I thought I was the best driver in the world. Yet, there's something humbling about knocking down traffic cones and driving under the close scrutiny of instructors who, on other days, train law enforcement officers in the fine art of defensive driving. I learned that my reaction skills aren't as good as I thought. High school seniors Debra Todd and Lavonya Broaddus from King and Queen Central High School also drove the course during a recent media day. They say the biggest problem with teen-age driving is a lack of attention.
People turn around and talk to someone in the back seat.
Some of them are drinking and driving. One convert is Joy Blake, a driver's education teacher at West Point High School. Yet after driving some of the drills, Blake changed her tune. There's no way you can mimic this in the classroom with a textbook and a filmstrip. Figuring I could stand a brush up on driving skills, I drove the course and wiped out a few cones.