Thirty-Seven Miles of Hell: The Importance of Driver’s Education

Thirty-Seven Miles of Hell:

The Importance of Driver’s Education

You may have heard the country music song by C.W. McCall, “Wolf Creek Pass.” The lyrics go something like this: “Wolf Creek Pass, way up on the Great Divide, truckin’ on dooowwwwn….the other siii-iiii-ide!”(1) My family had a harrowing experience while truckin’ on down Wolf Creek Pass. We had just finished playing in the snow at the 10,800 ft elevation peak of Wolf Creek Pass and were driving down the mountain – “37 miles of hell,” according to C.W. McCall – toward Pagosa Springs, CO. Boy, we were truckin’ down that mountain, when all of a sudden, the steering wheel started vibrating vigorously every time my mom applied the brakes. She put our family roadster, Big Bertha, a 15-passenger van, in low gear. Unfortunately, that did not help; we started to smell hot brakes. The next thing I knew, my mom guided Bertha off the road onto a runaway truck ramp. Because of her quick thinking, experience in mountain driving, and her defensive driving skills, she was able to respond to the emergency and keep us all from cascading down the mountain to our deaths! That harrowing experience helped me understand the importance of becoming a safe driver, especially when one has the lives of loved ones in their hands.

My mom knew exactly what to do when the brakes started going out on our van. When she was learning to drive in the 1980s, she took a Driver’s Education class at her public high school. Her own dad (my grandfather) was the Driver’s Training instructor at her school, and she had hours of in-car driver’s training before and after school. She was taught how to drive on curvy mountain roads and how to use low gear on steep inclines. My mom is a great driver because of the required driver’s education she received in her high school for FREE! Unfortunately, today there are very few schools that offer free driver’s education, and some states don’t even require a driver’s education course to obtain a license.(2) A 2015 study at the University of Nebraska followed 150,000 teen drivers and concluded that drivers who had not completed a driver’s education course were 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal accident.(3) Driver education and driver training are foundational in becoming a safe driver and saving lives on the road. If this is so important in saving lives, why aren’t these classes being offered for free in schools as required curriculum?

My mom grew up in the San Joaquin Valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Part of her driver’s training included mountain driving, driving in snow, and putting chains on tires, as well as driving in dense fog. In Georgia where I am from, one doesn’t really need to know much about driving in fog, on mountains or in snow; however, learning how to drive in a torrential thunderstorm, during rush hour, and on the busy, multi-lane interstates around Metro Atlanta is extremely important. In addition to a thorough driver’s education program, giving drivers experiences with situations they are likely to encounter on roads in their “neck of the woods” is an important step that can be taken to reduce driving deaths. Again, my mom received her instruction through her high school at no cost. In Georgia, if one wanted to have the in-car driving lessons covering the basics, plus additional time to learn how to drive on interstates and in inclement driving conditions, it could cost over $600! If you can’t afford these types of classes, you can be a protagonist in obtaining the driving experience needed to be the safest driver possible. You can ask a trusted adult who is an experienced driver to guide you in inclement situations you will encounter while driving. I have a neighbor who is a law enforcement officer and has been professionally trained for intense driving situations like police chases. This would be the perfect person to ask to take you driving and to share their expertise. Enrolling in a comprehensive driver’s education course, taking in-car driving lessons, and being a protagonist in becoming a safe driver are all steps that can be taken to do your part in reducing driving deaths.

Although it’s going to be costly, I am adopting a four-step plan to become a better and safer driver. Before I get my learner’s permit, I am enrolling in a 30-hour driver education course that includes 9 hours of driving on simulated roads in a golf cart. Once I have completed this course and passed my test for my learners permit, I plan to ask an expert, in-car driving instructor to teach me the basics. Fortunately, this expert driving instruction will be free, because my grandfather is the expert! He has taught all my older siblings how to drive, as well as hundreds of other teenagers. Once I have been driving for six months, I am asking for an advanced driving skills course for my sixteenth birthday. This course, taken at Atlanta MotorSports Park, teaches advanced driving maneuvers, how to drive in wet and inclement weather, and has a skid pad and ice hill so I can learn how to respond in these situations. Hopefully, after all this investment in being a safe driver, should I ever find myself in an emergency situation, (like losing my brakes going down the Continental Divide) I will be able to respond appropriately and keep myself, my loved ones, and others safe.