A recent Canadian survey has come to a most astonishing conclusion: the majority of drivers polled said that they don't think passenger car driver training teaches them enough about sharing the road with big trucks.
No ship, Sherlock.
Almost 36% didn't know how much room they should give a big truck, and almost 23% had no idea about the truck's blind spots. It's not news, really; drive the highway sometime and see how many people are absolutely clueless when it comes to driving alongside with tractor-trailers. I know truck drivers aren't always saints, but whenever I hear about a truck crash, my first reaction is, "So what stupid stunt did the car driver pull?"
I'm not surprised that people think driver training is inadequate, because it is. Far too many new drivers come out of the license bureau with that magic piece of paper in their hands, and with absolutely no idea how to handle a skid, hold the steering wheel, change lanes, merge, back up, or even park. And unless something catastrophic happens, or they become elderly enough, that's the last time they'll ever have to show anybody that they have anything even faintly resembling care-and-control from the driver's seat.
Ford just announced a new electronic feature, coming out on most of its vehicles by 2015, that will slow you down if you try to take a curve too hard. I say, once it brings the vehicle to a safe halt, it should then put a little robotic arm into the driver's back pocket or purse, pull out the wallet, rip up the license, and then not start again until the driver has proven he or she has learned that handling two tons of automobile isn't something you ever take lightly.
