Educating the Drivers in your circle

Educating the Drivers in your circle

Drivers ed is one of the key factors to reduce the number of driving deaths. I believe ensuring that all drivers take a driving test when they renew their license would drastically increase the education of drivers on the road. I’ve personally had a near-miss incident years ago. My friends and I were driving to the movie and one of them made a joke while we were driving through the parking lot. I took my eyes off the road to look at him. Luckily, another friend yelled to bring my attention to someone exiting the store that I couldn’t see. I find it very interesting that my mother calls me a bad driver. The reason this interests me? My best friend, of over a decade, will make fun of my turning but says my driving is ok. However, he is afraid of my mother’s driving and I feel the same way. My mother is physically disabled, so it is fair to give her slack on craning her neck to check blind spots before turning. But I will notice her simply changing lanes with no blinker and seemingly without checking if a car is present outside her vision. The other day she skirted to the far-left turn lane – here I’ll give slack since the median could prevent a car from having gotten in that lane at that point unless they were going fairly fast. She then did not slow down enough and drove uncomfortably close to a truck ahead of us in the turn lane, assuming the truck would immediately takeoff at the light that had just turned green. She continued to ride the rear of the truck as they took the turn at a reasonable pace, yelling about them not going fast enough. This was enough to cause me to message my friend about her ‘bat out of hell’ driving, which he replied with “her driving legit scares me”. The assumptions and impatience on the road from a woman who constantly reminds me of the many accidents she’s been involved in – never of her own fault – as I drive can be baffling. I believe being a better, safer driver starts at the individual level. License requirements are a state-by-state issue. Everyone, at least those listening, can start, like with an infinite number of issues, with themselves. Personally I try to expand my thinking from riding a bike on the roads to operating any vehicle; assume people don’t see you and do your best to pay attention to the actions and whereabouts of those around you. Do you feel unable to do something like petition your local government to consider the state of their driving education protocols? Nearly everyone can have a casual discussion with their peers about their driving habits; open discussions with your peers, share stories of your driving experiences.You may find issues with each other’s driving habits and offer suggestions to each other on how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.