Part of being happy is knowing that you're safe and in control. Two weeks ago, I took a course called In Control Crash Prevention. I recommend this course to everyone. You may think you're safely driving but you ma not be right and it doesn't hurt to check. A bonus is most insurance companies will take money off your car insurance, so not only are you safe but you're saving money.
I want to talk a little bit about my time there. It was so much fun. I admit I was very nervous at first but as soon as you get in that car and go you loosen up. There is a class component along with four driving courses. After checking your seating position in the car to make sure it's the safest the first course you practice is panic stopping. You push the gas pedal as hard as you can, the instructor will tell you to coast where your foot hovers over the break, and then a fake break light comes on and you slam on the breaks as hard as you can. Doesn't that sound fun? It was. Then you go through the course a few more times, the goal is not to hit the wall of cones at the end of the course. The next course focuses on swerving. In this course they push you to your limits, so you can feel the car lose control (I promise it's not bad, all you do is hit a cone). You go through the course with seven cones and have to continue to swerve through them. Each time you go through the course you must go faster. It was hard for me to hit the target speed as the speeds got higher because I knew I would "lose control" and hit a cone.( I only hit one this round). After that course, they combine the previous two courses because breaking first before swerving can keep you in control. This was called Emergency Lane Change. You push the gas petal down as hard as you can to get up to highway speeds and coast again. Here is where the tricky part is. When those break lights flash you must slam on your breaks, swerve around the wall of cones, and swerve back into your lane until. You must follow these actions until your breaks have brought you to a complete stop. Then they will tell you to continue on. I had a hard time bringing my car to a complete stop. I would always lighten up on the brake instead of holding down to the floor. Now they don't just throw you into all of these courses, you ride through with an instructor driving first (if you get motion sick sit in the front). The final course you do not get to practice more than once and the instructors don't take you through it first. It's like being on the road for real. It is set up so there is one car in the middle with an instructor and a car on either side of the middle car. The cars on the sides have four student and one instructor in it. The three student passengers are there to provide distractions. The car in the middle has a rope with a cone attached. The cars on the side must accelerate with the cone. This rope and cone signify a "safe" driving distance. This course was designed to show you that what we think is a safe driving distance isn't. The middle car slams on his breaks and the two cars on the side slam on theirs as soon as they see it. This factors in reaction time. Almost every car would have been in a fatal crash had this been real. A safe driving distance is 3 seconds and so the space between you and the person in front of you varies based on your speed, but it's always 3 seconds not car lengths!
This is a picture of my class! I'm on the far left in the front and that's my sister next to me.
The instructors are all so nice and most of them are trained race car drivers. They really take the time to explain each course to you and their expectations. They want everyone to be safe drivers and so they push you to your limits. It may be uncomfortable at first but it's really for your safety and for everyone around you. The instructor will go through each course with you until you've mastered the techniques and live up to their expectations. They teach you so much useful information and they teach you ABS (Anti-lock braking system) is your friend and not to be afraid of it (I know I was). It's beneficial for people who just got their permit or who have been driving for many years. I highly recommend this course because safety ensures happiness, I know I feel safer after taking this class and therefore happier. I want all of my readers to be happy too. There are different types of skid school crash courses, this is one in Massachusetts (link below). If you're interested (and I hope you are) look for the Crash Prevention course in your area.
Be safe and happy!
Mackenzie
In Control Crash Prevention
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