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"A son takes driver's ed, but a father learns, too"
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Article taken from Oregonlive.com |
by Barry Albertson, a member of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A son takes driver's ed, but a father learns, too
This summer was memorable for several reasons, but one
stands out: I was reacquainted with the essentials and
nuances of driving, compliments of my oldest son, Matthew.
He and nearly 100 other Tigard-Tualatin School District
students completed their driver's education course at
Tualatin High School.
Today's driver's ed classes involve 30 (or more) hours of classroom lectures, 12 hours of riding in the back seat observing their friends drive with an instructor and nine 45-minute sessions behind the wheel. This is topped off with a minimum of 50 additional hours of driving with a parent.
Our school district's classes were taught by a group of awarding-winning driver's ed teachers -- Ron Dyer, Rich Hanson (2006 national driver's ed teacher of the year), Mark Dolbeer, Linda Mazur and Tom Duggan -- along with nearly two dozen driving instructors from district schools.
We parents car-pooled groups of four kids to Tualatin High for about four weeks. Our batch of students elected to take the class that started at 7 a.m. Kids who staggered in even one second late paid their dues by singing a song of their choice, a cappella, in front of the class.
Our group -- Kelly, Ariel, Callie and Matt -- did sing once or twice but made the opening bell with remarkable ease and a very high level of consciousness.
Through July and August, my son and his friends drove pretty slowly and cautiously while learning the ropes. To me this is a good thing, because regardless of how slowly they drive now, they'll soon enough be driving faster.
The most challenging and rigorous episodes for me came when I took my son out on the roads to drive and watched other drivers and their driving habits more closely than when I'm driving alone. I witnessed some scary stuff while riding shotgun. Here are four that made my "Geez, Louise" list:
1. Young drivers are taught to abide by the four-second
rule, to keep a safe and comfortable distance between their
car and the vehicle in front. (In the late 1950s, we called
it the one-car length per 10 mph rule.) These new drivers
also try to drive at the posted speed limit in and around
Tigard and Tualatin. For doing so, they shouldn't be
subjected to tailgating, high-beam headlight flickering,
horn honking or obscene gestures.
2. If you're driving on a two- or four-lane road and
there are bicyclists or joggers alongside, don't swerve
into the adjacent or approaching lane, compromising oncoming
drivers' safety. Slow and wait until the area on your
left is clear.
3. You don't have to swing wide to make a standard 90-degree turn.
4. The fact that you want to change lanes and you've
flipped on your turn signal does not, by itself, mean
there's sufficient room to do so. Look to see whether
there is space to make this maneuver. If not, slow and wait.
Someone will almost certainly let you in safely.
So I guess I'll make it through driver's ed and having a new driver in the house. It'll be a good thing when Matt can run errands for Mom and Dad, or can get himself to Tualatin High for academic and social events. But I'll worry about him just the same.
I'm pretty sure all of these young students will eventually get their licenses and join us on our roads and highways. But do me a favor: Give them a break, before they become jaded and start driving offensively. The kids are trying hard to drive correctly, responsibly and safely. I want them to be able to make it on the roads, to survive, finish high school and spend the rest of their lives uninjured, unhurt, safe and happy.
One more thing: Remember that one of those new drivers is my son.