Change Bad Attitude? We Need to Change the Driving Test

People claim that things get better with time but it seems that the fiends on Malaysian roads are getting worse.

Each year we have some sorry official lamenting the high accident rate especially among youths and no one knows the solution.

My son recently passed his driving test but I will not allow him to drive unsupervised until he has at least 3 months of driving under my supervision or my wife’s guidance.

That was the routine we followed for our two daughters after they passed their driving test. Even that did not prevent one from a serious accident after uncontrolled braking but luckily no injury except a smashed front end.

It seems the driving test is designed so that learners are subject to minimum stress. For example:

1. There is no instruction and test on a highway stretch above 80kph.

2. There is no instruction and test on emergency braking. I asked my son what he learned about emergency braking and he said, “It is in the theory section. It mentions you must “pump, release and pump the brake.”

With these two serious defects it is not surprising that more youths are being killed on the roads. I wonder when and why the emergency braking procedure was removed from the driving test.

For new drivers I would advise you to get an experienced driver to demonstrate how to do emergency braking and try it yourself on some deserted road. The proper technique may save your life the first time you actually need to do it.

photo: http://media.apn.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/Cellphone_driving.JPG