Drivers education

[redpoint5]

My first car was a '69 Beetle, and I treated the throttle like an on/off switch, not that it had much power to speak of. I would rally race that thing every time I drove, no matter what. Somehow I was never pulled over. Taking the car to it's limits was my drivers education.

Then I took a MSF motorcycle class so that I could get my endorsement. This taught me more about defensive driving than anything else. This made me a much safer motorist in general. For instance, I never enter an intersection without looking both ways for red light runners.

I have informal motorcycle race training which has made my street riding safer by getting to know what the handling limits are. It also had the effect of slowing down my spirited riding because it's simply impossible to get the same rush on the street as on the track without dying.

[jtbo]

Our driving school system includes slippery road handling and braking practicing, also dark time driving practicing and as I had C license (licence to drive lorries/heavy trucks without trailer) training that included driving with brain kind of part, where you learn to think ahead and to prepare surprises etc.

Then I have had chance to take part to emergency driver training and also I have took few lessons of race car driving, but last one I have studied mostly at home and on track practicing myself.

Very useful for hypermiling too some of things that I have learned.

I have never got speeding tickets or any other fines, despite I have not been driving very sensibly always, but maybe it is that I have chosen places by low risk that have saved me.

I don't know anything that would be more fun than having AWD car and enough power to powerslide trough corners, sadly I miss both, but that is something everyone that likes car control should experience at least once in a life.

Everything is so expensive these days, that I have actually given up driving all together for now.

[zackramond]

A defensive driver education program picks up where your high school class left off. These programs are designed to teach you the techniques that you need to make you a safer driver. Statistics show that most accidents occur during the first two years that a driver is on the road.

[thomason2wheels]

I was fortunate enough the required hi scool taught course, as well the msf classes. In between, i have done a few trackoriented schools and competitive events. All worthwhile except for the hi school class.. that is a joke. We as a country need to be sending our kids to real drivers schools, not the crap they are forced to take in school. Its a shame we dont do better as a country at this.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by thomason2wheels

I was fortunate enough the required hi scool taught course, as well the msf classes. In between, i have done a few trackoriented schools and competitive events. All worthwhile except for the hi school class.. that is a joke. We as a country need to be sending our kids to real drivers schools, not the crap they are forced to take in school. Its a shame we dont do better as a country at this.

All people should be required to take the MSF class. Accidents would be reduced by half because real defensive driving is driving as if your life depended on your awareness and constant escape plan.

Nuke California. They just drive like A-holes.

[nemo]

MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) class for everyone would not be the best use of time and money, but better awareness of motorcycles should be taught in driving classes. All classes should contain actual real life wet braking and cornering along with avoidance and not just theory. This should be redone every 5 to 7 year or maybe when ever a replacement car is purchased.
One big educational area is right side mirrors for lane change, the lane change should not be made until the other cars front bumper can be seen in the inside rear view mirror. This is caused by the convex mirrors being used on the right side. Interesting that our 2012 Fiesta has a split mirror both flat and convex.