Driving, Mobility and Laws UNIT 1 Driving, Mobility and Laws

CHAPTER 1 Driving and Mobility

Lesson 1: Mobility and Driver Education Purpose of Driver Education: To learn the skills necessary to be a good driver To become an alert, knowledgeable and skillful driver To understand the problems of driving

What Can You Gain From a Driver Education Course

Useful knowledge: How your personality, emotions and maturity affect driving How to maneuver and control a vehicle to minimize risk How alcohol and drugs impair your ability to drive and the knowledge of the penalties How to interpret traffic laws, rules of the road, signs and signals and roadway markings An awareness of limiting factors for yourself and your vehicle How a vehicle works A knowledge of what to do in an emergency situation

Managing Visibility, Time and Space Awareness Of Limiting Factors: The foolish feeling that there is little or no risk involved in driving if a collision occurs An illness or injury or the side effects of medicine Your emotional state at the time you are driving The effects of alcohol and other drugs

Why is Driver Education Important for Young Drivers? Crash – when a motor vehicle hits another motor vehicle, a pedestrian, an animal, a bicyclist or a fixed object

Factors of Over-Representation Young drivers lack experience Drivers aged 15 to 20 are only 7% of the driving population but are involved in 14% of motor vehicle crashes each year. The more you practice, the more experience you will gain and the better you will be to handle different situations

Young drivers drive at dangerous times and transport passengers Driving at night is more dangerous than driving during the day for ALL drivers The probability of a crash also increases with each passenger riding with the young driver Young drivers drive differently Speed, not pay attention, weaker visual search and space management skills, less likely to use seatbelts

Lesson 2: The Highway Transportation System Highway Transportation System (HTS) Motor vehicles, streets and highways, and people How is The HTS Regulated? Federal law established a maximum speed limit of 55 miles per hour on all U.S. roadways in 1974 In 1995, the law was changed to allow individual states to set their own highway speed limits National Highway Safety Act Allows each state to make its own laws regarding traffic safety

You will share the road with over 194 million licensed drivers and 55 million bicyclists in the United States

Lesson 3: The Risks of Driving Are Drivers Actually at Risk? Motor vehicle crashes kill 42% of all people who die between the ages of 15 and 20 In any given year, the likelihood of your being in involved in a crash is about 1 in 9 More than 57% of all fatal crashes involve only ONE vehicle

Reducing The Risks Keep your vehicle in top condition Anticipate the actions of others Drive defensively Protect yourself and others Wear seatbelts Use headlights even during daylight hours Drive at the safest speed depending on the conditions Drive solidly built vehicles equipped with airbags Drive only when you’re in sound physical and mental condition Make a conscious effort to develop your driving skills

Visibility, Time and Space What you see from behind the wheel and how well you see it Also refers to the ability of others to see you When driving, less visibility mean more risk Time Ability to judge your speed and the speed of other vehicles and highway users How long it will take your vehicle or another vehicle to stop or intersect paths

Space Refers to distance You must keep a margin of space between your vehicle and other vehicles when you drive This margin of space allows you plenty of room to safely maneuver or to stop if necessary

Lesson 3: The Costs of Driving Costs are measured in dollars and lives The basic costs of mobility can be grouped into two categories: Crash costs Non crash costs

Crash Costs In the U.S., the total cost of motor-vehicle crashes has been estimated at more than $230 billion every year. In the U.S. more than 42,000 people die each year as a result of motor-vehicle crashes.

Non Crash Costs Operating costs Fixed costs Environmental costs Maintenance Gas Oil Tires Fixed costs Car insurance Licensing Environmental costs Air pollution Hazardous waste dumping