Defensive Driver Training

Wednesday I spent the entire day doing defensive driver training, which is mandatory before we can drive state vehicles for site visits and inspections. It’s an interactive on-line course with lots of graphic photos and videos. It’s designed to scare the shit out of young, careless and aggressive drivers.

I am the last person who needs the shit scared out of me about the dangers of the road. I admit to sometimes speeding, and let’s say…I can be unhesitating when maneuvers are necessary. But I am already ridiculously, needlessly, hyper-vigilant, and I am not a relaxed passenger. I ALWAYS know where all the other vehicles are, and I am constantly anticipating that AT ANY MOMENT they will do something completely random and unexpected, like brake hard or swerve into my lane. I’m already jumpy enough in a vehicle.

John is going to have to blindfold me like a racehorse, just to get me to our camping spot this weekend.

It didn’t help that when I was returning from lunch there had been a car accident near my office, and a van was literally flipped on it’s side in middle of a major intersection. I was horrified.

Aside from the scare tactics, it was a pretty good course. We could input information about situations we’d likely encounter ourselves, like snow and ice in the winter, and it would customize the material. I clicked that I drove a commercial van (since they weren’t so specific as to have a camper van option 😜), and I got to see the section about driving big vans.

One cool thing about the on-line course: I know this guy! I took a one-week “Human Factors” course from him in Michigan. It’s so weird to suddenly see someone you know in some unexpected setting. He’s one of those “experts” on TV! He’s famous! (Sort of, LOL)