Q: What! Do you suggest I manage my co-pilot? CLIENT
A: YES! Absolutely. This is your learning. Be responsible for creating success with each step towards Learning To Drive! COOPER
Your co-pilot is a precious resource. Treat them like gold!
First, set up the rules for success. You know what works because you drove successfully with Cooper. You know what needs repeat work and practice. This is why you need to manage your copilot because they don’t see what you need to work on. Carefully plan the practice times to create success, not failure.
- Choose an area to drive. One that’s familiar, you know, and has clearly defined barriers you plan to stay within. If you mistakenly go outside, it’s okay to stop and have the co-pilot drive back to safety.
- Do not under any circumstances leave this area. Twenty minutes in a parking lot is valuable if that’s all your copilot can handle. Build success so they will come back for more.
- If your starting point is chaotic, have the co-pilot drive you to the practice area and back home if needed.
- When the practice person says YOU ARE DOING GREAT let’s GO OUT ONTO THE BIGGER ROADS, say no. Save new places for your driving instructor’s dual-control car. You must manage everything here for your success.
- Give some control to the co-pilot.
- Give them the hazard lights they can switch on to communicate to rear traffic when you move too slow.
- Practise placing their hand on the wheel as you drive, allowing them to co-steer to make them feel safer and to help guide you if you need guidance.
- Practice the words Brake Brake Brake if they want you to slow or ‘brake.’ Give them the power of the phrase ‘brake’ when they need to help you control the car.
- Some cars have a parking brake which they can slowly pull up, holding the button in, slowing down the vehicle with the two back wheels. Practise this a few times to prove it works.
Remember that your copilot is not used to sitting in the passenger’s seat.
The copilot has very little control of the car, which is unusual for them.
They may be more nervous than usual so do things slower.
Sometimes they don’t like slower and will push you to speed up – give them the hazard lights and teach them our technique of pulling off the road to allow the faster cars to run past. – make sure you have your L sticker on the back of your car!
Love often expects far more from us than usual. Resist the push and stay on track with what you need to practise calmly.
Be very careful with co-pilot practice. There are many stories where conflict arose between parties attempting to drive together.
“We drove for maybe 10 minutes and stopped on the side of the road, both so angry we didn’t speak to each other for a whole day!”
I do not teach anyone I know because of this social energy between friends and family.
Beginning licenses restrict the number of passengers you can carry PRECISELY because of this distracted energy.
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