Should girls be required to be able to change a flat tire?

Question

Dad believes a girl should not be given a drivers license unless she is capable of changing a flat tire. He said they are at risk when traveling cross country, because if they get a flat tire they are at the mercy of the first car that stops. Do you agree?

Answer 1

Being a father and a husband I agree with your father...but then there's always AAA.

Answer 2

h**l no!  That's what AAA is for.

Answer 3

Your father is a very smart man, but there always cell phone and AAA.    

Answer 4

the most simple car repair.............definitely not only know how to change a tire, but also read a car's vitals, check oil, trans fluid, brake fluid and antifreeze. its for your own well being.

Answer 5

as a Dad,Grand Dad,I say YES ! after our daughter flubbed her 1st test,she came to me. oh,yeah,I offered to help before she took the test but she didn't want to do it MY way,lol.

hit the book,miss a question and i would stop,give her the book and next day start from page 1. she DID pass the NEXT test,lol,BUT she missed the SAME 2 questions she ALWAYS missed during our book test at home.

the next step was under the hood. fluids,belts,hoses,ect. after that it was tire changing time. you never know where that will happen and if you think you're up to walking,alone in the middle of a storm,good luck to you. how about back roads SELDOM patrolled. who ya gonna call now,huh?

we allowed her to drive us to family errands,shopping,ect. 1st was in dry,clear,daytime. then night time,dry and clear. then day time rain and then night time rain. then it was short highway trips. again,it was day time clear,day time rain,night time clear,night time rain.

the last test was a solid,8 inch BLIZZARD !  ROFL!!

I was driving for a schoolbus company at that time,a Professional CDL Driver. when I walked into the living room,I threw the car keys to our daughter. ROFL !! daughter says,"SEE,SEE,I TOLD YOU",to her mom,ROFL!

there's a DANGEROUS hillside here and she saw a sand truck turn side wise at the top of the hill behind us and that distraction cost her loss of control but after all the training she had,she got it back within seconds! [ I'M SO PROUD ! ].

at the bottom of that hill,a SECOND sand truck had spun out side wise and she carefully drove around it to home.

after her test,I got her a job with the same company my wife and I worked for. Tina became a full size schoolbus driver like me [ now retired ],while her mom was HER schoolbus aide [ lol! the driver is the aide's supervisor ].

I THINK THAT IF MORE YOUNG DRIVERS GOT THE DRIVER EDUCATION OUR DAUGHTER GOT,THERE WOULD BE FAR FEWER YOUNG LIVES LOST IN STUPID CRASHES!!

YEAH ! WAY TO GO DAD!!

our daughter is now a seven year Professional CDL schoolbus driver with 3 CONSECUTIVE Safety Awards under her belt [ SO PROUD DAD ! ].

Answer 6

There are also boys driving who are not capable of changing a flat tire. It's pathetic.  Pretty soon people will be so helpless that cars will come with no spare, you just call AAA and let them tow you in.

Answer 7

I think you should definitely learn. Required, i don't think so. Why would you not want to have that skill? I promise you that one day it will come in handy!

Answer 8

Everyone should know how to change a tire, male or female notwithstanding. You don't need to be a mechanic, but a little bit of automotive troubleshooting ability can get you out of a tough situation.

Answer 9

Of course not, -- only if you are interested in survival!

Depending where you are a the time, you are not only at the mercy of the first car that stops, --- but I could be a number of hours before the "next car even comes along", --- and then there's the question of whether it will even stop!

All my daughters are in their 40s now but they did not get the car to drive alone, till they had changed a couple tires!  And yes back in the"old days" parents taught the kids how to drive, --- and the drill was when going down a road with few places to pull over, - the announcement was made "flat tire"! -  It was up to them to get it off road in safest place quickly, get out tools from trunk , and remove tire! Tire was rolled back to middle of rear bumper, then rolled back (this makes the holes out of line with hub, so that it is al little harder to get back on (just like it would be with spare)!  And by the way,- they were made to learn with a standard transmission, -- now they can drive anything on up to 18 wheeler if need be!   This has become family tradition with grandchildren also, as every one that I teach then has great time reliving adventure to the other ones that have "already been there and done that"!

Answer 10

so if you are out in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and no cell phone, are you going to wait for a miracle? i think that you should be able to change a tire. we are not saying that you should be able to rebuild the engine, or diagnose a cylinder #4 misfire, just that you should be able to locate the lift point(s) on the frame, assemble a jack, brake the lug nuts loose, lift the vehicle remove the lug nuts, pull the tire off, and reinstall the spare, i could go on, but you get the idea.  

Answer 11

What's sad is I know too many men that have no clue how to change a flat.

I'm not going to say that girls (or men) should or shouldn't be required to be able to change tires to get a license, but it's something they should learn. It's dirty, but simple work that will help them on the road.

Answer 12

Personally I think there are a few things that ALL drivers should be required to know and be able to do.

How to change a tire.

How to put air in a tire which includes being able to use and read an air guage.

How to check the oil, and add if needed.

How to connect a set of jumper cables.

How to fuel a car.

These are nothing more than basic skills that should be learned by all drivers.

Answer 13

Yes, I agree completely. First of all, changing a tire isn't that hard. Secondly, both of my daughters can do just about anything to their vehicles. My youngest just did the brakes on her truck, and she isn't even 16 yet. Your father is right, and, believe it or not, cell phones do still have some dead zones, and, they can go on for miles.