Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Drivers

Helping a teenager learn to drive is almost the opposite of teaching an adult. The adult wants to learn the rules because she wants to become a safe driver, avoid tickets, and become more self-sufficient.

While the teen hopefully shares those goals, he's interested in knowing how to pass the driving test. High school is all about passing tests; kids this age often fail to grasp the larger issues involved in learning because the reward structure they are familiar with is all based on that.

If they can goof off, arrive in class late, slack off and still pass, or even get A's, they think so much the better.

Most adults grow out of this stage; we're forced to. We know that unless we truly know how to do something well, we're at risk of failure in ways we find unacceptable.

Teens take risks, they often fail at things, they are exploring boundaries.

Putting them behind the wheel of a car ought to give us pause. Where I grew up, in the country, an appalling number of my peers died in car accidents. Cars are safer now, but the danger lingers. 

This is one reason I applaud the efforts by Google and others to perfect a self-driving car. In the future, with sufficient technology, maybe we can take the very real and tender human element out of the driving picture.

It's heresy to those who grew up where I grew up, but it's human progress.

I yearn for the day.

-30-

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