Obama, Driving, and Me…
It was with great interest that I noted that Barack Obama and John McCain viewed my LinkedIn profile.
Before I continue, a little about LinkedIn. When you look at the .PDF you’ll see a little blue circle with “1st” or “2nd” in it. That means that the “1st” is a direct contact of mine and the “2nd” is a contact of a contact of mine.
Now, am I surprised that the President of the United States of America and the 2008 Candidate for Presidency of the United States viewed my profile? Well, intrigued is a better word. On the other hand it’s not so surprising since I’m connected to the most unlikely and interesting people, who happen to be connected to Barack Obama and McCain.
That said, I wish I could actually just have a casual chat with Obama, as a dad concerned for his daughters’ driving education and his dedication to educational programs in general. So here goes…
“Dear Barack,
As a dad I know you’re a very busy person and often your wife and daughters have to “schedule” time to spend with you. What I do appreciate is that you’re a very involved father, and I applaud you for making time to spend with your family. You would want just the best for your daughters and none more so when it comes to driving education and learning to drive a car.
Driving is a very strenuous and complex task that most people seem to underestimate before starting out on the quest to acquire the skill – it’s a science and philosophy, really. Other parents, sadly, are not that involved in their children’s lives and driving is often seen as a means to an end; a means to have more free time to themselves. Not selfishly, but I wish they would want so much more for their kids…like being safe drivers, opposed to being able to ace their driver’s test.
You see, Barack, the driver’s test is merely a test of skill to operate a vehicle. The science and philosophy of “driving” is yet to be experienced by a young driver after their test…in the Real World…amongst the greater driving public. What concerns me most is that the most vital skills and education a driver needs they will never learn at an average driving school since turnover of clients seems to be the first order of business here in South Africa and perhaps elsewhere too.
It is a fact that crash history reveals 99% of drivers involved in accidents, teens included, have the skill to operate a vehicle but often the effective and consistent information processing is lacking. All drivers need to learn risk-prevention behavioural patterns and emphasis should lean more towards the decision making process. It’s an absolute myth that a person can drive by virtue of having a driver’s licence. The habits and actions needed as lifelong driving skills can simply not be taught in the very short period that parents often demand and are sometimes willing to incorporate into budgetary constraints.
It really warms my heart when corporate involvement takes the shape of the recent launch of Teen Road Code, an initiative by UPS, giving teens UPS award-winning driver training. What an amazing example for all! There is no other way to teach driving than using the best methods to save the most lives and since UPS’s 112,450 drivers worldwide are among the safest on the roads, logging more than 2.5 billion miles a year while averaging less than one accident per million miles driven, they have the winning recipe.
Debbie Curtis-Magley, UPS Public Relations, was delighted with my interest to bring Teen Road Code to South Africa and I won’t give up trying to make that happen…one day. In the meantime I’ll keep on making a difference, one driver at a time, until UPS driver training standards is the norm world-wide.
Well, Barack, thanks for listening and thank you for your time. May you and your family always enjoy a pleasant and safe journey, wherever you go.
Yours in safety,
Trudi”
