What do all road trips have in common, whether it is a day trip a couple of hours away from home or an epic 2 weeks drive across America? A DRIVER. That person who gets behind the wheel and helps you travel where you need to go. What makes a good driver with safe driving habits? An answer to that question is priceless because it is defined in terms of lives saved, and how could you put a price on a human life?
I am very happy to present to you today an Expert Opinion article by the one person who knows everything about the qualities of a good driver. Her name is Elena Grishko. She is a Driving Instructor and her passion is what she calls “promoting a culture of good driving”, i.e. teaching people how we should behave on the road and how our behavior impacts other people. I am very grateful to her for taking time from her busy schedule and sharing with us her view on what makes a good driver and safe driving tips.
“Movement is Life and Life is Movement”, that’s what Aristotle used to say.
Movement was important for early humans to survive: moving from one territory to another in search of food, more comfortable and safe living conditions. Up to this day people are migrating in search of better life. But most people move around for a different reason and we call it travel. Travel is important for broadening one’s horizons, learning about other cultures and just getting positive emotions.
What gives people the ability to travel? Transport! Over the centuries us, humans, invented many types of transport. But today we are going to talk specifically about automobiles and and as a Driving Instructor I am happy give you expert tips on safe driving, wherever the road takes you next.
ABOUT ME
My love for automobiles started when I was just 11 years old and my dad bought his first car. He started teaching me the basics of driving and let me help him repair the car. My overall driving experience is 30 years and I have been working as a Driving Instructor since 2015.
During these years I trained over 1500 people. It is my favorite job. My students would tell me about their problems with learning to drive, how they were afraid and cried and how they postponed the learning for years. Their stories inspire me to improve teaching techniques. Every day I analyze what happens with people on the road and help my students resolve their fears and emotional issues.
My goal is to teach every person to drive safely and have driving be an infinitely pleasant process. My mission is saving lives on the road and my objectives is to develop the “culture of good driving”, to decrease the number of traffic accidents and to create confident drivers.
WOMEN DRIVERS
My special passion is teaching women driving because they have always been “underprivileged” on the road. Did you know that, for example, up to 2017 women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia? Women who tried to drive in that country were punished, fined, humiliated, even beaten! Unfortunately, many countries used to be the same way. And even nowadays the fact that women are allowed to drive doesn’t mean that they always feel they have equal rights as men on the road. Men often honk at women who drive slower than them, I even witnessed men creating dangerous situations for women on the road on purpose in order to “teach them a lesson”.
And even close friends and family often ruin women’s self-esteem on the road. Often the first words that I hear from a woman student are: “I am stupid. My dad/ husband/ boyfriend told me that I will never learn. I am the worst student.” And my first driving lesson is to enforce the rule of never saying such words about oneself again. Teaching the techniques of driving is only 40% of the overall teaching process, the rest 60% is dealing with psychological and emotional aspects of driving which are extremely important.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD DRIVER?
What makes a good driver? In my mind it is a person who drives confidently, professionally and safely and also respects other drivers. And that is what I teach my students. And when you go through the learning process it is important not to compare oneself with other drivers but compare yourself with oneself, just a day ago.
SAFE DRIVING TIPS
And now lets talk about safe driving tips. Do you think if you got into your car and closed the door you are now isolated from everybody? Do you think when you left your home or work and are alone in the car you can relax and have “me time”? No! You are getting on the road where there are hundreds of other people like you in tin boxes with their own thoughts and issues.
So now the interaction between people in cars begins. We don’t hear what the other driver is saying, what he or she is thinking. We don’t know what happened in the life of another driver today and in what mood he or she is driving. The emotional state of a driver directly affects how he/she is driving. We can either help or worsen the situation on the road. Everything depends on us.
Before honking at another driver (either because you are irritated or want to show your superiority) since the other driver is driving slowly or is not risking to make the right turn on red light, imagine, who can be behind the wheel of that car in front of you. It may be a pregnant woman, or a surgeon after a long and difficult surgical procedure, or a person who is driving on his own for the first time in his life. For the first-timer it is like a first step for a child! An unexpected loud noise can create a commotion and a potential accident.
Do you remember yourself when you just learned to drive? Probably not. People tend to forget how difficult and scary at was. Many drivers tend to say: “It is easy, just sit down and drive!” But it is not true. For many people it is a process filled with stress and emotions.
So how can you help yourself and others drivers? LOVE! Learn to love and respect other people on the road. Respect not just the drivers but also bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and even animals. Start the change with yourself. Then tell your friends, teach your kids. Kids especially will mimic your style of driving and our goal is to teach them well from the beginning.
Driving a car is a risky business. A mistake can be fatal, therefore you cannot be absent-minded on the road. Also leave your emotions at home before getting into the car. You should not be driving when you are too upset or elated. You must concentrate your attention on the process of driving and have a clear mind to be able to analyze behavior of other drivers on the road next to you.
People say that good attracts good and bad attracts bad. If you are respectful on the road, let other people pass, help a person to park or change a tire, don’t honk much, don’t create dangerous situations, don’t speed and don’t break traffic rules then there will be respectful drivers around you too. This is the message that we all need to spread. One discussion with a friend is one saved life. One letter in the traffic rules is one human life. These rules were created for a reason and everybody needs to follow them.
GOOD DRIVING HABITS
The culture of good riving, i.e. good driving habits, is when you don’t swear at other drivers, when your passengers feel safe and happy and when your passengers leave your car asking you for advice on good driving tips.
Good driving habits is when you are planning to travel to another country (or even just another state in the U.S.) and to use a car, you are not only choosing a type of car to rent but also studying the traffic rules of that country or state. And when you arrive you consult with the local drivers, say, travel guides or taxi drivers, on all the “unofficial” rules of driving, general driving habits of the locals, as well as about safe places for parking and in which parts of town you should not leave a car at all.
Also make sure that you know if there is cell phone connection in all places you plan to travel to make sure your GPS is working. To be on the safe side, always download offline maps and have a phone number with you of where to call if your car breaks downs.
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
A few years ago I flew on vacation to Sri Lanka. I was planning to rent a car at the hotel. We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and during the 3 hours we travelled to our destination I decided that I will enjoy this vacation on foot only. I was totally scared of the narrow roads in Sri Lanka. Sometimes I even closed my eyes during our trip! The driving is on the left side of the road in this country, people are constantly honking to each other, there are lost of cars and bicycles on the roads and everybody is speeding. That’s why I decided not to rent a car for my safety and safety of the local people.
It is extremely important to weigh in all the risks associated with driving, always! In some cases when you travel it is best to use public transport or taxi. Saving a life should be your priority. Always ask yourself these questions when travelling to an unfamiliar place: will my driving put other drivers at risk? will I create a traffic calamity in a foreign country because of my lack of knowledge of local traffic rules or driving habits? Will I be capable of driving safely to protect myself and other people?
CONCLUSION
We have raised a lot of issues in this article, the issues that I highly recommend you discuss with your family and friends in order to bring awareness. A car is a necessity in our modern world and driving should bring you happiness and satisfaction.
And one more thing: treat your car not like a pile of metal and plastic but like a friend. A friend that will protect your from snow and rain, that will let you listen to your favorite music or stay in silence, will take you to the ocean or to the mountains and help you bring a cake and balloons for a friend’s birthday. Always be respectful and loving to other people and drive safely!
ABOUT ELENA
If you or your friends have any questions or need a consultation about driving or driving lessons, feel free to reach out to Elena directly. She will be very happy to help. She is giving consultations and driving lessons in Russian and Ukrainian (professional level, native speaker) and English (intermediate level). She lives in Sacramento, California. You can find Elena on Instagram and on her business page (in Russian).
As we head into the season for family road trips, this is some great advice for safe driving. Thank you! -Andrea
Thank you!