into the back of a car/into something/someone. If you are in gear and/or slipping the clutch as well as braking, this effect will be far less serious...

I don't understand people who coast. I've done it a few times, partly out of curiosity, and it even *feels* unsafe in comparison. Considerably so.
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I agree that coasting 'feels' less safe, almost to the point of not being in proper control of the vehicle...

Plus, when a modern car is in gear but the accelerator is not depressed the fuel injectors are shut off - the car relies on its own momentum and inertia through the drivetrain to keep the engine turning over, whereas if the clutch is depressed the engine uses some fuel to keep ticking over, as the link to the drivetrain has been separated. This can help fuel economy, especially on a long trip. Slowing down for a turning/roundabout/traffic queue by anticipating, easing off the throttle and using the inertia of the drivetrain can pay great dividends for mpg
 
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The only real bad habit of my girlfriend is not using the foot break or hand break, and instead uses the bite to hold it, to the point you can smell it burning. I've almost got her to stop doing it...
 
Amraam said:
The only real bad habit of my girlfriend is not using the foot break or hand break, and instead uses the bite to hold it, to the point you can smell it burning. I've almost got her to stop doing it...
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Make her pay for the replacement clutch. That'll stop her.
 
It's her own car, and her dad has told her too. I don't complain though, as I STILL don't have a car yet after 4 months of looking, so if I whine, I walk...
 
If I'm honest my wife is certainly as good a driver as I am. If I were to criticise her, it would be for being too aggressive sometimes but she is very capable.
 
Mine is my driving equivalent, she hoons like the best of us no matter what she's driving. Shes the only person to ever make me feel car sick though, but I blame the car for that.
 
Dup said:
Mine is my driving equivalent, she hoons like the best of us no matter what she's driving. Shes the only person to ever make me feel car sick though, but I blame the car for that.
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Is it a 2CV? If so are you sure it isn't more like sea sickness? :p
 
My ex was actually a half decent driver when she wasn't a bag of nerves, unfortunately as soon as she was away from her regular routes she just freaked out and fell apart.
It was safest to just sit and let her get on with it.
 
tom_e said:
My ex was actually a half decent driver when she wasn't a bag of nerves, unfortunately as soon as she was away from her regular routes she just freaked out and fell apart.
It was safest to just sit and let her get on with it.
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This.
My girlfriend has been driving for 12 years, she is a very capable driver, hill starts, winding narrow county roads, can handle speed etc.

However; put her in unfamiliar city roads and she freaks the **** out, get's really stressed, she hates navigating to new places.

I'm buying my own car next month, look forward to being in the driving seat for a change :)
 
Mine is pretty decent as a driver, she has a habit of not putting her seatbelt on though until she is driving at which point she ends up weaving all over the road.

I'm half tempted to wire a relay up to the seatbelt warning light so the car can't be started when it is illuminated whilst she is away for the night in a couple of weeks. At the moment when I'm in the car with her I just leave the door open till her belt is on which drives her nuts. If she is a passenger in my car & does it I sit at the end of the drive & don't say anything until it is on.

I also constantly put her indicators on for her when she forgets.

It proper winds her up :D
 
Thinking I should get her an experience day or something to get her confidence up...

Anyone had any errrr "experience" of driving courses or development days?
Preferably something I could get some benefit from as well on the same day...
 
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