Driver Safety Education Blog

I came across a good website which has an excellent article called Learning to Drive: a guide for parents. The article is available as a PDF handbook there as well. Here is an excerpt from the intro to the article/handbook, "Since it was first published in 1986, this invaluable booklet has been distributed by school boards, driving schools, auto associations and even, in part, by CNN on its web site. The content of the booklet was drawn from the wisdom of dozens of professional driving instructors and is an excellent guide to the pitfalls of driver instruction and the techniques that can make the parent co-driver's difficult role safe, satisfying and successful.".

Cheers - Mike

A student who is learning to drive must become aware of many things over time. And it takes time.

Today we talk about motor skills and mental skills.

A new young driver must know and experience and learn motor skills, how to steer, break, accelerate, signal, turn and if the vehicle is a standard shift, then they need to know how to use the clutch and shifter. This is not so easy for many students because some of these skills must be done together. For mental skills, they also have to check up to two blocks ahead, rear view mirror check, shoulder check and mirror check if turning, watch for kids, stop signs and stop lights, learn how to navigate a traffic circle and much more. A couple of "much more" items are learning how to deal with distractions and learning how to park. They must learn stopping distance based on road conditions, speed, tires, vehicle weight, balance, center of gravity, wide or narrow track, and whether a hard stop is in a straight line or in a turn.

Wow, that's a lot to learn and know - but it comes with time and practice and a good instructor, whether a parent, driving school, a relative or family friend. And so, the GDL program - the Graduated Driver Licensing Program. It works!

Cheers - Mike

There are so many causes of collisions that one can hardly keep up with it.

This blog entry has links to really good websites which share information or keep records of driver related issues.

To start I am re-entering the link from the previous post to the Sylvan Lake, Alberta collision which took the lives of two teenagers and injured three more. This is the story at is first came out in the Edmonton Journal. A followup story, can been found at this site, Education for the Driving Masses. We may never know the root cause of this collision but if the Stop sign was missed entirely, perhaps distraction took place.

From the Calgary Herald comes an article interviewing Kent Dixon of the Alberta Motor Association about driving while distracted.

Here is a website devoted to distracted driving from the Canadian Automobile Association, called, Driven to Distraction.

The Government of Alberta has statistics here from Alberta Transportation. They show an alarming percentage of young drivers involved in collisions.

For a look at Alberta's Traffic Safety Plan, please go here.

What has all this to do with driver distraction? Check the stats and you tell me...you can leave a comment.

There are a lot of people trying very hard to lower the death toll. Help them help you.

Cheers - Mike

Driving is a conscious effort. When driving on roads with uneven pavement or frost heave or potholes or ruts or some debris left on the road, it becomes more challenging because the wheels may hit the obstruction on one side or the other, pulling the steering to the right or left. If the driver is not prepared, this can cause the vehicle to go right or left, hitting another vehicle nearby, or going off the road into a ditch, or off the road into an object such as a pole, parked vehicle or other immovable object. This could ruin your whole day.

Drivers should be watchful and have a firm grip on the wheel. Two hands on the well is recommended of course, but many drivers only have one hand on the wheel. Whether one or both hands are on the wheel, the grip should be relaxed but firm. Then the wheel won't spin out of control suddenly and unexpectedly when control is needed most. However if you drive with just a finger or two on the wheel then... well, say hi to your insurance company.

Cheers - Mike

Driver distraction is a catch-all for anything which distracts the driver. So let's start with some common distractions. Talking on a cell phone, texting, looking away from the road to see a passenger, kids and animals in the vehicle, dropping something, hot coffee spilling, lighting a smoke, doing makeup, combing hair, looking at the sights, reading confusing road signs, getting lost, and on and on.

We are going to talk about young drivers being distracted by other youngsters who are passengers in the vehicle. Distraction can occur when someone talks to the driver, or eggs the driver to do something which raises a conflict within the driver. Telling jokes or stories is great but not when the driver takes his/her eyes off the road to look at a passenger while doing it. Also, the driver is not paying attention to the road and conditions when doing so.

Ground Rules

Go over ground rules with your parents.

Once you have your passengers, and before driving off, the driver should establish some ground rules for the passengers.
For example: Shut up and sit still. No music (radio, mp3 player, etc.) unless using earphones and the music volume is not heard by the driver. No fooling around. Seatbelts fastened. No drugs, no alcohol.

If the ground rules are not followed, stop the vehicle in a safe location, call and wait for a parent and advise the passengers the trip is over. You, as the driver, will be harshly criticized because of it. Either you stand your ground or become a wuss. Your choice. Tell you what though, the next time they are with you, you will have earned their respect and they will follow the rules.

Remember, if something happens, it's not the passengers who will get into trouble, it is you, the driver. And, if you the driver gets into an unfortunate collision, then your passengers may be hurt or killed. Teenagers are not invincible, even though they may think they are.
AND, no matter what, YOU will be responsible!

So, here is what you can say to your passengers, "Do not distract me - I have your life in my hands!">.

And, that statement above is so true. Life or Death - up to you.

This collision didn't have to be. Two teens dead, the rest injured. Why?
Here is the initial story from the Edmonton Journal, October 31, 2008.
(More to come in the next posting.)

Be Aware - Be Safe

Cheers - Mike

In Alberta, young drivers age 17 or younger need parental consent to obtain a drivers license.
There are two steps in the Alberta program, Learner and Probationary. A person must hold a Learners license for a minimum of one year before going to the Probationary license. A driver must have a probationary license for two years before getting a full drivers license that has no restrictions. There are several restrictions associated with Learner and Probationary. So, the minimum age a young person can get a full license is 18. However they could have up to four years training and experience by then.

This big plus in starting young drivers at 14 is that they still listen well to parents and driving instructors at that age. So they are easier to teach, they remember more and their motor skills develop quickly.

Cheers - Mike

Link: http://www.saferoads.com/

We are starting with the excellent site administered by Alberta Transportation called, Safe Roads - Traffic Safety in Alberta.

Alberta has two important things going for it. One, is the Graduated Driver Licensing Program and the second is young drivers can start driving at age 14.

Young drivers are the traffic safety focus for the month of May this year (2009).

This next section was taken literally from the site mentioned above:

Did you know:

* Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death and injury among Alberta's youth.
* One in five new drivers is involved in a collision in their first two years of driving.
* Parents can set rules for young drivers to reinforce good driving behaviour.
* Young drivers often overestimate their driving abilities and underestimate the risks of driving. For example, carrying three or more teen passengers increases a young driver’s risk of crashing by roughly 200 percent.
* It takes years of driving experience to become a safe driver.

Please have a look at the site. There is a lot of information there, including downloadable PDF files of workbooks, knowledge tests and much more.

More will be covered here over time.

Cheers - Mike