US Drivers Ed- what would you change?

"drunkenup2" (drunkenup3) 11/26/2013 at 20:55 • Filed to: None

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Sooooo I am a high school senior and only four months in school we've had several accidents involving students on school property alone.. Drivers Ed only taught me traffic laws, so what would you change? I'd add a lot of car control and some hands on action to the curriculum.

Bandit > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 20:57

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Car control and basic common sense, perhaps a tiered license system based on skill (not age). I'm a senior as well and am amazed at how bad most drivers at my school are.

Aaron James > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 20:58

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I have no idea how they do it now, When I was in high school Drivers ed was an actual class that we took at school and got credit for it. You can't teach common sense though so there will always be accidents in the school parking lot.

Casper > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 20:59

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Car control, decision making process, threat assessment. The list is endless. I consider the standard Drivers Ed to be nearly worthless. The things they teach you there should have already been known before a person was allowed to think about getting on the road.

They really need to make it more like the motorcycle safety courses most states have.

Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:00

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Put them all in a Subaru rally car on a rally stage in the middle of the night, and whoever completes the course without dying gets a license. Darwinism at its finest.

Aaron James > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:00

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In Ohio you have to have actual on the road training along with the book stuff. Is it different in each state? I know it's all done privately now from what I can tell but i'm not sure if that's a statewide thing or just in the school district I went to.

PowderHound > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:01

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Don't know never took it. Our school offered drivers ed as a course that you paid for in the summer at 730 or 8 am. Fuck that.

Sn210 > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:03

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I never learned how to drive on a highway or in bad weather. I'd also think skills like changing a tire and basic maintenance would have been useful to know. Even tips on car buying would be great. Most of all, I think a learn to drive a manual should be optional. It might spark some interest in people learning if they have the opportunity to learn.

dogisbadob > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:04

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Don't you actually need behind-the-wheel driving to get your license?

Just overhaul the entire curriculum with something like those Skip Barber-type courses being the default driver's ed course and/or copying from other countries.

desertdog5051 > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:05

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Change it to 19 years old.

drunkenup2 > Aaron James 11/26/2013 at 21:10

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Yeah, it varies between states. In NJ, its a required course for one quarter of sophomore year. Along with a passing average, in my state it is required to get at least an 80% on the final exam to pass the course. Everything is done inside the classroom..

Aaron James > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:14

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So that's exactly what we did with the addition of practical driving instruction that started with basic maneuvering in the parking lot and then actual road practice. We used early 80's Chevy caprices that were ex police cars from our cities police department. We used to power brake them and do burnouts when the teacher wasn't looking then blame the smoke on the girls driving the car next to us.

scoob > Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS 11/26/2013 at 21:17

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That. Would. Be. Bad. Ass.

scoob > desertdog5051 11/26/2013 at 21:17

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DAMNIT DESERT. I'M ALREADY STRUGGLING TO GET MY PERMIT! :(

(Not struggling as in "I can't drive", struggling as in "Ain't nobody got time fo' dat.")

drunkenup2 > dogisbadob 11/26/2013 at 21:18

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yes but not much, many of the road tests are jokes. Mine was a 1/2 mi on a closed course with no traffic at 25 mph

Tony Montana > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:26

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In Michigan (lower peninsula at least), they never teach shit about driving in the winter. Which is odd. Besides me, maybe about 5 other people at my school can really drive in the snow. All the rest either drive 10 mph everywhere or get into accidents.

In a state like Michigan, it seems like some basic skid control training would be good.

Kailand09 > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:27

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Highly difficult precision driving tests. Avoidance maneuvers, and defensive driving techniques.

Real driving, something that actually requires skill to weed out the idiots.

KB Garage > Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS 11/26/2013 at 21:29

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I believe everyone should be retested according to your standard.

oldirtybootz > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:50

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Absolutely add more car control, some manual transmission training, and have more than just 4-door sedans. Half these kids will end up in an SUV and likely plow into you because they don't realize it takes longer to slow down than their driver's ed car.

And teach them how to change a tire and check fluids and tire pressue. It's not like it's that hard and it's useful knowledge.

Montalvo > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 21:57

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I think it needs to add greater awareness to what a car actually is. People who see it as just an appliance need a wake up call. It is not just a toaster or a fridge it is a 2 ton rolling weapon that demands your attention. There needs to be more training on the mental part of driving, too many accidents are caused from nervousness and being distracted. If you are not comfortable behind the wheel you should not be driving, having a collected mindset is essential for assessing situations you will encounter on the road and to make quick decisions safely. Also I think supervised night driving should also be up for consideration because that is the ultimate trial by fire for most drivers. If they can handle adverse lighting conditions with ease then it is a sign that they are ready for most situations that can happen to them regardless of the time of day.

ttyymmnn > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 22:27

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More time in the car. My driver's ed in high school (early-80's) was a joke. We had classroom and on-the-road. I think I actually drove on the road three times, and one of those was about three blocks to the gas station. The PE coach just sat there and said, "Go left." "Go right." We had a Chevette and a K Car. The Chevette was for the cone course, the K Car for the road. Both had an extra brake pedal, which saved our lives from the one girl in the school who failed on-the-road. Twice. Really, though, it's your parents who should be doing the teaching.

When my boys (currently aged 11, 8 and 8) start driving, we will keep a log book, similar to what pilots use. They will have to log an as-yet undetermined number of hours driving with a parent, with a certain percentage of those hours at night, maybe 30%, before they are allowed to drive alone.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 22:30

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1) Car control. You don't know car control until you gank a downshift going into T1 and cause your own ass to start quickly rotating. (Yes, I did that at AMP. No, I didn't crash. Yes, there is video, I think.) You can't just think about countersteering, you have to reflexively do it. And you have to be very very good at it.

2) High speed maneuvers. Mainly braking. I'll put you in a parking lot, make you do a 0-60-0 in the quickest time possible. I may, or may not, give you the car with crappy brakes (old fluid), or disable the ABS (there are cars and trucks out there without it). To add to the fun, I might even add some cones that I make you dodge.

I might even make you dodge them in the car/truck without ABS...The older folks here who have driven cars/trucks without ABS know EXACTLY where I'm going with this...

3) MSF style SA training. Look ahead, as taught in most courses for drivers, is worthless. You have to learn situational awareness. As you drive with me in the car, I will ask you random questions about your situation. What's the speed limit? What's the color of the car in your left blind spot? How fast is prevailing traffic? Why aren't you driving that speed? Where should you be for your next maneuver? What is that you just drove over? What's the road condition like?

There is so much that most people *don't* pay attention to while driving a car, and what you don't pay attention to, will make you crash. You literally do not have the ability to work a smartphone and properly drive the car at the same time.

4) Just to reinforce all the points, I will make you drive a dog-slow 240D. There literally is no power to get yourself out of tight situations. You will therefore have to focus on not getting into them in the first place.

ttyymmnn > Montalvo 11/26/2013 at 22:30

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Also I think supervised night driving should also be up for consideration

See my reply .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

desertdog5051 > scoob 11/26/2013 at 23:08

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Got no problem with good drivers, which most Oppos are. It's the idiots that can't pay attention when they drive that scare me.

tromoly > drunkenup2 11/26/2013 at 23:35

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Add everything from the Finnish driving education system.

Get kids in cars at 14 on a skidpad, alternating lessons on dry and wet pavement. Spend some lessons on gravel roads at appropriate speeds, with several lessons in the rain / on wet gravel. Do some slalom driving, leading up to autocross-esque courses at appropriate speeds.

Basically, do all of the above every couple weeks from the time the person turns 14 until they get their license, that way they have car control for basically every circumstance under the sun (within reason), and have the respect for what pushing the limits can do.

TurboSloth > drunkenup2 11/27/2013 at 07:38

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I know in NJ you need at least 6 hours on your provisional permit before getting a license. I want to increase that to 100. Also, retests every 5 years but rather just testing on some easy track, we do some European style testing (see that top gear episode where James May meets with Mika Hakkinen)

TurboSloth > scoob 11/27/2013 at 07:39

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You always have time for the DMV.

eovnu87435ds > drunkenup2 11/27/2013 at 10:33

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In NJ, you need 6 hours behind the wheel with a driving school, then when it comes for your test, you have a simple road course (I drove around 1 city block), and parallel park in a 25 ft spot. They give you 3 chances to park correctly. It is a joke. Some states, you don't even have to parallel park.

People need to learn car control and where the boundaries of their car lie.

That, and here is one of my original ideas: You know how the NHSTA does these crash tests?

Get a bunch of old volvos, or something else that is remarkably safe. Put your students in it, and tow it into a wall. Do it at 10 mph or so. Nothing fast to injure them badly. The idea is threefold. The first part is to get the teen experienced with how to handle a crash. Let's face it, teens WILL crash. This way, however, they will know what to expect, and how to brace themselves, etc. My sister got in an accident, and was in so much shock, she just cried. The officer on scene couldn't get any info out of her. He had to take her phone and find our mother's number on it and call her. If she ever got in an accident again, she'd know what to do and probably wouldn't react like that.

Secondly, it teaches teens why these cars have seatbelts and airbags, and what they do to save your life. I know that seatbelts aren't as much of an issue with the younger crowd, but you still get people who decide to remove their airbag to put a TV or a racing wheel or something else equally as stupid.

Lastly, it teaches teens that flying around in a ton and a half of steel can be quite dangerous to people and property both inside and outside the vehicle. It'll hopefully put their ego in check.

eovnu87435ds > Sn210 11/27/2013 at 10:38

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Yes. Basic car maintenance should be mandatory. I know that cars are more and more complex nowadays, but you should at least learn how to make your car safe for other drivers on the road. Check your tires/pressure, change a tire, change head/tail light, and how to change your wiper blades.

eovnu87435ds > ttyymmnn 11/27/2013 at 10:42

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I agree that parents have to pick up the slack. When I was in high school, you could tell in just a few seconds who passed their driving test with the bare minimum and who learned with their parents.

Since I was 12, my dad would have me drive his f-150 on back roads. The one night he took me to a snowy mall parking lot and had me drive at speeds, and then taught me how to drift and do donuts. Granted, you don't need to know how to drift and do donuts to learn to drive, but it did give me a better idea of car control than most others in my school

Sian > drunkenup2 12/06/2013 at 16:24

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Merging, queueing, lane-changing. most drivers seem to have no clue how to do any of these things.

drunkenup2 > Sian 12/06/2013 at 22:05

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they did teach all of that it in my program but some of that is a lot harder said than done.. first time I merged onto a busy highway I came to a halt before the lane ended, it can definitely be intimidating at first. obviously a big fuckup on my part but now its second nature,

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Aaron James 12/10/2013 at 11:39

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Florida reccomends drivers ed courses but they do not require them. You have to have 50 hours of daytime driving and 10 hours of night driving and hold your permit without any incidents for one year before getting a license. Although many kids lie about it. Also, there is no parallel parking required. It is too easy for most kids.. they scare me