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CORNER CRASH CALAMITY

Leanne was on top of the world as she drove her little green VW through Tasmania's midlands.  For almost a year,  she had struggled, twice weekly with her patient instructor through one driving lesson after another. Her hard effort behind the wheel had  finally paid off. The disappointment of three failed driving tests were soon forgotten after the happy end on the fourth attempt.

 

Sadly, it was neither an end, nor did it turn out happy. "Passing your driving test," her instructor had impressed on her, "is like a wedding ceremony. It's only the beginning of a marriage. It's not an end, and you have to constantly work at it.

 

Leanne and her boyfriend Peter had looked forward to this day, driving together to Launceston, about two hours away, to visit some of his relatives. The young couple had been friends since early high school days. Peter was a year younger. After Leanne kept failing driving tests, he had wondered, not even having started to learn, if he would get his license before Leanne?

 

Taking lots of driving lessons and four tests point to the fact that Leanne was a slow learner. A high number of lessons, looking at it in a positive light, often produces fairly confident, competent drivers.

However, to become a skilled driver does only to a certain extend depend on the hours behind the wheel. What is being taught, the scenarios which are practiced, the attitudes developed during the long learning process, is far more important. 

 

Let's compare it to leaning to swim. No matter how many hours pupils remain in the water, if they merely cling to the side of the pool, they not going to become safe swimmers.

 

Because Leanne had learned to drive in a large city, she had plenty of experience in traffic; turning left, turning right, negotiating traffic lights etc. A great amount of her almost a hundred hours behind the wheel were spent trying to park between two poles, simulating parallel parking, as well as three-point turns, and other slow speed maneuvers. 

 

During my career as professional driving instructor I had often questioned this state of affairs: Has anyone ever killed themselves trying to park their vehicle exactly parallel, a certain distance from the kerb? 

How much better would students benefit from learning advanced road safety*, where possible. i.e. overtaking slower vehicles, cornering at high speed or the basics of skid controlling etc.

 

*Australian road safety authority in recent years have addressed this. Advanced driving skills have become a compulsory part of learning to drive.

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After two hours of driving at a steady speed of between 80 - 100 km per hour, Leanne started to tire a little. She remembered her instructor's advise to rest every two hours, but since it was only a short distance to their destination, she felt OK to continue.

 

As the pair in the green VW Beatle turned onto state road B52 at a township called Perth, Peter felt a little worried. Leanne had braked very late. On the turn she drifted across onto the opposite side of the road. Having driven for two hours at high speed, she had misjudged her speed, going around far too fast. Peter felt uneasy. 

 

Her passenger's alarmed shouting startled Leanne. It would have not been too late to react to the serious situation. But she had never been in such a situation before. She over reacted, braked far too hard and at the same time jerked the steering wheel to the right, frightened she may crash into the trees on their left.

 

The model VW suddenly changed course. Had there been an off-camber* the car may have rolled right there and then. The attempt to correct the error, jerking the steering wheel, threw the vehicle onto the wrong side of the road. The oncoming traffic, became an innocent victim, with little chance to avoid the disastrous head-on collision. (*camber is the curvature of the road surface.)

 

Verdict: Drifting into the gravel does not yet spell disaster.  Overcorrecting on the steering wheel and/or braking harshly may have far more  serious consequences.

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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.