continuous driving education

When I was in grade school my father, a police officer, would sometimes pick me up in his police cruiser to take me home. He was quick, swerving through traffic like weaving the loom and I’d be gripping tightly onto whatever handle my hands could fit. I learned quickly that my dad did know what he was doing and wasn’t driving super recklessly; his sirens were on so people saw him coming and moved out of the way. The problem was how he went as a civilian: my father (no longer a police officer) drove as though everyone on the road owed him the respect of a siren-blaring police cruiser. Additionally, he would “road rage”, driving even more recklessly even causing minor accidents. This is what led him to stop being a police officer.

This was not an isolated event but something that I’ve seen in other people besides my father or the police force. Accidents caused by road rage can be attributed to one of the involved parties becoming entitled to the respect of the other. Other accidents caused by distracted driving, drunk driving, or even speeding can all be attributed to the driver being in an unsafe headspace to be behind the wheel. The Objective of driving is “to reach your destination as un-eventfully as possible.” this means that the safest way to drive is when the driver is calm and focused. When I took my driving instruction courses for a learner’s permit, I noticed an emphasis on avoiding driving with excess circumstances. Being on any kind of influencing substance can impair your reflexes or judgment but driving Angry, sleepy, or even sad can also affect the ‘style’ that you drive in. It’s important that drivers not only understand this principle but actively are reminded of it. I have seen numerous billboards and advertisements warning about the dangers of drunk driving but I’ve rarely seen any infographics of driving under other influences, driving distracted or recklessly. A great deal of “experienced” drivers display a level of arrogance claiming that they are exempt from the warnings and are capable of performing risky driving maneuvers. If we constantly inform, remind, and advertise the dangers of driving under some form of influence then we must also continuously educate drivers already on the road. Going back to the time I prepared to take the learner’s permit test, I can recall my mother quizzing me on some of the things I learned that could be mentioned on the test; she got many of the questions wrong despite having a license for ALL of her adult life (over 25 years). There exists no continuous drivers education on the dangers of driving in general let alone education on the risks accepted when driving dangerously.

In order to change this I recomend intermitent education; a passport must generally be renewed every 10 years then why not renew a driver’s liscence more often? Part of the process of this renewal would be testing the driver’s competence and understanding of safe driving. It is the responsibility of those who issue the privilege of dirivng to hold those drivers accountable.

I can also hold those around me accountable whenever I’m driving with them. This is something I already do and it’s very simple and easy: I always do a small assessment before driving and ask myself “Am I feeling calm enough to focus on one thing without being distracted” If the answer is no I look for alternatives to driving or solutions to whatever is currently distracting me. I do the same for my dad and others; I ask if they need anything to improve the quality of their driving and if they believe they’re in the right headspace to drive a car. Ironically I find it helps to try and spook the would-be driver before we leave anywhere by explaining just how dangerous cars are: a four-thousand pound metal cage with you in it traveling at roughly 60 miles per hour for a very long time. I tell them how little it takes to cause an accident such as nodding off at the wheel or if something appears in front of them suddenly (think deer or even pedestrians). I tell them that they won’t be the only one but hundreds of other four-thousand cages will be around also traveling at various speeds and sometimes even directions. If they or I are not in the right headspace we do not drive.

To conclude it is my belief that continuous education to drivers would be to their benefit, if not actively through “checkups” and tests then by more infographics that inform the variety of risks while driving. It helps to keep them informed and aware of their actions and to help others know such as well.