<p>So now I have something else to worry about. It's October break and my daughter wants to get a ride back to school with a very nice local fellow student. But it's 400 miles and I find the road unnerving often as it's a 65 mph speed limit and full of trucks. It would be awkward to refuse and my daughter really wants to do this. I know it's part of letting go. But I can't believe my plan for her to use public transportation is already being shelved. My d is only a freshman. And the driver is very local, so this will most likely be an every holiday plan!!! The driver sounds like a very nice and responsible girl, although we haven't met her yet. I have talked to her mother and she's very relaxed of course, saying that she only has the usual worries about teenaged drivers one would have. She must have just as many concerns, since her daughter does this by herself, normally. Any suggestions? My h. supports the drive and I am the only one reluctant. Any reassuring words?</p>
<p>Yes, Tia. Don't worry so much. I know its in the job description, but she will be fine. It is so much more convenient to get a ride than take public transportation. Its door to door and quicker. The drive will probably be under 6 hours, so fatigue won't be a problem. Just remind them to get plenty of sleep the night before. I would worry if there were 5 girls driving home together, but 2 sounds pretty good.</p>
<p>What highway is this, anyway? I feel as if some are worse than others as far as terrain, and who else uses it.</p>
<p>tia3, I understand! My son has a 300 mile road trip for long weekend to a friend's house. It is a big worry, and I will be biting my nails, but they are both very responsible. He also took two rides last year from another student to get home (bus transportation was available). It is not less nerve-wracking for me this year than it was last year.</p>
<p>tia: I totally understand and I have no good advice. :( I'm trying to figure out how to force my son to fly home for Christmas; he has a car this year but I do not like the drive from Columbus to Rochester in the winter. It's lake effect snow the entire route! I'm getting a lot of pressure from him and HUSBAND though. Darn!</p>
<p>Heck, just wait until they really start traveling.</p>
<p>BTW, stuff does happen. My own D had a near death experience two years ago. She and a number of athletic team mates (club team) were riding in a minivan driven by one of the teammates. Van was owned by the parents of another team mate. They were driving from Chicago to one of the Carolinas. Around 5 PM on the interstate in downtown Indianapolis, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, woke up, swerved across multiple lanes of traffic and finally spun out and collided with the center median barrier (thank goodness for the barrier or the outcome would have been tragic. </p>
<p>Amazingly, no one was hurt. D calls me from her cell asking how to call AAA for a tow! I had given her an additional AAA card but activation was messed up, so it took multiple calls to AAA to get them to come. </p>
<p>Now here's the interesting part. I have a brother living in Indy. I called him and he drove downtown to "rescue" the stranded drivers, bunking them at his house for the night. He also had them tow the minivan to the local Honda dealership who happened to be open Saturday AM. The biggest problem with the van was a bent front wheel so it was drivable early the next week. </p>
<p>Another teammate picked the crew up Saturday and they finished the trip uneventfully.</p>
<p>Morals of story:</p>
<ol>
<li> stuff happens</li>
<li> things often work out OK</li>
<li> AAA cards are a good thing, even for kids without cars.</li>
<li> Our kids do far more that we don't know about than what we DO know about.</li>
</ol>
<p>ON the latter point, I only recently learned that my D has often been the designated driver for Friday and Saturday excursions. Glad I never knew before.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>newmassdad: I read someplace that falling asleep is the number one cause of teenage accidents. It is scary!</p>
<p>newmassdad, Great post, and very accurate morals. I think that I will check that the driver has an AAA card, or I will get one for my son. I should have done that a long time ago anyway. Thanks, for the reminder! So glad that your DD and everyone else was okay!</p>
<p>know that if you've got a basic AAA membership the tow is limited to a certain number of miles - having gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere on our drop off trip this year, Southern Cal has a premium membership that covers longer tows - I'm going to check to see if Northern Cal has that too. The AAA operator told me we were 40 miles from service & would only get a 7 mile tow and the additional would be charged at $8 per mile payable to the driver - I want to upgrade my kid's AAA membership.</p>
<p>I got my kid the middle level, whatever that was. I believe the towing was 100 miles. </p>
<p>(I asked him the other day if he remembered he had AAA and he looked at me like I was nuts. He did not remember!)</p>
<p>I just added my kid onto our AAA. He does not have a car, but knowing that he can get towed somewhere if a friend's car gets stuck makes me feel better. Weenie, a few months from now, my son might not remember either.</p>
<p>So to be somewhat off topic, but a AAA membership is a wonderful gift for the new driver or those heading off to college!</p>
<p>I don't know if all levels of AAA have this, but the card holder can use the services for any car they are driving or even as a passenger. So if your child is riding with someone with out membership and their car breaks down or runs out of gas, your child can call AAA.</p>
<p>My entire family has AAA Plus. We have use it a few times, usually for towing; boy am I glad we have it. I used it once when I couldn't find a gas station and was low on gas in bumper to bumper traffic. I pulled over into a shopping area and called AAA. When the man came with the gas he was baffled how I ran out of gas in a parking lot and was now shopping! I explained I was worried I would run out while sitting in traffic and there was not a gas station for about 5 miles.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! </p>
<p>Chocoholic - it's Interstate 81. Think trucks, 65mph limit, 4 lanes... </p>
<p>Yep, weenie - no support from not-worried type husband and insistant daughter.</p>
<p>newmassdad - bless you that you had a happy outcome. thanks for the wise words, too.</p>
<p>tia3: I don't know which segment of Interstate 81 you're talking about, but I drive it between Wilkes-Barre and Syracuse several times a year, and I actually find it one of the more pleasant interstates on which to drive, at least if they're not doing construction. Especially the part in New York State. It could be a lot worse. (It could be I-80.)</p>
<p>It's picked up out of Harrisburg, going south through Maryland, West Virginia and into Virginia. But I know that route north from Wilkes-Barre. It is very pleasant!</p>
<p>If your daughter decides to travel with this girl, have her offer to pay for a tank of gas. I know many of the kids might not pay for their own gas, but someone does. I always make sure my daughter either has the cash on hand or uses our credit card to fill up the car she rides in. I know the driver was going that way anyway, but I feel we should share the cost.</p>
<p>My daughter and her friends have taken several car trips and it is just understood that the driver doesn't pay for the gas; the driver has the wear and tear of the car, no need to pay for the gas also.</p>
<p>We did the Interstate 81 drive from Harrisburg down through Roanoake, and I can tell you that I dislike that highway. It was this past April and a freak icing of roads made the driving really treacherous. And those truck drivers on 81 just seem a little crazier. It is a pretty drive though. My 18-year old son did the drive while I was braking in the passenger seat :eek:</p>
<p>I've driven the piece between Roanoke and PA. I don't mind it. It's true there are lots of trucks with tandem trailers, but it's straight the exits are good, it's well marked. I don't mind driving fast. :) I'd just remind her to take plenty of breaks and talk to the driver.</p>
<p>My son is also trying to get home for the fall break. It is a 5 1/2 hour drive. He doesn't have a car. He has looked into the bus, a 12 hour trip. He is now considering the train. It will take about 7 hours. The train only goes part way and you continue the trip by Amtrak bus.
My husband has suggested son try to find a ride. I know it is a much shorter trip but it is also on a road that I don't like. When we drove my son to college I made the comment I was glad my son would not have a car since I would not want him driving one of the roads. I know several roads that an inexperienced driver would not think were dangerous but have quite a number of serious accidents.
I don't know the road your child will be on but they should make sure they get gas before they need it. I know the road my son would take has a period where there are no services.</p>
<p>oooh good reminder mom60, there are definitely some very long stretches of 81 in Virginia with no exits/rest-stops/gas. And if there is any kind of road accident ahead, you could be idling and crawling for hours.</p>
<p>Just 3 suggestions:</p>
<p>1- Make sure she wears her seatbelt no matter if its "uncool" and the driver does not wear theirs.</p>
<p>2- Leave at a time when the truck traffic will be the lightest. Usually very early in the morning is good since the roads are not packed with other drivers also trying to get around the slower trucks. I find this "mix" of traffic to be the cause of many accidents.</p>
<p>3- NEVER take a nap while the other person drives. They may try and join you. Your job as a passenger is to keep that person awake!</p>
<p>You may not be able to do anything about the actual car itself but it would be nice if it was a late model car with anti-lock brakes and front & side airbags.
Accidents will happen. You just need to make every effort to be prepared for them.</p>