2009-08-12 10:24:26 - Educated Driving

Yet another post on driving. Will I ever learn? Will drivers ever learn? Neither seems to have a finish line so I guess we will do this dance one more time.

The latest round of debate is banning texting while driving. This is also in the wake of a report claiming that talking at all on a cellphone while driving is dangerous that was shelved for years, presumably by cell phone company lobbying pressure. They can debate that all they want. All I have to say is this.

Duh.

But that news story is just another example. How are we surprised we have poor drivers? We are taught to drive in our teenage years and then that's it. No refresher, no further education. You figure it all out when you're 16 (roughly depending on what state you're from) and then you're good for the rest of your life. I guess the theory is that since you'll be driving every day, you'll just learn as you go. That's all well and good but is it possible that maybe a little more driver education might help?

(The answer isn't no.)

But let's use myself as an example. I got my driver's permit at 16. In order to get this, I took a drivers ed class in high school. Of all my classes, this was given least priority, if any priority at all. Any homework was done before class, often sloppily. As the teacher would only look to see you did it rather than actually have you turn it in, this lead to the amusing day when my friend Kevin wrote "Bippity boppity boo." as the answer for one the questions (probably on how to do a 3 point turn). He wasn't caught. We also watched "Days of Thunder" which prepared us for racing around the Daytona Speedway and perhaps Nicole Kidman falling in love with us because we were such rebels. I've yet to put my car on a racetrack and Nicole Kidman has a restraining order out on me.

All this was in preparation for the final test which would let us get our driver's permit. If you scored 80 or below, you failed. In one of my both educational low and high moments, I had forgotten the test was that day and learned of the test that morning as I rode the bus into school. Frantically, I studied the Drivers Ed pamphlet sized book on the 10, maybe 15 minute ride depending on the traffic lights. Took the test and got an 81. Passed by the skin of my teeth but pass I did.

So now that I had finished the written test, it was time for me to get out on the road. The next step would be to complete 6 hours of driving with an instructor. Mind you, to this point, I had never been behind the wheel of anything beyond a bicycle. The first 2 hour session with the instructor was unnerving but it got my feet wet. By the last session, I drove him to get donuts. He showed me how to do parallel park and other basic stuff which I barely use now. It was a pleasant, if boring, experience.

One which was only too sharp a contrast to lessons with my father. My DMV test was scheduled for my birthday in January. I obtained my permit at the beginning of the summer. So that left a good half a year for my father and I to go out and have him teach me. The less words used to describe those outings the better.

The day finally came for my driver's test. It was to be on my birthday, as near to turning 17 as I could manage it. We went to the East Hanover DMV and apparently got there early enough that I was done with my driving test before my appointment. The driving test was over in just about 10 minutes. It involved driving less distance than it would take to get out of some Walmart parking lots. I actually hit the curb while doing the parallel parking which had my heart in my stomach. But the instructor waived it away saying, that was alright, as long as I didn't hit the cones I was fine. I did a 3 point turn out of there and made it back to the starting line. My only demerit was not turning on my signal at the proper distance. Other than that, as far as the state of New Jersey was concerned, I was as competent as anyone else on the road.

Looking back on it, it's seems criminal to have allowed me a license. It seems criminal that further education and safety is not mandated to the general driving public. Given the throngs of drivers on the road, the billions of dollars in accidents and insurance premiums and the untold loss of life, it seems maniacal that this is allowed.

But it is.

If I was a crackpot conspiracy theorist, I would theorize that the assembly line of Detroit demands a similar assembly line of new drivers to purchase their new autos. That the insurance companies see profits in a larger customer base than a smaller but educated customer base. That the way we build our towns and cities, how we zone businesses and residential areas, forces people to drive, forcing any preventive measures as not being cost effective and detrimental to a person's career.

But it is.

I also know we don't like looking at other countries for comparison but humor me. Take Finland. Yes, not really all that similar to the United States. But the average driver must go through at least 6 hours driving on wet surfaces along with 3 hours driving in the dark. It takes 3 years to get your license. All this according to James May and Top Gear but compelling information nonetheless. Can you imagine what kind of profound effect that would have on our roadways? That we actually prepare people for the situations they will encounter on the road instead of letting them figure it out when it happens?

My return to thoughts on driving was prompted by the debate mentioned above. It reminded me of my own education which I summarized. I consider myself a good driver.

But am I?