Taking a test drive with Bob Green at the Skip Barber School in Lime Rock, Conn., is a lesson in humility, even for the experienced Secret Service, FBI, and Indy 500 race car drivers he trains. Green puts them through the paces, throwing torrents of rain, ice and unexpected obstacles in their path to test their agility in emergency situations.
“They run into my cones. They skid the cars,” says Green. “And then their cars go someplace they don’t want them to go.” You knock over 18 cones? That means 18 crashes, maybe 18 dead people.
“Let’s try it again,” he tells his students, even though he knows in real life you don’t get to try it again.
Most Americans think they’re good drivers. In a survey by the National Safety Council, 99 percent of respondents said they considered themselves to be safe drivers, yet 93 percent admitted they didn’t follow common safety procedures, like turning off cell phones, checking tire pressure, and obeying the speed limit.
Green calls the phenomenon “delusions of adequacy” or D.O.A.
There is no substitute for mastering the fundamental skills of good driving, Green says, and that takes plenty of hands-on experience. But the first step is to acknowledge your own vulnerability.
As you head out this Memorial Day weekend, stay alert, obey the speed limit, and above all, wear your safety belt.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) an average of 269 more people die in traffic fatalities each month during the summer than in any other season of the year. Of the 25 deadliest days on American roads over the past five years, 20 of them fell between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Watch New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's I should be dead public service announcement on YouTube.
Lisa Gensheimer is a writer and documentary producer whose work has appeared on public television stations nationwide. She frequently writes about consumer safety issues in In Sync magazine, a publication for the 1.7 million policyholders of Erie Insurance Group.
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Comments: 23
Yes, Audrey, I've noticed that, too. Also, the state police in many states are uniting in a "click-it-or-ticket" campaign to make sure drivers and passengers are belted.
Spartan, I've heard great things about the Bondurant school, too. Bob Green, who is a good friend, also runs an organization called Survive the Drive, dedicated to training teen drivers.
Karolyn and Mandy, glad you found the article useful.
The message? Just drive. No multi-tasking, even if you're going only a few miles to run an errand.
I suffered ony slight red bruises on my face, it easily vanished.
I wondered where was the face of the famed horseman of Sleepy Hollow.
March of 2005 when the accident occurred. A big bike accident, driving an American eagle...I got a lot of contusions and bruises. Also the same day I received a letter from Forward Press UK., you know what's the title of the anthology....''FREE FALLING'', hahaha...
Driving... You will never know what you gonna get...
I'm a pretty safe driver but I guess if someone else was being unsafe my reflexes might not be good enough to avoid the accident (like say if they swerved suddenly into my lane or something)
Machiavelli, I'm sorry about your accident, but glad you lived to tell the tale and see the irony in the letter you received from Forward Press.
Tonia, not a bad idea, especially given the price of gas.
Mai, it's good to practice defensive driving in any case. Hope you and your best friend had a happy holiday weekend.