Used to do driver training periodically especially when clients having fleets had a lousy record of accidents to the point they wanted it done, offering suggestions were no longer necessary. Had fun doing it a different way. Screw the lectures about what drivers KNOW about, it is about what they choose to ignore or forget. I usually opened with two questions:
How many of you consider yourselves as above average drivers? Often it was 90% or more who did.
How many think I’m going to tell you something about driving safely you don’t already know? Often it was 90% or more saying I won’t be able to tell them anything they don’t already know.
I agreed with the second question, that’s why I’m going another route and pretty sure you will find something you don’t know or haven’t thought about. I used the results of accident investigations, photos, videos, and discussing their determined causes letting them make their determinations first comparing them with LE conclusions. This is the stuff most never hear about and had a couple examples from people involved I knew. One was a dump truck driver, law-abiding guy, loving father of his two little kids.
One day he came across a yellow light at a semi-rural intersection. Rather than slow down he sped up to try to cross. The light went red sooner than he thought, the driver in a sedan took off on his green light right in front and was t-boned in the driver’s door, truck was going 50-55mph. Guy didn’t know what hit him. He was a dad too, leaving a couple kids and his wife.
I happened to overhear his wife (truck driver) at a family function discussing the hurt of bundling up their kids to go visit their father on visiting day. He was sentenced to 3-years in prison. He was a basket case killing the guy he hit. This stuff doesn’t make the news.
Another was a college girl texting when she killed a 45-year-old guy crossing the street. He was a dad. She was the sort who wouldn’t hurt a fly and her guilt was heart wrenching, but in the courtroom was the family of the guy she killed. Longer story, but painful as she served time.
Long post, but among the items I see is ALWAYS double-checking cross traffic before taking off. Something I noticed my daughter not doing well when riding with her. Have a couple other pet-peeves, but I’ll stop the long post.
