Watch and Learn

The phrase “watch and learn” is often used in a taunting way. One person is showing another person how much better they are at whatever task. It isn’t meant to be taken literally, because if the second person did “watch and learn,” they might become better than the first person and that would spell disaster! However, when we apply the literal sense of that phrase to driving, we get an almost perfect strategy to improve driving safety and overall skills. Now, you will notice that I said “almost perfect.” That is because while this method will produce overall positive results, there is still room for error. The person learning could not be paying attention, thus missing the overall point of the lesson. The person/thing teaching could also be unknowingly promoting unsafe driving practices that the student will then learn and practice, without realizing that they are acting in a dangerous manner. This method, though not absolutely perfect, is a simple and effective way to promote safe driving. If practiced by a large enough population, it would allow driving best-practices to be widely known, preventing accidents caused by minor roadway mistakes.

Prior to getting my driver’s license, I only noticed major mistakes that my parents made while driving. The smaller, though equally dangerous, mistakes that they might have made I did not notice, simply because I did not have the knowledge to understand that they were mistakes in the first place. Now that I am older, I can recognize when they don’t break in time or forget to signal a turn. Another thing that I now recognize is that I drive like my parents. I watched their driving, both as a child and as a licensed teenager, and I absorbed how they drove, and how they handled various situations on the road. Now, I can often catch myself being distracted and fiddling with the radio while driving, which is something that my Dad does. I have occasionally observed my Mom breaking a bit too late while driving, and that is a mistake that I make as well. In contrast to these bad habits, I also show the good driving habits of my parents. My Dad makes a point to always use his turn signal, regardless of whether or not it would be clear where he was going without needing to indicate. I have clearly taken this lesson to heart, so much so that I have indicated where I was going when driving around a curve. My Mother prefers to give people merging onto the interstate space, going so far as to move to the left lane when going by the acceleration ramp. This is now something that I also do regularly, which keeps me safe and takes pressure off drivers who are attempting to merge. All of these examples are simply to say that I, and so many others, learn through what we see those closest to us doing. Naturally, there is no discrimination between the good and bad habits that we pick up, because our observation is done in an informal way. But what if it wasn’t?

Regardless of place or situation, most people who learn how to drive are taught in the same way: you start in a parking lot, then you graduate to the roads, then the interstate. You are taught by someone in the passenger’s seat trying to give directions while you drive, which is stressful for all parties involved. This arrangement produces many passable drivers, but driving accidents are still incredibly common with teens and young adults. To combat this, many states have made laws restricting who can ride in the car with a new driver and when they can drive. Georgia, for example, has outlawed drivers under 18 from using the roads between 12 and 5 am. Driving at night is difficult, especially for inexperienced drivers, and this restriction has saved many lives, yet teens are still getting into preventable accidents. As a new driver myself, I don’t drive everywhere on my own. When I am with my parents and they are driving, I try to absorb as much information as I possibly can about how they drive and how they handle certain traffic situations. The statistics about teen driving and accidents are terrifying and I do not want to become another number on someone’s screen or an illustration of how unforgiving the roads can be to new drivers. So I watch, and I learn, and I practice what I see. While this helps me to become a better driver, it does not do much for others who are not in my car or do not care to learn.

You are never alone on the road. Even when a road appears to be empty, there is always a possibility that another car might come speeding up behind you, or race past you from a side street. This raises questions about the point of trying to improve driving safety and skill. Is there even a point when the other 90% of people on the road don’t bother? My answer is an emphatic YES. You can only ever control the actions of yourself and your vehicle. Practicing safe driving is not just staying in your lane and learning right-of-way rules; it is also learning how to stay calm in stressful driving situations and how to control your car so that you avoid an accident when that driver takes a corner too sharply. Your reactions can save your car and your life. Being able to break at a moment’s notice to avoid a car that didn’t check their blind spot before merging can prevent a call to the tow truck and a trip to the hospital. There will always be scary drivers, but knowing what to do to protect yourself in unsafe situations will pay off in so many ways.

My driving has only improved since I started “watching and learning.” The roads are a dangerous place to be. Protecting yourself, your passengers, and your car should be the top priority, regardless what age you are or what level of experience you have. Everyone, with or without a license, has someone that they can observe driving. So watch. Take mental notes, ask questions, and try to remember their tips. Then, implement what you observed when you are behind the wheel. Your driving will vastly improve, without the need to spend any more money than you already have (unless you are observing your taxi driver). This action may seem small, but you are helping to make the roads safer, for both you and other drivers. And when you are older and teaching someone else to drive, all you need to tell them is “Watch and Learn.”