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LEARNER KILLS CHILD

It's Sunday morning around 11am in Ethelton, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Four-year-old Mia and her mother step out of church into the sunshine. While mother greets and chats with fellow parishioners, little Mia plays on the sidewalk.  Next, the little girl watches a cute little pussy-cat. Wouldn't it be fun to have a little play...?

 

Without warning, Mia follows the cat onto the roadway. Her mother, out of reach to catch her, can only scream in horror. She could see the vehicle with L-plates approaching ...!

Only minutes earlier, in the same street not far away, 16 year-old Bruce, was sitting behind the steering wheel of his father's early model Holden. It was Bruce's first time ever, driving on the road, after obtaining his learner's permit on the third attempt.

 

His dad had the idea to give Bruce a short drive - to get the feel of the car, before his driving lesson with a professional instructor the next day. It was bad decision.

 

Sunday morning seemed a good time. "There's not much traffic around," his dad had suggested.  Traffic or not, it was to be a short driving lesson. It would last about ten minutes and cover 550 meters of road.

 

The next morning, getting ready to leave for work, I was listening to the radio news. My job as driving instructor, made me take special note of what I heard: "A child had been killed by a learner driver in Ethelton ...

 

Not again, I thought! What a tragedy! During my career I had heard of other incidents, where learners were responsible for road deaths. Over the years, gaining experience in driver education, I had developed a passion for teaching safe driving.

 

I always had strong ideas and was forever suggesting things to government officials and my employer, the Royal Automobile Association, who would have been well positioned to lobby the Government to implement some of these ideas.

 

Long ago I had felt that Australia's young people were learning to pass a driving test, not how to safely manage heavy traffic, negotiate country roads or drive in adverse conditions. I had expressed many times that learners should not be allowed on the road in vehicles without dual controls.

 

At least for the first few lessons all learner drivers should start the safest way: with a professional instructor, not an uncle, mother, father or friend. What other profession allows any amateur to teach their subject without proper qualification?

 

That Monday, checking my appointment book, I had a new student - Bruce of Ethelton. Soon after meeting him, Bruce gave me the impression he was a little backward.

 

Before we commenced the lesson, I casually mentioned, if he had heard of the accident in his street the day before.

 

Bruce gave me a funny look: "That was me", he said. "How is the child?" It suddenly dawned on me, he not only was the death driver, he did not even know that he actually had killed the child. It had been kept from him.

What had happened: Under instruction from his father Bruce was starting to drive south on Swan Terrace. They were not travelling fast, when suddenly a young child ran right in front of their car. The alarmed father raised his voice and yelled: "STOP, STOP".

 

The screaming voice of his father, and the impending danger, sent Bruce into a mild panic. He pressed the nearest pedal to his right foot - the accelerator. His father, helplessly watching the tragedy unfold, screamed even louder! It was too late!

 

Had Bruce's father been an experienced instructor, he would have immediately pulled on the handbrake really hard. But only, if it were in reach. (Some early model cars have the handbrake on the driver's right side!)

 

A professional instructor also would have drilled into the novice driver, before even starting the engine: "If I say stop - you swivel your right foot and press the brake - hard! Let's try it a few times!"

 

Of course, a professional instructor, using his own driving-school vehicle, would have anticipated the situation well ahead and stopped the vehicle with the dual-brake. That child would not have died that day !

 

It was not the first time, nor the last, that a learner driver had crashed a vehicle, before taking a lesson with a professional instructor! Thankfully, it's not always this serious. To allow a parent, friend or anybody who has a driver's licence to place themselves and their teenager into this predicament, is taking a big risk.

We have suggested to rectify the situation as follows: In the overall process of licensing new drivers include the following step right at the beginning:

 

A learner driver will only be allowed to learn with a non-professional, after a few lessons with a professional instructor, who assesses the pupil and certifies him or her:

 

"To the best of my knowledge and judgment, my client has demonstrated that he/she is able to drive a vehicle on a public road in a manner, as to have reasonable control of speed, brakes and steering, and care of other road users!"

Only after this initial training/assessment is the learner allowed to learn with family or friends. (Where no professional is available, in rural areas, police or a teacher. should be trained to do this training/assessment!

 

Authorities in South Australia are aiming to reduce the road toll to 90 per year.

 

Should the experts not be aiming for ZERO? Authorities investigating air crashes have this goal in mind.

 

Verdict: First lesson on the road is best with a  qualified instructor, in a vehicle with dual controls !

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About the author:

Dieter Fischer, a German born Australian, taught thousands of people to drive during his almost 30-year career. He was a pioneer in online road safety, establishing his first website in 1998. He and his wife were married in 1971. They have four grown-up children and live in Adelaide, South Australia.

      Road Rules on this site may vary in your part of the world. We urge new drivers to undertake on-road lessons with a professional driving instructor.

Site by Dieter Fischer, Revised  2020.