Originally Posted by
northernlights
Part of the problem is the lack of quality driver education. In the past few decades driver education has steadily shifted from the public to private sector. A standardized driver ed program taught by certified instructors used to be available in every high school and every student was required to take the course, complete with driving simulators, etc. That's no longer the case due to cutbacks and defunding. It's been shifted more and more to the private sector where the quality of instruction varies drastically and instructors that may be questionable.
I am an exemplary driver, despite a very low amount of actual driver education. In all honesty the first time I got behind a steering wheel I was road test ready. Not road ready, road test ready. Most if not all of the things I do on the road are outgrowths of my personality which tends to the rational. If a driver ahead wants to merge in, I never second guess, I let him or her in. If the same driver is being an idiot and bouncing from lane to lane and wants to cut in a second (or third!) time, I am going to let them know I am annoyed, but I am going to let them do it! Out on the superslab at 65mph is not the time or place to have a p*ss*ng match.
Aggression, or timidity, lack of judgement, and poor understanding of vehicle dynamics are the main reason drivers get into trouble on our roads. You can't teach these things. Just like cycling, you start out with a basic set of behaviors and if The Force is with you, you survive until you add enough additional technique to your skill set until you are at last a full Jedi Master. Some just have no talent for it, and even after years of doing it remain at a Padawan level. Decades of driving experience have got to count for something I hope, but I don't really know that for sure. I was a competent, careful and skillful driver from go. That's just how I approach everything I do.
If I am on a long trip and my wife hands me something to eat I take it from her without taking my eyes off the road. I eat it without taking my eyes off the road. I put CD's in the player without taking my eyes off the road. I do not take my eyes off the road for one second, ever, while the car is in motion. No one taught me this. I never read it anywhere. I drive with people who do not do this. They've all had accidents in the past. There are drivers like me out there not having accidents and there are drivers that are less careful having accidents. It is very American to not give a flying about consequences. That translates into road fatalities. The average semi-tractor-trailer driver has 50 hours of training. A Class A CDL requires 160 hours of training. I will bet you money that American CDL holders are disproportionately represented in fatal road accidents compared to European CDL holders. Equal amounts of training but the mindset and personality of the person trumps any amount of driver training. FWIW.