Traditional driver education teaches “skills.”  However, driver ed. “skills” are not what one might expect. Driver ed. skills are not the ability to control a car surely and gracefully by using correct aiming techniques. Driver ed. skills are not scanning traffic properly, let alone reading it well. Driver ed. skills are not continually maneuvering the car into the best position for optimal scanning. Driver ed. skills are not cooperating to maximize safe, efficient, comfortable traffic flow and to minimize congestion and confusion. Driver ed. skills are not understanding and controlling skids. Driver ed. skills are none of the things one would consider necessary to real driving.  To traditional driver education, skills are things like three-point-turns, parallel parking, uphill and downhill parking – things which are simple to grade, appear on the license test, and are easily taught by rote.

Though the three-point-turn offers opportunities for learning about watching traffic, not getting in the way, picking the appropriate time and place to do a maneuver, not backing into a stump or fire plug, etc., it is not learned that way.  Instead, the mechanics of the maneuver are memorized.  Interestingly, students often get confused about which way to turn the steering wheel when beginning the backing-up portion of this maneuver.  This is because they have not mastered making backward right and left turns – a genuine driving skill.  Traditional  driver ed. disposes of the problem by having the students memorize which way to turn the wheel.

Parallel parking provides opportunities for building confidence and self esteem by learning to pick out a parking space, approach it, evaluate it, position the car for entry, and finally back into the space using real skills like aiming, fine speed control, and checking surrounding vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  It is not learned that way though.  It is learned as a series of memorized artificial steps unrelated to understanding how the car gets parked or how to correct a mistake.  It remains forever an impenetrable, rote formula.

Uphill and downhill parking is a monument to rote.  Memorize the way to turn the front wheels and all the related shifting, rolling, and locking things up.  Yes, there are real driving skills which are part of this maneuver and which certainly can and should be taught with it, but are not.  The emphasis is overwhelmingly on remembering to do every step in the correct order.

Traditional high school driver ed. does not rely only on these kinds of “skills” to educate new drivers.  Its main emphasis is on urging the teens to make mature judgments about risks when driving.  The trouble is that it does not give them the understanding necessary to make such judgments.