The Safe Driver

Sharing a wealth of knowledge…

It’s no secret that road safety is my passion. Many of us have a passion. Some have a passion for cooking delicious foods, some for sports and others have a passion to do the best possible job while on their job. For those of us with a passion, it’s difficult to keep that passion to ourselves. We like to share. In my case, my family seems to have benefited, whether they wanted to or not.

Many years ago when my kids were young, they went to a safety village. Prior to sitting in an electric kiddie car, the organizer wanted to review a few road signs and the meanings of traffic lights. They first showed a picture of a green light and asked the kids what it meant. All of the kids yelled “GO!” Next was a picture of a red light and they asked what it meant. The kids immediately yelled “Stop!” So far so good. Next was the picture of the yellow light. The organizer asked “What does the yellow light mean?” All of the kids yelled “Slow down!” Well, all of the kids except my son, who said “Stop if it’s safe to do so!” I guess he does listen to me after all.

My kids have all grown up with me as a driving educator. They’ve heard me speak to the media for print, radio or television and to groups of people regarding road safety. Although I wasn’t speaking directly to them, they were able to absorb it. This was evident once they were taking the driver education course with me when they each turned 16. A few years ago when my daughters were taking the classroom portion at Young Drivers of Canada, I would ask questions of the group and with a surprise look on their faces, my daughters would raise their hand to answer. Their answer was correct and I moved on. They said they didn’t realize they knew that information until after I asked the question. They never studied that material, but remembered what I had spoken about previously throughout their lives. Again, they must have been listening to me as well.

My other son was not left out either. He experienced success with his driving course because he had watched me drive and speak to others regarding road safety for his entire life. He was a skateboarder first and learned about road safety at that time. He was able to practice thinking like a driver well before he was of age to drive. All my kids were. In my case, they were all learning life skills. They were learning how to make smart decisions behind the wheel in a rather subconscious manner.

Being a professional road safety expert took time, research, discussion and testing. It’s what I do for a living. Although many drivers have experience, they may not be up to date with the current information. As a professional, I do my best to stay updated. When I’m training new driving instructors or new drivers I have to “sell” a system – a way of life – behind the wheel. As the general public, we tend to do what we believe in. We won’t always do what we’re told. My job as a road safety professional is to explain driving techniques to help make sense to you. When individuals open their mind to “new” ideas, they can also benefit from it.

Road safety is a process that is constantly changing with the increase of vehicle traffic, changing infrastructure and changing vehicle technology. Changing what we do behind the wheel and adjusting to the traffic is what I’m trying to sell. Apparently, it was an easy sell to my kids. Now I just need to get others to absorb as well as they did.