AutoWeek devoted the Sept. 4th issue to a special report on driver education. Funny thing is I just talked to Larry Pond, of Pro Autosports, at the St. Johns GP, about the lack of formal drivers ed in high schools nowadays. He said the insurance industry used to promote it, but have dropped it. Most schools, especially charter schools, don't even offer it. We all know about 2600 American troops have been killed since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but who knows more than 22,000 teenagers have died in traffic accidents in the same 41-month period?

My oldest daughter just turned 16, so I need to be concerned. She will attend a class through Pro Autosports if it's the last thing I do.

I attended high school in Tucson, way back in the late 70's. Scare tactics of showing gruesome movies like Red Asphalt and a stupid simulator are what I remember. The Defensive Driving classes I had to attend to get points dropped were better than expected, but the people who don't get caught miss out. Courtesy is not taught, not even vehicle dynamics other than steer into a skid (not how to avoid the skid to begin with).

Question: did you have drivers ed before getting your license, and when was that?

 

I attended both Driver's Education and Driver's Training. Ed was when I was 15, and Training was when I got my learner's permit at age 15 1/2, in 1967/1968. Ah....three-point-turns and parallel parking!

 

i had driver's ed in HS with a permit and took the test at a local
sec of state ("DMV" for you californians).

i remember those dumb simulator movie thingies with faux steering...

i didn't know so many teens had passed. but i keep hearing about
18-20yr olds getting into accidents all the time running excessive speeds
on higher powered cars like Evo8's and STi's... even about a week ago
some local kid died hitting an oncoming car after loosing control of his STi
and falling into a ditch... then caught fire.

 

i took driver's ed/training IN school. I aced every test, and we had the simulator too :P But lucky for me, my partner had to switch schedules so i was left without one... so the driving instructor was my driving partner, and taught me exactly how to park and drive. I was amazingly safe because i had the best training in the whole class

 

We had Driver's Ed in the classroom and on the road once you had your permit, that would have been 1973 for me. We saw a movie and I can't remember the name. All I remember is that the teacher stood in front of us and said "One of you in this (sophomore) class will be killed in an accident before you graduate High School".

There was no Driver's Ed in the school our kids attended so we used AAA's program.

 

My daughter will be turning 16 very soon, and she is taking Drivers Ed, we also want to get her in a driving school for additional training and safety tactics.

 

When I got my liscence, I took a $300 class through the City for Drivers ed.

 

I didn't take it. My friends that did said that it's pretty much worthless. The instructors don't really teach you much; they just sit back and tell you to slow down, etc. They expect you to know the basics before you get to the course. Things like driving on the highway only a few days into the course is crazy. I spent weeks on the backroads and was still scared sh*tless when I got out on a major road. Teach your daughter yourself.

My best friends little sister is in the process of learning how to drive and she will be enrolled in a real driving school (avoidance maneuvers, etc) before she gets her liscense. That's the way it needs to be done but it's up to the parents to teach the proper techniques in the beginning.

 

Years ago I took driver's ed in high school. And no, we didn't push the car with our feet like the Flintstones, but it was almost that long ago.

The course included classroom work and actually driving a car. We started out in the fair grounds where there was no traffic, moved to country roads, and then into town.

I too saw the Autoweek article and thought it was very good and thought provoking.

I think a lot of teenagers today look at driving as a right and not a privilege and the parents look at it as a way to get out of having to drive their kids everywhere.

If I was a parent, I would want my children to be as prepared as they could be before I turned them loose with a car. That would include formal driver's ed as well as some kind of high performance driving instruction such as how to handle a car in a skid, panic stopping, and other types of car control. It would also involve a lot of practice with me in the passenger seat. There would also be repercussions if they broke any driving rules.

I think I would make them learn some basic car maintenance too, such as checking tire pressure, oil level, and how to change a tire. Proper maintenance in my opinion improves the safety of the car. Do you know how many adults have no idea how to change a tire? I know of one grown man that sat in a parking lot for four hours waiting for a tow truck because he did not know how to change the tire.

Maybe I'm just an old carmudgeon...

 

We had the usual classroom/simulator/on-the-road training in my high school. Thing is, I already knew how to drive. Having always been fascinated by automobiles, I used to shift the gears of my Dad's '64 Beetle while he drove, then moved up to steering the car from the passenger seat! My brother and I would fight for those privileges.

 

I had driver's ed. and training in high school back in 85 when I was 15. I didn't really learn much though, except you really shouldn't drive really fast of the canal bridges in Vencie, CA because you might launch the car and almost land on a police cruiser . Turns out that was a precurser as I seemed to be able to launch my next three car in the air at least once. I learned more about driving praticing for drag and solo II racing events than at any other time in my life. I plan on having both my girls take real driving courses and learning maintainence of cehicles so that they can do what is needed and know how atheir cars work. I'm starting them young too, they help daddy wash the cars now at 3 & 5 years old.

 

My highschool taught us a short classroom driver's ed course but no behind-the-wheel training. I remember that they showed us a film called "Mechanized Death," and yes, it was actually a FILM. Its funny because this was in 1997/98. You'd think my high school could at least spring for a video tape considering that at that point it was the beginning of the DVD era. Anyway, so I also took a short behind-the-wheel training from a private company, but it was completely worthless. At that point I had already been driving with my VA permit since I was 15 and my parents made me take the course before I could get my license (at this point we were living in PA). The course pretty much showed me the tricks to pass the test at the DMV and the rest of the time I just drove around town with the guy. Most of what I've learned though has come from experience. But I am constantly shocked at the horrible state of drivers education in America.

 

IIRC we were required to take DI in High School (Ohio, early 90s) before getting the learner's permit. We got some road time in a grossly underpowered Geo, then took the test. Was I prepared to drive? No, not really.

Once I got that out of the way, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and got my M endorsement. I learned everything I needed from the MSF course, such as basic vehicle dynamics and defensive driving. That course was absolutely the best thing I've ever done (saving up for a HPDE, though).

 

I had to take Drivers Ed in order to get my peemit and lisence; the course was ineffective as I had the IL Rules of the road book basically memerozied by the time I was 10. The class was one hour a day 5 days a week for a month, half of the time was spent watching Oprah sepcials on bad driving. State required a mere 25hours (now 50) of driving with my permit (had that done in a week) and 6 hours in a car with a drivers ed instructor (which by the time I got to it my parents had taught me more than he would've been able to). BTW 1st time written test 100%; same test a few years later an embarassing 97%. Debating going back and getting CDL and possibly motorcycle endorsements.

This was far more stringent than FL, pass the test, get your lisence

The cheaper, more educating experiance was the non required HPDE and skidpad time.

I'd believe the 22k I know of far to many thathave passed away, 1/2 of the ones I know about are underage DUIs (achahol and DWI with other drugs) trying not to get caught, the other half was ethier lack of attention or car control loss..

 

Regardless of what is or isn't offered at school, or required by the state, I think the onus falls on the parents. Kids need to learn citizenship, responsibility, courtesy, etc. particular to driving just as in all aspects in life.

I am reminded of the South Park episode when the parents all want Sex Ed taught in the schools. It's a complete disaster and they all learn that it is really a subject best taught at home. Driving is similar... even if the schools teach the "nuts & bolts" there is more to it than that, such as RESPECT - for your own safety, the vehicle, other cars & drivers, the environment, etc.

 

Batcatwildgirl,

Sex Ed. and "Nuts and Bolts" used in the same paragraph.....Why not just use "Frank and Beans" (Something About Mary style)

MGC - gutterchild

 

Absolutely, taught through the HS. You got your learners permit at 15 1/2. Took the classes after school and then road instruction. Three kids in the car and an instructor.

Yup, we also got to see those great scary movies ... blood all over the road.

 

Looks like most of us MINI enthusiasts were trained enough to stay out of trouble. I wonder about the Camry and Suburban drivers though.

Yesterday a local radio host got on this subject, so I called in and fanned the flames. Today he talked about it, and plans to tommarrow.

Has anyone heard of the lack of Drivers Ed in their schools?

 

"Carmudgeon!" That's a great new term, Morris!

 

Took D.E. at 15 1/2 in 1972. Gory films, simulator, the whole works. The behind the wheel time was spent on the D.C. Beltway during rush hour.
That is not something I would care to do even now, with 34 years experience!

My daughter just turned 15 and will be taking D.E. in school this coming January. Before that happens, she will have at least 100 hours of practical driving experience.

Thanks for reminding me, Kurt. I need to get her out driving again tomorrow before heading out to the hinterlands again.

 

Here in MN its drivers ed then you have to have 6 months accident or ticket free after the day you get your permit. i got my licence like 4 weeks ago
peace Mexi

 

I took DR in HS. I had the classes, the hilarious simulators and the on road drives in the 3 students/1 instructor Cavaliers. We had a great instructor though....we would go to McDonalds and go through the drive thru and get shakes and fries. Fun times. My dad did take all of my siblings and I on extensive practice drives. By the time I went for my permit....it was cake.

Morris, you're totally right about the "privilege and not a right" motto. But that goes hand in hand with the overwhelming public sense of "entitlement" that most people seem to have in all aspects of public life these days.

"Insert pet peeves here......"

 

Driver's Ed was offered in High School IIRC when I got my license 20 years ago, but since I turned 16 in the middle of the summer, my parents chose to enroll me in a private driver's school instead. I believe it was something like eight hours of classroom education and eight hours on the road, or something like that. I learned very little since I had been driving cars on the road since I was 13 (grew up on a farm out in the country). My parents also took it upon themselves to spend quite a few hours with me driving around in the city and other environments when I just had my learner's permit.

Regardless of what the Ohio rules will be at the time my two children come of age to drive, in addition to what the state requires, I'll be sending them to the Mid-Ohio Teen Driving School that the Mid-Ohio Race Car Course offers, and they'll each be required to autocross a season (at least one season) with their father to gain additional car control skill.

-Keith

 

I had driver's ed in HS when I was 15 (1971), leading towards getting a learner's permit at 15.5, Saw Red Asphalt and Death on a Highway.

I think schools don't have enough funding to sponsor driver's ed anymore.

 

You forgot Signal 30 and Mechanized Death

Yes, did the summer session during my High School years and aced the program. I just had the bad habit of driving to the class (only had learners permit); then we would go smoke a joint during break and then watch the cool vids …