Most people don’t understand how to drive. We’ve all seen them. Left lane hogs on the highway. Distracted by their phones at red lights. The worst part is many people think they can drive just fine, and these’s nothing worse than false confidence.
Not going to pretend racers are any better. We learn never to back off, never to concede a position. So the same shenanigans that happen on track occur on the street. No trophy or medal; just a ticket and license suspension.
i learned from my dad that the left lane is just another lane to drive in. it wasn’t until Hero Husband came along and gently pointed it out to me that I became aware of the mistake i had internalized. (I changed my ways at that point!)
There’s many MANY techniques that are poorly taught in North American driving schools (or the School of Dad). I never knew the difference between white, yellow and orange lane markings. I thought it was just a colourful choice of paint.
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Since I spend a lot of time at race tracks from May to October, I am uncommonly aware of how serious driving is.
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But the stuff I see on highways and byways is just crazy. People don’t even try. I sincerely think they do not understand how dangerous driving really is…or even understand HOW to driver properly.
are there driving improvement courses out there? i consider myself a good driver, but like you said, plenty of people do. a passenger made me aware recently that my braking habits were alarming for him. i waited too long to brake so he was worries i was going to rear end someone. i have made an effort to brake sooner, but habits don’t just reveal themselves to be bad ones. now i’m off to learn what those colorful paint choices mean because i’m not sure i know either!
Good golly, there are so many ‘advanced drivers courses’ out there, in every province and state in the union. AAA may be able to help you find one, or your car insurance company.
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They might be called Car Control Schools, Skid Control Schools or Advanced Driving Courses, but they all share many similarities.
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– Closed course, like a parking lot at a stadium.
– Pylons, and usually a fire hose to simulate wet weather.
– Experienced instructors teaching basic principles that you kinda know, but aren’t fully aware of (like weight transfer under braking).
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First there’s a classroom session explaining a concept, followed by driving session in your own car. All day long.
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VIDEO: https://youtu.be/NZquoxNTIwE?si=BB-Zc5XCz3GVqGMq
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2019 ARTICLE: https://demaras.com/2019/11/11/car-control-school/
Really quick google search yields mostly remedial or regular driving. Will contact AAA as they will be a good source for what’s around here.