Improv Traffic School

The Aware Driver Course Chapter 1

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INT RODUCT ION

ImprovThe Comedy Club Presents
The Aware Driver Course
I M P OR T AN T : C OU R S E C OM P L E T I ON I N S T R U C T I ON S
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
BEFORE BEGINNING THE COURSE.
The course consists of 10 easy-to-follow modules.
The course is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is no minimum time limit, however we recommend you spend enough time on each chapter as all
course material is covered in the final quiz. You may print out chapter material to review prior to taking a
chapter quiz or for the final quiz.
You can log in and out as many times as you wish. You will be given full credit for any time spent on the
course, but our recommendation is to complete at least a full chapter per session.
When you're ready, simply log back into the course, and go to the chapter where you left off. You will be
given credit for time spent on that chapter prior to logging off.

C HA PT ER 1 : A PPROPRIA T E A T T IT UD E
(OR L A C K TH E R E OF )
Ok, here it is: the first traffic trivia question.

T RAFFIC T RIVIA:
Answer: Over 255 million vehicles!
Over 255 million, and those vehicles travel almost 3 TRILLION miles annually.
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2008

Those vehicles travel over 3 trillion miles annually.

How many of those vehicles are operated by safe, nice, law-abiding drivers? The answer is "not enough." Many
of us are really great drivers. We watch out for other drivers and we make sure we don't do anything unsafe or
selfish on the road. There are a lot of irresponsible drivers out there. You see them all the time: they run red
lights, they speed, they drive fast in the slow lane, and they make a lot of illegal turns. They think that just

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because there's no police officer around, it's okay to do whatever makes the trip faster. Don't these people make
you mad? Or are you one of these people?
As you go through this course, keep in mind that
There were more than 5.8 million traffic crashes in 2008.
Over 37,000 people die in those crashes.
In addition to the cost in human lives, the economic cost exceeds $230 billion annually!
National Statistics:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists the following statistics
REPORTED MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC CRASHES
FATALITIES

37,261

INJURIES

2.35 Million

PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY

4.1 Million

ECONOMIC COSTS

$230.6 Billion

COST PER PERSON

$820

Costs per crash to state and local governments:

NHTSA Crash Facts 2008

Approximate Cost per Minor Crash

$22,000

Approximate Cost per Fatal Crash

$500,000

NHTSA Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes

This includes emergency services and court costs, but not the cost of lost time from work, higher insurance rates
and other costs that incur from a crash. The reason for traffic rules and regulations is to keep all those millions of
vehicles from crashing into each other. It's as simple as that!
There is an old assumption in show biz: "If you can put on a performance and reach or move even one person,
then you've done your job as a performer and the world is just a little bit better." Now let's think about driving.
How much better would our world be if everyone drove just a little bit more safely? So, let's start with you.
After each chapter of the course, stop and think to yourself, is there room for me to make a minor change in my
daily routine? There usually is! And it all starts with a positive attitude and willingness to admit to yourself that
you need to make that small change!
So if you're ready, let's goooooooooooooo

T yp e s Of B a d D r i v e r s
There are two types of bad drivers: the "aggressive" and the "unaware".
The American Institute for Public Safety defines the aggressive driver as a person who drives with a lack of
courtesy, and creates dangerous situations on the road. In other words, selfish people with a real bad attitude.

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R e s e a r c h S h o ws 4 1 M i l l i o n L i c e n s e d D r i v e r s D o n ' t K n o w T h e B a s i c
Rules.
The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test showed that too many licensed drivers do not know the rules of the
road. Results for the latest test found that 20.1% of drivers on the roadamounting to roughly 41 million licensed
Americanswould not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today.
More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 were administered a 20-question written test
designed to measure basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed on their general
driving habits.
Idaho and Wisconsin drivers tied for first in the nation, with an average test score of 80.6%. The national
average score was 76.6%, which is only 6.6% above the 70% failure line.
Test results showed:
Overall, findings from the fifth annual survey indicate the number of drivers with knowledge of basic road
rules is decreasing, with this year's test scores lower than last year's (76.6 percent vs. 78.1%).
Seventy-two percent of drivers could not properly identify a typical safe following distance from the car in
front of them.
Only 15% of drivers knew the correct answer of what to do at a traffic light displaying a steady yellow
signal (stop if it is safe to do so).
The older the driver, the higher the test score. Drivers 35+ years old were most likely to pass. The age
group with the highest failure rates was young adults (18 to 24 years old). White males older than 45
received the highest average score.
Fortunately, nearly all respondents (98%) know what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights
approaches, what to do when hydroplaning and the meaning of a solid yellow line.
Hopefully you knew the correct answer. If you didn't before this course, you will by the time you are done.
You can take the test yourself - just visit GMAC: Take the National Driver's Test
Driv ers Not Only Lack Basic Road Knowledge, But Exhibit Dangerous Driv ing Behav ior As
W ell.
Let's review some basic stuff, like signaling. Why is it that so many drivers don't give us that simple courtesy?
They would probably fall into two categories, "Unaware" or "Aggressive." The unaware driver may not realize that
you're next to them or right behind them. The aggressive driver knows you're there, but they don't care. It's too
much effort for them to use their turn signal. Both types of drivers are equally dangerous.
Have you ever been behind someone on a single lane road who's going really slow? There's a line of traffic
behind them and the person continues without pulling over. Why? An unaware driver doesn't realize all those
people are behind them. An aggressive driver says, "I know those people are behind me, but I don't care. I have

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to get where I'm going, and I'm more important."

Some people are both unaware and aggressive drivers. Just look at the test scores for Rhode Island.
Simple Facts:
Drivers who don't follow the rules are involved in more collisions.
ONE IN EVERY 3 COLLISIONS RESULTS IN AN INJURY.
If you're an unaware or aggressive driver, your car is like a loaded weapon. Without the proper training and
attitude, it can be a dangerous and potentially lethal tool.

It's a right to own a vehicle,

but it's a privilege to be allowed to drive it.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't have a constitutional right to drive It's a privilege that is given by the State
and this privilege can be taken away!
A Quick Story.
Back in Louisiana, Steve started driving at a very early age in the sugar cane field in his backyard. Steve loved
to drive his mother's car through the fields. He had a cousin named Johnny. who he looked up to. Johnny was the
man. Johnny had this souped-up Camaro with a V-8 engine. It was like the car on the Dukes of Hazard television
show. Johnny was a real aggressive driver and didn't care about other people when he was driving. He would
drive really fast.
One day Johnny let Steve drive his Camaro. Steve were driving really fast down a country road, going about 60
M.P.H. All of a sudden, he came to a curve where a car was coming in the opposite direction. He turned the
wheel sharply and swerved off the road right into a ditch. He missed crashing into the other car by inches. Steve
got out of the car and went over to check on the passengers of the other car to make sure no one was hurt.
Unbeknownst to Steve, his mother was in that car. She was out for a drive with one of her friends. When she got
out of the car and saw it was Steve, she gave him his attitude adjustment right there on the side of the road. She
started hitting him with her purse. When women from the South hit you with their purse, they do one hit per word.
Don't - you - ever - drive - a - car - like - that - again! People passing by were saying, "You get him, girl! You get
him, girl!" She said, "I got him!"
It was a long time before Steve drove a car again. That incident made him realize that he'd better become a safer
driver or he might end up killing somebody. Can you imagine if Steve really hit that car and hurt his mom? Steve's
behavior changed that day.
In the meantime, Steve's cousin Johnny just got wilder and wilder. One day while out driving his motorcycle really
fast he crashed into a car. He had two broken legs, a broken pelvis and broken arms. And a changed attitude!

Behav ior Modification

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LET'S FACE IT we can all use some attitude adjustment. Or, as experts say, Behavior Modification.
People do many different things while driving. They read a map, write, talk on the cell phone, put on their makeup,
insert their contact lens, eat, drink, men shave, women shave. Some even have sex. One of our students got a
ticket for reading the newspaper on the highway. How would you like to be driving next to that guy while he's
reading the sports section?
When driving, you must focus 100% of your attention on the road and driving your vehicle. In a split second,
conditions on the road can change and you must be prepared to react to those changes.
Having the appropriate attitude when driving will enable you to focus more clearly, be more aware of your
surroundings and ensure that you arrive at your destination safely.
Don't let your emotions interfere with safe driving. Use all the good judgment, common sense, courtesy and safe
driving procedures that you can.
The first step to becoming an aware driver is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and emotional state while
driving. Be honest and truthful when evaluating your driving abilities and attitude. It just might save your life!

Let's Rev iew

Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege.
A car is as dangerous as loaded weapon.
There are over 255,000,000 registered vehicles in U.S.
More than 5.8 million crashes occur every year.
The economic cost of crashes exceeds $230 Billion.
A fatal crash can cost as much as $500,000.
Each year, over 37,000 people die in car-related crashes.
One in every three collisions results in injury.
There are two types of bad driversaggressive and unaware.
The first step to become better is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and emotional state.

Congratulations! You are DONE with the first chapter.

That wasn't so bad let's move on.
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