They spend the majority of time on memorizing signs and terminology, and not nearly enough on things that really become dangerous. Right of ways, safe distances, merging scenarios, what to do if an accident actually happens, defensive driving, decision making. My school didn’t even attempt to teach navigation using road signs, they wanted me to remember the difference between a school crossing and a railway sign. And in my state half the exam is signs and if you get one wrong you automatically fail?
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idk, the drivers ed i took covered most of that
Drivers ed isn’t required
My driver Ed cover almost everything besides parallel parking lol and I cannot parallel park lol
My school covered all of that, and they all should. Yes not knowing a road sign should fail you, there aren’t that many
My son just did it in our state and they still focused on stuff like turning your wheels towards the curb when parking on hills, but didn’t do any parking in parking lots. And we live in a relatively flat state. My whole life I don’t think I’ve used the wheels towards the curb technique. But I’m getting in and out of tight parking spaces everyday.
I would argue that driver’s ed in the US is adequate in that driving in the US is so easy and low effort.
I would also say that teaching 15 year olds, who are also in the phase of their lives where they basically don’t pay attention or take anything seriously does not make sense. Way too many Americans finish school and say “I’m done learning” and go on living the rest of their 60 to 80 years refusing to accept that they should continue to pursue learning.
I could go down a path about civics and politics, but this applies to driving also.
You have a bunch of grown ups refusing to update their thinking about how they should drive because they decided that whatever they were taught when they were 15 is all they need to know.
This is why proper lane usage and signaling is only used and understood by less than half of Americans.
The primary thing I remember from drivers ed is that you should enter the car KEY IN HAND, because once you’re sitting down in the car, it’s harder to get the keys out of your pocket. Everything else I know about driving I learned from GTA.
My son just got his learner’s in VA, and they make you do the sign test for the permit, which strikes me as a decent way to do it – get your base of knowledge and then go out in the field. He’s starting the classroom portion of the course now – I’ll try to quiz him on the focus of it at some point.
lol our drivers ed car had bald tires, so the instructor let us do burnouts in it
That’s a sweeping statement.
This is not unpopular
Dunno what state you’re from, I’m from NY and so far from other drivers I’ve found NY has the most thorough driving program, both drivers ed and getting a license in general. Massachusetts my fiance didn’t have to parallel park! She got her license in BOSTON!
Drivers ed varies crazy by state.
Most things that people learn in drivers ed are forgotten after a couple of years of actual driving. Unless you’re forced to retake a test later to renew your license or take a driver safety class after getting a ticket, etc, the way a person drives is mostly just habitual, not intentional.
Changing the drivers Ed curriculum isnt going to change that.
A better strategy would be to focus on public awareness campaigns and PSAs that will reach audiences of all ages, and with very specific actions you’re promoting.
A good example of this is how many states are trying to promote the Zipper Merge they signage at actual construction sites and in other marketing contexts.
Do they even teach blind spots anymore?
Mother fuckers always cruising around in peoples blind spot.
Driver’s Ed in the US is a beyond a joke at this point.
My driver’s ed class basically went through the state issued manual cover to cover. It covered all of that stuff. Most signs say what they’re for on them, so I’m not sure why your class would spend much time on that.
To me it sounds like your specific driver’s ed class is terrible, I learned all of this in driver’s ed.
Yinz got drivers ed?