First thing you need to do is follow Galahia's advise about your father. Find someone else. He will be feel better and so will you.

I've only been driving for 52 years, so I still have a few things to learn myself. I'm not kidding. Everytime you think you know it all, the rules change. The volume of traffic increases every year and they are always coming up with new ideas like traffic light sensors, directional arrows, and right side mirrows that lie to you about how close that car is back there.

Your are going to need a place with very little traffic. Go out in the boonies, where you see another car about every 15 minutes, and drive, drive, drive. There is no subsitute for practice. Once controlling the car becomes natural, then you can start learning to deal with traffic.

I remember worrying about staying in the middle of my lane. My mother said that I needed to look at a spot in the road out there about a hundred feet and drive toward it. Forget about the lines, the edge of the pavemnet, the fenders the hood -- just aim the car at a point about five car length ahead. Mom was right. It was never a problem after that.

Driving takes a lot of consentration. You have so many things to keep track of all at the same time. Practice doing that when you aren't the one driving. Watch street signs, stop lights, pavement markings, etc. when you are riding with someone else and try to anticipate what they are going to do. Watch how experienced drivers handle curves, hills, stops, and other traffic.

Plan ahead. Make a mental map of where you are going before you ever get behind the wheel. There is usually more than one way to get there and one of them will be easier, with fewer turns or less traffic. Sometimes it's easier to go a few miles out of your way, rather than the most direct route. And don't hurry.

My dyslexic daughter-in-law, who didn't learn to drive until she was 30, started out driving from home to her son's school and back. It was about a mile, round trip. Then one day she went a few
blocks in the other direction to the beauty parlor. Then she went to the store. It took a year, but now she drive anywhere except into Knoxville. I thought she would never get her confidence up, but she did. No wrecks yet.

If I was learning to drive in today's traffic, I'd be scared to death. It wasn't easy, even in 1949, but now it's second nature.
Howard

> > 1. How do you stay in the center of the lane? This frustrates me to no end.
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> My dad told me that the line on the front of the car (the place where the hood of the car stops) is basically right above the tire. I'm not sure if this applies to all vehicles. If it applies to yours, it will help you "see" where your tires are on the road.
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> > 2. My sense of direction is absolutely horrible. I've gotten lost within one- or two- story buildings a couple of times, it's that bad.
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> I'm pretty "directionally challenged" myself, so can't really help you here. Well, maybe I can... You will end up getting lost; don't panic - it's not as bad as it may seem. (My big problem is that I start to panic, and it makes things a lot worse.) Keep a map in the car, and review directions if possible before you go somewhere new.
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> I know there's more to say... just can't remember exactly. I don't drive when I'm at college, and since I only drove a little over break it's been even longer since I've gotten lost.
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> > 3. My dad is horrible when it comes to yelling and/or swearing at me while I practice driving. Any way to calm him down to a reasonable degree? (Or should I just find someone else to tutor me? heh...)
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> Find someone else, if you can. I know from experience that a parent who isn't being calm can be a horrible stress. Even now I don't really like to drive with my parents in the car, just because it makes me more tense. I don't blame my parents, though - parents in general just tend to be more emotionally envolved and more concerned about their child's safety.
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> > -- codeman"at least I'm getting better at seeing stop lights"38
>
> Gahalia