Driving schools aren’t all the same
We have so many choices to make when we shop that sometimes it can be difficult to make the proper decision. My youngest son had that problem when he was very young. He couldn’t decide what to buy because each item had something good about it. Do you ever feel that way; you can’t decide so you end up not purchasing the item altogether?
Learning to drive also has its problems when it comes to deciding which driving school to go to. Driving has become a life skill, just like learning to swim is. Why would you find the cheapest driving school when what you’re learning can actually save your life?
In the past, driving schools would teach people how to make right and left turns, lane changes, turns at traffic lights and the dreaded parallel park. Learning to drive is much more than learning how to do those basic skills. Most jurisdictions have added some form of a graduated licensing system. This is designed to give the new driver more experience before they get a full, unrestricted license. It’s a good process, even though some jurisdictions have some easy rules to follow.
With our roads getting busier and busier each year and with more vehicles registered than the number of drivers across North America, we really need to be trained by the best schools out there. Now, what exactly should new drivers learn? They need to now the basics of vehicle handling, but also how to look out for the other driver. They need to learn how to position their vehicle safely in traffic so that if another driver makes a mistake, they won’t be involved with them.
The other interesting part of modern driver training comes from cognitive training. If major corporations are investing in cognitive training for their employees, why not get these new drivers using this type of training too? It will get their brain working in such a manner that will keep them ahead of trouble. Training the brain of a teen driver will help them process information in a more logical manner. Most teens tend to use emotion as opposed to logic when it comes to making decisions. Wouldn’t you want your teen driver to make a logical choice when it comes to a life skill?
One of the last parts of the human brain that develops is the prefrontal cortex. It’s the part of the brain that is responsible for judgement, empathy and self-control. Since teens still need to develop that part of their brain, it’s no wonder they use emotion and not logic to make driving choices. So, what can you do to help your teen improve?
Cognitive training has been around for a few years and is readily available to all consumers. Finding the proper cognitive training program is important. Finding a program that personalizes itself to the individual is far better than a “one size fits all” type of program. It helps the individual improve on their personal weaknesses, especially since people have different strengths and weaknesses.
One such program is called Cognifit and we’ve been using this program for a number of years at Young Drivers of Canada. Novice drivers and licensed drivers use this computer based program to retrain their brain. It measures their ability to avoid risk, change plans, divided attention, short term memory, obeying traffic regulations and a few others including reaction time and vision. The results will surprise you, especially when it can predict the risk takers in your company.
Since driving takes thought, why not learn how to think like a driver by taking an advanced driver training program and not just the cheapest, basic program. Also ensure you’re getting the most out of your brain by investing in cognitive training. Driver training has taken a new step, so why take a course that hasn’t changed in twenty years? Take a course that you can truly benefit from, regardless of your age.
I will say Young Drivers teaches how important your visibility is, the only school I see locally that teaches with lights on full time, my school did some 27 years ago, I still believe it is the correct approach. I’ve seen many so called “schools” recently turning improperly left into right or vise versa, or instructors by themselves texting and not signalling, do you really want that? How did they get the authority to teach your child when they cannot master the skill?
I would name names, but that may be libelous. Please learn how to properly turn and avoid collision. If you watch these schools while commuting as I do, you’ll know which to avoid because they allow wrong things to happen, like blocking intersections, a good instructor would have them leave the gap.