Start spreading the news….
April 2013 marks 25 years as a driving instructor with Young Drivers of Canada. It’s quite a milestone in my eyes, but I never thought I would accomplish as much as a driving instructor as I’ve done thus far. When I began in 1988 I had a love of driving and of cars. I also enjoyed meeting people. All of those things have blended together quite nicely over the years and my passion for driver training has grown immensely as well.
I wanted to tell many people how to be more aware of their surroundings while driving and how to become a safe driver. Over the years I’ve been able to spread the news about safe driving practises in a variety of ways. Other than sharing with my students, I’ve also been able to give advice to their parents from time to time. It’s always nice when a licensed driver will stand there and keep an open mind about something they’ve been doing for over 20 years. Would you be open minded enough to take advice from your son or daughter’s driving instructor?
From there it went to providing interviews with the media. I’ve been doing newspaper, radio and television interviews for over 20 years and they’re quite fun to do really. I just speak the truth, use a little humour and answer questions as honestly as possible. Doing those interviews have lead me to become a judge on Canada’s Worst Driver on Discovery Network for three seasons and then to become a regular guest on a local cable show called Hamilton Life on cable 14. It’s never really been a struggle to find things to share with viewers, especially since driving is a big part of our lives. And we never really stop learning, right?
Whenever I have a chance to spread the word about safe driving, I jump at it. Spreading the word through a variety of media outlets, like the morning show I recently did, (See link below for video clips) has become a huge part of who I am. I know some of the things I discuss many people have done before, but I also realize that many drivers haven’t. That keeps me going. I also know that some people may have done certain driving practices in the years past but have stopped doing them for some reason. That’s where I come in as well. Reminders are a great way to get drivers to get back their old driving habits.
http://www.chch.com/gift-safe-driving/
So here’s a thought – why don’t you take over for me? Start spreading the news to other drivers about safe driving practices. Just talk about what you feel are good driving skills. Discuss what you’ve seen or heard on the news – or perhaps even a blog!
Lots of great info in these videos! Entertaining and smart for sure.
Congrats on a quarter century of helping people to help themselves. It would have been 30 years for me next April … sheesh!
I wish there was some way to actually know exactly how many collisions were avoided and how many lives you’ve saved in that 25 years. For many, the hours they spent with you teaching them probably ended up to be the most valuable education they have received. Unfortunately, few will realize this because there is no way to quantify results based on crashes that NEVER HAPPENED!
Imagine the intricate web you’ve weaved over time. Students. Students who educated their parents, then had those parents pass on things in conversations with their friends. People who watched you on TV, read your blog, or had chance meetings with you and asked a question.
Scott, I hold you in the utmost esteem and I’m proud to call you my friend. Here’s to another 25 years!
Thanks for those very kind words Mike! I appreciate them greatly!