Being a Model Driver
September 12, 2005
When you come across a student driver, while driving on a highway or a city street, do you change your driving habits in order to be the “model” citizen, or a good example for the person behind the wheel?
I’ve found that when I encounter a car with “Student Driver” written on it, I’ll pause for a brief moment to think about whether I should actually follow the law, at least in that moment or ignore the situation and continue the onslaught of rolling stops, sloppy lane changes and road rage outbursts. If I’m not thinking about that, I’m wondering if the instructor is using my driving habits as an example of what not to do, for example, in my mind I can hear this imaginary conversation:
Instructor: (Points at my car) Yeah, see what he just did? Don’t do that. If you’re ever in a situation where someone almost clips you, just shrug it off.
Student Driver: Wait, what did that guy do? (pointing at me)
Instructor: You didn’t see it? Geez, you need to really pay attention when you’re driving you know. Anyways, that guy (looks in my direction) screwed up his face, squeezed his wheel and sped up behind the person who almost clipped him. He’s not a model driver by any means.
Student Driver: No, I guess not.
Instructor: In fact, just forget I showed you that. I don’t want that guy’s bad habits to rub off on you. Hey, pay attention to the road!
Speaking of which, have you ever made up imaginary conversations of your fellow drivers? I do it all the time.
15 comments
I think seeing a “student driver” is a “license” to drive bad. I believe that I must set an example of how a sloppy way to drive so he’ll know how not to drive. Only kiddin.. It doesn’t matter to much due to the fact that when he gets his license he’s going to start driving bad a couple hours after. When I drive, I think of all the stories people have when I’m driving next to em, all their life experiences etc… There must be alot in this world.
by Matt (brother) on September 12, 2005 at 12:07 pm. #
Brother Matt: I know what you mean. It’s debatable whether you should actually follow the rules or break them just to stir the pot up a bit.
by kartooner on September 12, 2005 at 12:16 pm. #
Whenever I see a student driver or a “Learner” as we call them where I am from, I usually try to display the proper way of driving as I was taught by my instructor. Sometimes I tend not to overtake them as I know what it felt like when people overtook me as a learner. I was usually nervous and I am sure they feel the same way. I think people need to be a bit more patient with learners as well.
by Yannick on September 12, 2005 at 1:04 pm. #
Sometimes I see those student drivers on the road and it reminds me of the hell I lived through when I was struggling to learn to drive (2 courses, 2 failed DMV (our local version of the DMV anyway) tests and 3 years later, I can say I’ve learned to be pretty confident on the road. After a while –at least on my town– you get to learn rules are essentially made to be broken, that hefty bribes solve pretty much anything, that cabs, trucks and buses are your worst enemies, and that he who thinks twice loses the much-prized only parking spot left. I’ve never been more proud of becoming the perfect anti-example of a model driver nowadays
by beto on September 12, 2005 at 1:05 pm. #
I point at them and laugh. Punks.
by Greg on September 12, 2005 at 1:28 pm. #
Yannick: I think 90% of the time I’ll practice safe driving habits around student drivers (or learners), but there’s that creeping 10% of the time when the little red man appears over my left shoulder and pokes his rake (yes, my guy has a rake and not a pitchfork) into the of my neck, whispering “Yes, ignore the amateur. Continue your hijinks.”
beto: You failed it twice too? Here I thought I was among a small group of people who didn’t see eye-to-eye with the instructor, nor the actual driving process. I passed the written test just fine, it’s just the driving portion that I wasn’t getting.
Greg: I bet you do.
I’ll admit, I sometimes snicker to myself as well.
by kartooner on September 12, 2005 at 1:39 pm. #
Something completely different. Where did you find that “old school” picture. Looking for weeks now for that kinda images. Thnx.
by Sprons on September 13, 2005 at 3:00 am. #
Sprons: I’ve got a repository of various stock photos (and other images) that I’ve collected over the years.
Another good “egg hunt” technique to use is Google Photos, although you have to pay careful attention as to whether or not the images you’re using are copyrighted or not.
by kartooner on September 13, 2005 at 8:29 am. #
Kartooner: lol that was really funny. I think we need to knock the little red man off your shoulder then.
by Yannick on September 13, 2005 at 1:16 pm. #
I saw a student driver the other day and he pretty much just stopped in front of me in the middle of the road. So of course, I cut him off.
by Chris on September 13, 2005 at 3:03 pm. #
I’ve tried to be a model driver, but the flashes from all the cameras, and orders to look this way and to look that way, kept distracting me.
by Matt Burris on September 13, 2005 at 3:25 pm. #
Yannick: Believe me, I’ve tried numerous amounts of times and no matter how much effort is exerted to ignore the little red man, he still sometimes has an iron grip on my consciousness.
Chris: Hey, if that was your only course of action then so be it.
Matt: Sure.
by kartooner on September 13, 2005 at 4:40 pm. #
Oh, I think I also honked.
by Chris on September 13, 2005 at 7:33 pm. #
I like to pull along side of them and rev the engine and then peel out, swerving all over the road while they watch, helpless to retaliate without possibly failing the class.
Or pull alongside and pump up the volume while swigging haphazardly from an obscure bottle hidden inside a paperbag leaving them to decide what the contents were.
by stefan on September 28, 2005 at 1:41 am. #
Stefan: I think I like the second one for sure. I’ll have to jot that down for future usage.
by kartooner on September 28, 2005 at 1:40 pm. #