Chuck Landenberger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Allan, > > Just curious.. What is your age?
40 > Way back in the "dark ages" my father taught me to drive. But, > we're talking pre-hot rod days... > > I've since taken and instructed quite a few Defensive Driving > classes. > > It can save a life to know your car's limits and your limits! I took a standard "drivers training" program when I was 16. It was thru a private program since the public schools stopped offering drivers training a year or two before that. Not sure why -- perhaps liability concerns. The classroom was where you learned about stopping distances, recovering from skids, etc. though we never actually did any skidding in the driving portion of the class. I don't know of any program that does that other than the law enforcement "EVO" (emergency vehicle operation) programs. It would have been possible to go over to the local stadium (big gravel lot) and get the feel for skidding, but we did not. For the actual driving we drove in town, on the highway, learned how to merge into traffic, pass, etc. We did not learn how to drive a manual transmission but my parents arranged a special extra 1:1 session with one of the instructors for that. Unfortunately like most people, I learned "the hard way" how wet pavement, snow, and ice affect handling, and what 4WD will and won't do for you. The *theory* was all covered in driver's ed though, and I can't imagine that it's not today. Insurance companies have statistical evidence that drivers training produce safer drivers, otherwise they would not offer discounts to drivers who pass such a program. Not to say the training couldn't be better, but it is already better than parental training *on average*. With regard to the comparisons to Europe, remember that driving is *heavily* taxed in europe, from the taxes on fuel, taxes on automobiles, cost of the license, cost of the mandatory yearly inspections, etc. Young people simply cannot, in most cases, afford a car or a license, and most families (if they have a car at all) cannot afford to buy one for their kid. By the time the kid has the income to support owning and driving a car, he is older, more mature, presumably more responsible, etc. Allan -- 1983 300D 1966 230
