Learn How to Drive and Survive
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Linda’s Rhymes Taught in Class 1. If in doubt, don’t pull out. 2. Take your time and you’ll be fine. 3. Who’s ever going straight, the turner must wait. 4. When in town, bring speed down. 5. When in snow, go slow. 6. Take heed; control your speed. 7. Let them wait. It’s okay to be late. 8. Don’t be a stinker. Use your blinker. 9. If no line, stop behind the sign. 10. If it’s not clear, don’t go near. 11. If it’s blurry, don’t be in a hurry. 12. If you see a fist, you must resist. 13. When driving at night, stay closer to the right. 14. Look to the rear when your car is in “R” gear. 15. Go slow and then go. (Further explanations for each rhyme can be found in the book.) REFERENCE POINTS 1. Perfect Right Turns -- Line up your body with the sidewalk and begin hand-over-hand turning for 2½ full circles. Bring the wheel back another 2½ circles when the car is straight -- and not before. 2. Perfect Left Turns – In urban areas, look for the manhole cover on most streets in the middle of the intersections. When the front bumper is even with that manhole cover, begin hand-over-hand turning for 2½ circles. (If there is no manhole cover, begin hand-over-hand turning when your driver-side mirror is even with the double yellow lines on the road onto which you are turning. Bring the steering wheel back when the auto is straight – not before! 3. Perpendicular Parking – Line up your side mirror with the license plate of the car you plan to park next to, and then turn into the spot. The park is complete when your two mirrors are even with the car(s) next to you. 4. Exiting Angled or Perpendicular Parking – To prevent side-scraping another vehicle, always reverse halfway out of a parking spot before you turn your steering wheel in any direction. 5. Parallel Parking – Before backing into a parallel parking spot, make sure your passenger-side mirror is approximately 6” from the side-mirror of the front parked car. 6. Keeping Your Car Centered -- When driving, align your steering wheel over the dark oily strip down the middle of your lane. 7. Turn Signals – The rules specify that you turn on your right turn signal 100 feet in advance of the turn. However, if there is a driveway on your right just before the turn (for example, for a gas station or strip mall), wait until you pass this driveway before turning on your signal to turn right. If you don’t, a person leaving that driveway may turn out in front of you, assuming you are pulling into that driveway and not the signal light further ahead where you intended to turn. 8. Smooth Stops & Turns – In the city, you should start braking for a stop light or sign or turn you want to make about three driveways before that signal or sign or street in order to make a smooth and safe stop or turn.
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About the Book
Every parent dreads the moment when his or her child gets behind the wheel for the first time. We wonder if they will make the right decisions, embrace safety rules, and look out for others. But with the right kind of driver’s education comes knowledge that can last a lifetime. Linda Azarela is a certified driving instructor who has taught thousands of teenagers and adults both in the classroom and behind the wheel for over twenty-five years. For petrified, stressed parents who wish they had a reference book and a dual-control brake while teaching their children how to drive, or for teenagers who want a fun and easy way to learn the basics of driving, Azarela shares an entertaining step-by-step guidebook that combines catchy rhymes and special methods with practical information while educating drivers how to • decipher traffic signs, lights, and roadway markings • park perpendicular, parallel, on a hill, and at an angle • make proper left, right, and three-point turns and left turnabouts • pass other cars safely • prepare for emergencies. For those ready to leave their fears at the side of the road and drive confidently, this guidebook shares easy ways to cope with the age-old predicament of learning how to drive and—most importantly—survive.
About the Author
Linda Azarela has been a certified driver’s education instructor through the Illinois Secretary of State’s office for over twenty-seven years, earning her certification from Oakton College in Des Plaines, Illinois. She has taught over 8,500 teenagers and over 600 adults to drive. She has trained many other driver education teachers from other schools the fine art of instructing teenagers. She was voted Teacher of the Year in 1997 by the students of several local high schools, earning her a plaque and a story in the local newspaper.
Linda currently owns and operates Azarela Driving School in West Dundee and Elgin, Illinois. She formerly owned A-Tri-County Driving School in East Dundee, Illinois, from its inception in 1984 to its sale in 2000. At that time, Linda’s husband had become ill and she was needed at home. Being at home, she also became the caregiver for her three grandchildren. During this time, Linda continued to teach behind-the wheel and classroom through A-Tri-County until 2007. At that time, since the grandchildren were now older and in school, she decided to open and operate her own school again.
Previously from South Barrington, Illinois, Linda currently lives in McHenry, Illinois, both far northwest suburbs of Chicago. She has two adult children, Heather, a phlebotomist, wife, and mother of three, and Blake, a champion swimmer (an Olympics qualifier) and businessman.
Linda enjoys ballroom dancing and karaoke, and is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Using this knowledge, Linda gives her teen students a brief demonstration on how to defend themselves if they become involved in a road rage situation. She also gives free monthly self-defense classes to business women throughout the surrounding communities.