What About Situational Awareness Drills in Driver Training?

When it comes to driving, the physical ability to maneuver a car in a strait line, around corners, and come to a safe stop does not make one a safe driver.  The ability to scan your mirrors every 5 seconds and scan on the right, in the middle, and to the left every 2 seconds in each direction searching for and identifying any and all potential hazards to include recognition of in-car distractions is the most important skill a driver can have to stay alive to drive. A new driver needs to recognize all potential hazards that surround them, and that are ahead of them 15 to 20 seconds down the road, and be able to describe them verbally to a qualified instructor or parent. This type of training is what most schools have as an option or use on occasion, and very seldom make it a priority teaching method for in-car training. This method is known as commentary driving, which is used effectively by other corporations in the United States. How often do you see a UPS or Federal Express truck in an accident, compared to automobiles and other large trucks?

A driver should always be scanning 15 to 20 seconds down the center of the road, to the left, to the right, and checking each side mirror along with the rear view mirror every 5 seconds.  Additionally, a smart defensive driver is able to skillfully control the space in front with a minimum of a 4 second following distance at all times, and increasing the following distance as speed increases and when weather or road conditions worsen.  The student driver should be continuously making efforts to maintain space cushions on the left, right and to the rear, during commentary driving.

If every driving school and parent is committed to implementing commentary driving drills beginning with an introduction in the classroom or online driversed,  and thoroughly establish an implement the use of it for every driving lesson behind-the-wheel, new drivers will increase their initial driving skills tremendously and better ensure that they will avoid the next potential accident.  It may be a potential accident that results in the loss of their own life, life of another person or the lives of all people involved.  All new drivers can become a smart, skillful, safe, courteous, confident defensive drivers much sooner than later.  Remember, it only starts with the driving schools, but every parent must become more involved and teach the same commentary driving methods to their teens during every driving lesson, and not just drive down the road in a strait line and make a few turns to arrive at ending destination.

Commentary driving includes the driver verbally describing all of the hazards to the left coming up 15 to 20 seconds down the road, and all the hazards in the center, to the right, and to the rear, all while maintaining lane position, space cushion, a safe speed, and constantly planning escape routes for every scenario.  These drills need to be executed over and over until a new driver becomes skilled at completing all of these tasks while driving. If the driving schools and the parents commit to their part in drivers ed and in-car driver training, all new drivers will be significantly more skilled at defensive driving much sooner than later, when it is too late.

Parents, regardless if your son or daughter is attending a traditional driving school, on-line drivers ed school, parent taught/home schooled, please become more involved in their driver education and behind-the-wheel driving lessons.  A new driver needs at least 80 to 90 hours of practice before they are given the freedom to drive completely independent without any restrictions.  We urge all parents and driving schools to use the hazard recognition form provided below, as the corner stone training method for behind-the-wheel driver training, which is a life saving tool.

Please give us your comments and suggestions, as we are always open to new thoughts and suggestions that will improve driver education and in-car training in Texas and the United States.  Click on the following article to read.

Teen Driver Crashes – A Report to Congress, July 2008 (NHTSA – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Click on the each of the links below to discover just how serious driver education and in-car training should be for every new driver in any driving school and while practicing with parents.  Hazard Recognition Driver Training , Hazard Recognition Checklist Explanation

Always with Absolute Integrity and Care,

Toni Selph

Frisco ISD Math Teacher

SmartChoice Driver School Director

Teen Drivers and Parent Taught

Automobile accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for teens, especially in the first 6 months of independent driving.  Parent’s becoming more involved is definitely a step in the right direction.  If more parents signed up for parent taught driving programs, they would likely be more involved in their teens driving experience.  The graduated driving program is the right idea, but that really can only be successful if parents are more involved in driver training programs.  More hours behind the wheel practicing and stressing situational awareness and attention is the biggest key to safer driving. Of course maturity level is hugely a factor as well.  I know this for certain after teaching driving lessons to teens and adults.  Parents, please check out this link which has a lot of great information for parents regarding teen driving. Please do not make the mistake of  believing that a driving school is enough to get your teen started driving safely.  Yes, your teen absolutely needs drivers education course and the in-car driver training from a Texas Education Agency certified school, but parents must step up to the plate and commit to spending more time on the in-car techniques and practice, and even more time on the most important aspect of becoming a good driver, state of mind, attention, situational awareness of constant potential hazards.  It is the mental aspect that we truly believe is the main reason for increase in teen deaths.  After working for two other driving schools, and training under many other driving instructors from these schools, It became quite clear that there was not near enough training and practice on constant situational awareness of not only the traffic around them, but every cross street, driveway, and alleyway, which are all potential hazards when driving down the road.  I realized for the first time in my life this was what I was suppose to do.  I am suppose to teach in-car driver training in such a way that our driving school will be able to impact the driving school and family worlds in a positive manner.  Our teaching techniques for the physical part of driving are as good or better than any driving school out there, but where we absolutely make a huge difference is in the area of mental alertness and awareness that we impress upon all of our students each and every lesson for the entire lesson, as if they were being prepared to go into a battle.  Driving on our streets and highways today in areas like Dallas is like being on a battle field, and that is exactly what we say to our students.  ”Treat it like you are on a battle field and there are hazardous areas all around you where you can be killed”  All drivers need to be put through awareness drills constantly during the lessons while they are learning the physical aspect as well.  So, please visit this site and lets all get together on this and save lives. Teen Drivers and Parents

President and CEO of SmartChoice Driver Schools, Incorporated would like to say thank you to the all the prior student drivers in the North Texas Region for their business. SmartChoice Driver School will continue to serve with absolute integrity and CAre. We can be contacted at 940-765-1702 for any questions or concerns, or you can use our contact form at our website to email any questions. We have added advanced driver training known as “Road Warriors” to our in-car driving program menu that challenges experienced drivers to go to that next level of smart, safe and defensive driving, that is designed to increase technical, tactical, strategic and evasive driving skills. We continue to offer the best and easiest path of completing the Texas required 32 hour classroom portion online through an excellent online provider approved by the state of Texas, and the 14 hour in-car requirement through us (SmartChoice Driver School). Adult in-car behind-the-wheel driver training is also provided in most North Texas counties.

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