Why do they bother handing out driver’s licenses? Well, because they’re IDs – and have about as much to do with having established baseline competence to drive as French fries have to do with France. If it were not so, there’d be far fewer accidents.
Many people regard an “accident” as a random, unavoidable event. Something akin to an act of God – as the insurance mobsters say. But most “accidents” are not acts of God. An act of God is a huge tree branch dropping on the roof of your car; i.e., something you could not realistically have foreseen and taken measures to avoid. Most so-called “accidents” are events that could have been avoided by attentive, competent driving. They are the result of such avoidable errors as driving too fast for conditions or the driver’s abilities. Or by driving too slow – as by pulling out in front of traffic and expecting it to yield to you. It is also not an “accident” when you run into the vehicle ahead of you because you were following too closely to stop in time or because you just weren’t paying attention and didn’t notice that the car ahead of you had slowed down. It is definitely not an “accident” when a driver who can’t meanders across the double yellow and into the path of another vehicle coming the other way.
Such “accidents” don’t happen – as the saying goes. More accurately, they do not have to happen. They are caused by driver error. There’s a cause to be made that driver’s who err – and lose control of their car and get into “accidents” – are drivers who need remedial training. Who – arguably – ought to be required to take a substantive driver competence test in order to retain their license to drive.
If, that is, we must persist in this silly business of pretending that a driver’s license is something like a high school diploma (or, these days, an undergraduate degree). That is to say, a measure of baseline competence rather than what it actually is. That being a government-issued ID which everyone who isn’t actually homeless must possess in order to be able to apply for a job, open a bank account (or cash a check) or buy cough syrup, for that matter. Observe that none of the foregoing things have anything to do with driving. The “test” one is obliged to take to get this government ID has about as much to do with establishing that the applicant has baseline skill behind the wheel as wearing a surgical mask had to do with stopping the spread.
If we’re going to call these IDs driver’s licenses, then perhaps establishing baseline competence ought to be a requirement. This arguably ought to include a meaningful, real-world driving test on the road – as opposed to driving around the parking lot at the DMV. The applicant arguably ought to demonstrate that he or she can competently execute lane changes and merges with faster-moving traffic. That he or she can competently pull out from a sidestreet onto a busy main street. They should be required to drive on a road with curves, at a speed congruent with the speed limit, while keeping the vehicle in its travel lane. Wandering across the double yellow would constitute an immediate failure. The applicant also ought to have to demonstrate his or her ability to park curbside, without any “assistance” from “technology.”
If this is expecting too much then what is the point of pretending a driver’s license has anything to do with baseline competence to drive? Maybe the honest thing would be to stop calling it that and autonomize all cars and require everyone to be a passenger. This is of course what the long-term plan is and we’re pretty close now to its fulfillment. If you cannot see that the pushing of what is styled “assistance” technology is the road to what is styled autonomous driving – meaning you ride rather than drive in a car controlled by the government-corporate nexus – then you haven’t got eyes (or brains).
Meanwhile, a driver who has an “accident” is prima facie a driver whose skill or judgment (or both) is lacking. In aviation, pilots who have “accidents” are checked out, if not actually forbidden from flying again until they can prove they are competent to fly. Why should it be any different? If anything, drivers are more dangerous because there are more of them. Aviation “accidents” – when they happen – get a lot of notice because they’re more noticeable, which they are because they’re so uncommon. Thousands of “accidents” involving drivers happen every day and for that reason are less noticeable. We just accept that “accidents happen.”
Maybe we ought to be less accepting – and more demanding – as regards what it means to have a license to drive.
. . .
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Saw this clip this evening. Jersey cop dresses as a bush and nabs cell phone drivers. Some commented that it was simply for generating revenue. Nab the cell phone drivers, to hell with the murders, one commented on the X thread. https://xcancel.com/ABC/status/2083025210991943949
Dude, he totally ripped off Barney Fife’s idea of ‘Checkpoint Chickie’ after he got the surplus Army ‘cycle’ (pronounced ‘sickle.’) ‘Barney’s Sidecar’ was one of the funniest episodes of an all-time classic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kplr_UDUIM
That might be changing, but not really. Colorado is rolling out new rules for teenage drivers starting next year:
What Changes January 1, 2027? (HB24-1021)
The current permit rules above apply to teens applying through December 31, 2026. For any teen applying for a permit on or after January 1, 2027, the rules change significantly under HB24-1021 — signed by Governor Polis on May 15, 2024.
Ages 15–17 must complete a full 30-hour driver education course — no exceptions for older teens. The 4-hour driver awareness option goes away for this age group.
Ages 18–20 will also have new requirements — they’ll need either a 30-hour course or a 4-hour driver awareness program before applying for a permit.
The 12-month permit period, 50 hours of supervised driving, and behind-the-wheel rules remain the same. Only the education requirement changes.
Of course that doesn’t do anything for all the adults drivers who never set foot in a driver’s ed classroom. Or the ones who come in from places that don’t have pavement, stop signs or rules. Or the adults who spent most of their lives riding public transport.
As much as we bitch about autonomous vehicles around these parts, they will do one thing: Get bad drivers in the back seat. We all worry about Uncle outlawing steering wheels, and that’s a threat for sure. But in the interim if autonomous vehicles can keep people who are too feeble or unaware out of the driver seat while maintaining their mobility, that might be a good thing.
After driving for over 40 years now, the most important driving lesson I learned besides paying attention has been to drive defensively. Literally expect that other drivers are going to do the wrong thing and plan accordingly. I can’t count how many times I have been coming up to a four way stop and said to myself, “looks like that person isn’t going to stop “ and sure enough, they didn’t.
There is one long stretch of road I drive on, that I think is the worst. Never mind the frost heaves and other road conditions that make you cringe. I have had to automatically assume the driver on a side road (who has the stop sign) is either not going to stop at all. Or, pull right out in front of me at the last minute…..with NO ONE behind me! I think I could drive with my knees better than some of these drivers. Oh, and then add in icy, snowy roads to the mix, and one’s drive home gets sketchy in a hurry. You cannot blame the military transplants for such awful driving. These are old timers who have lived here for years. I am not sure how in the world drivers forget how to drive on icy, snowy roads in the span of three months, but they do. So…the DOT decided to get on a round-a-bout kick, and if that is not the dumbest thing they have ever decided upon. Nothing like slipping and sliding in circles. It certainly takes ‘going nowhere fast’ to a whole new level (ha ha).
Morning, Auto –
Excellent advice. I developed this habit to the nth degree from riding motorcycles. If you are not hypervigilant while riding – if you don’t assume every car in your orbit is going to try to take you out – you’re greatly increasing your odds of ending up a road pizza.
How can you solve the vast majority of the Accidents/Congestion/Baffoonery which affects US Roads?
Simply establish a Law requiring Drivers to Keep in the Right Lane except to pass – not in the Middle Lane(s) or the Left Lane because you will EVENTUALLY pass another car. The Right Lane. AND also make it illegal to Pass on the Right.
Check out the Dash Cam videos on Youtube and see how many Accidents could have been avoided had the cars involved not been driving in the Left Lane. Or the Dash Cam of a Revenuer who is chasing a Car. He could bring in a lot more money ticketing, people not driving in the Left Lane than what he would generate by catching that evil “Speeder”.
Howdy, Eric.
Great article, 100% agree. If you ask Google, it will tell you 80% of automobile accidents are caused by licensed drivers.
Isn’t that something?
Something else we need to test for is reaction times. Some people are running on very slow computers, and some of us are on overclocked i9 Ultras. The difference in raw computational ability should be reflected in a tiered license system. People with high levels of skill and low reaction times should suffer less from “speeding tickets” than people with low skill levels and high reaction times. If I can competently drive at 120mph, then I shouldn’t be penalized for it. If you can’t manage to do 55 without screwing something up, the penalty should be much more severe if you step out of line.
In Germany, with all the requirements (Classroom training, Eye Test, Driving Competency), it took me over 3 weeks and $700US to get my License in 1992. It would have cost more but I was able to prove I had been driving in Germany with a US Driving License for over 6 Months. Otherwise I would have had to pay for On-The-Road Training as well. I understand the cost is about $3000US now.
I have to wonder, Eric, if that vehicle you were following was drunk, drowsy, or screwing around on their phones? That dud (or dude-ette) could not even stay within the lines, and they were not even going that fast! I would have been yelling aloud at them, saying “if you went any slower you could walk”! Ha ha! I am sure my newer vehicle listens to everything, so I make it worth my while, and use it against them. May as well have fun with them while they think that they are gleaning anything important with listening. And if it means they hear me yelling at/ chewing out such a driver, so be it. Do not forget, Eric. This will be the same driver that sloooooowllly pulls out in front of you from a side road (with no one behind you), and then goes just as slow. For you know, keeping up with the flow of traffic can be difficult for some.
‘Such accidents are caused by driver error.’ — eric
Insurance companies make no distinction between a tree falling on your car and the driver smashing into the vehicle ahead. It’s all just ‘casualty losses’ for them — although the state might add license points in the case of driver error.
Unfortunately, it’s an illusion that stricter qualifications would make a serious dent in the accident rate. Every driver has an incentive not to damage a costly appliance. Yet, they continue to make mistakes and cost themselves money and time.
Frustratingly, human error cannot be cut to zero by effort. During the day, I catch myself making minor cognitive errors — oversights, forgetfulness, misreading, miscalculating, misunderstanding. But no amount of effort or willpower can eliminate such errors.
As technology advances, it pushes us inexorably into automated self-driving. These systems still make incredibly stupid mistakes, which also cannot be eliminated. But by banishing the ‘low-hanging fruit’ problem of human inattention, self-driving already can achieve lower accident rates than the average human driver.
It’s an ugly fact, because driving is a pleasurable activity. But for economic reasons — wage slaves need to commute to work — a campaign to disqualify the worst 10% or 20% of drivers cannot succeed. Even if it did, the accident rate would fall by only a slightly greater percentage.
Elon plans to chip meat computers like ourselves with a co-processor to improve our sorry reliability. But this cure would be worse than the disease, as we periodically freeze for over-the-air updates, urging us to ‘Consume, pay your taxes, and support the war!‘ 🙁
I made the fatal mistake of letting the arbitrary date slip on my drivers license. didn’t see it expired. i didn’t expire. my driving ability didn’t expire. the fact i had no tickets or accidents for 40 years didn’t expire. but my license did.
tried to renew it and was told i have to take the drivers test, written test, sign test and eye exam to do so. went to do that and they denied me and wouldn’t let me take the tests. why? because i got married and my name no longer matches my birth certificate! i, god forbid, took on my husbands name. and for THAT SIN i was denied a drivers license.
my marriage license doesn’t print my new married name on it. why would it? it is a license TO GET MARRIED. not a license to change names! so again. i was denied. my marriage license 40 years ago doesn’t have my married name on it.
my old license has my married name. all my bank accounts, my bills. not good enough according to the nazi’s at the DMV. there is no way to prove my name change so i was denied the right to travel with a license! as if they have the right to deny me ANYTHING. they are servants not the masters. but decades ago americans accepted their enslavement when they allow drivers to be licensed in the 40s and 50s…before that it wasn’t required.
another right stripped by the state. the only way to prove my identity the nazi’s is by going to court and having a ”legal” name change for tens of thousands of dollars.
because of their ”real id” requirements. even if you don’t want real id which i don’t they still make you prove who you are and why you are to the state your so called public servants who claim ownerships over us all. those who can force you to a thing own you!
so i am now a persona non-grata. a non-person according to the state! because i got married decades ago and the requirements didn’t exist then. so the paperwork cannot be corrected they know that. it isn’t about that anyway it is about power and control.
they don’t gives a rats ass if i can drive or if i have no tickets or accidents they care about the ID only. period. so i will function without it. i will travel without it. there are lots of ways around it legally and illegally though we won’t mention those. i will not beg for what is mine by rights! it torqued me no end to ask for my license back because of a damn date on it that does no harm to anyone. but ask again i will not. i will do what i need to do when i need to do it.
better to beg forgiveness then ask persmission. so eric your right about it being all about ID. you can’t even take the drivers test without the PROPER paperwork The nazi’s of america required.
they did bring the nazi’s and their information here after ww2 and they copycated them to turn american into the 4th reich.
Would you please stop disparaging the “Nazis” and using that as a pejorative?
Like everything else we’ve been told, WW2 was a complete lie, and the Germans were the GOOD GUYS. The only ones brave enough to stand up to jewish communism, is what they were. Well, the Tsar tried. It didn’t work out so well for him, either. But, yeah. Nazis? The total good guys of WW2. We need to learn to use the term in a positive sense. “You’re buying me lunch? What a Nazi you are! Thank you!”
Unfortunately, the Germans who lived under the Nazi Regime are mostly all dead now. I had the opportunity to speak with many of them years ago and discovered, what I had been told/schooled about the Second War was a lot of Bullshit.
The Problem with the Nazis was it was a Socialist/Corporatist/Authoritarian Regime – sort of like the Uniparty in the States.
The problem with you and your understanding of the “socialism” part of “National Socialism” is that it’s based on your (extremely) clouded (and thus biased) view of “socialism” as you’ve learned it from the jews that STOLE THE TERM (like jews steal everything else) and corrupted it with Marxism / Communism.
The difference between socialism and communism, btw, is the socialists haven’t yet taken away your guns.
National Socialism is to Marxism and communism as turtles are to penguins. There really is no similarity save for the fact they’ve both technically systems of government. That’s about where the similarity ends.
I’m not going to spoon-feed you a video, but I will suggest you do a little research on ACTUAL National Socialism by going to one of the alternative video sites (Bitchute is great, but there are others like Odysee and Rumble) and just…watch a few videos on the subject. “The truth about national socialism” is a FINE search term. Spend a half hour of your life to educate yourself on what something ACTUALLY is before speaking about it as though you know. Clearly you don’t know because if you did, you’d never make the comparison because you would find it ignorant and uneducated, as I do. No offense.
No offense but I never mentioned Communism.
Nazi National Socialism was just what I said it was. The Party was run by a Dictator whose word was law. The Corporations were run by people who fell in line with what he wanted and the will of the State took precedence.
The National Socialists did a lot of good in the beginning but later were bogged down by regulations and bureaucracy. The The National Socialists lifted the Germans out of an extremely bad economic situation as well as humiliation from WW1. They brought pride, jobs, self respect, and world respect – not to mention circumventing the banks.
The citizens and soldiers gave their support because their lives were so much better – although that changed in the later years. I won’t (can’t) mention the Jewish Situation because I spend the Summer in Germany each year and I don’t want to go to jail and be banned from the Country. I am now getting stories second hand from the children of those who lived through National Socialism and still, when out of earshot from others, tell of all the good the Nazi’s did. Did you know, Hitler was responsible for enacting some of the first Animal Anti-Cruelty Laws on Earth?
But, Socialism is Socialism. The State rules your life and the citizens either comply or face the consequences. Living under the thumb of the EU, the Germans are now understanding what Authoritarianism means – and Socialism always leads to Authoritarianism and Socialism always fails.
Well-said, Doug –
Coercive collectivism – no matter its brand – is essentially all the same. The individual is subordinated to the collective, which is actually (in practice) the small minority that controls the apparatus of the state. This minority says it is acting on behalf of the collective, but that is just dope to dull the minds of the collective. You do what you’re told and that’s it.
“The Corporations were run by people who fell in line with what he wanted and the will of the State took precedence.”
Tell me EXACTLY how this differs from Boeing, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Ruger, Remington, Colt, and all the other American industries being taken over in the US by the BigGovCo for war machine production?
I mean, maybe, JUST MAYBE, it had something to do with being FORCED by the “Allies” to take over the means of production for self defense?
I know the jew mentality is that Germany was the aggressor and Churchill the innocent bystander, but anyone with any brains and knowledge knows that’s not the case and that Hitler did everything possible to avoid war while Churchill absolutely f**king DEMANDED it.
So, once again, what’s the difference between Germany dictating wartime production vs the American “democracy” dictating wartime production?
One thing that I noticed in a couple of states that would help relieve traffic congestion in some instances was flashing yellow left turn signals when stopped at an intersection. So often I find myself sitting alone in my car waiting for a traffic light to change so I can take a left turn onto a highway. This can cause some frustration especially when the cross traffic is light early in the morning. I have been known to hoist the jolly roger. Of course the dim whits that don’t know how to drive, or are impaired often sit there, or don’t stop at all. Oh yes the dim whits in charge say, We will build roundabouts, that will fix the problem. Almost makes me want to drink again.
If you cannot pass a competence test on 2-wheels (200lb moped)
You certainly should not be piloting 4-wheels. (5000lb SUV)
Simple basic elementary common sense.
Or a class A ginormous motor home. To be ‘legal’ riding a motorcycle in WA must have an endorsement on the license, after passing a riding test. However Gerry Atrick that can barely walk or see can plunk down the money and drive off in that bus sized motor home Mr. Magoo style.
I told my grandsons there’s what they teach on the test and then there’s the real world. Thankfully they got it, and, even as teen / young adult they’re very good drivers (as pawpaw knocks on wood).
Most automotive proving grounds and test tracks have a tiered license system of some sort.
One tier to simply drive on the facility and to get from point A to point B on the facility access roads. This is a very basic road test to determine if the person can follow basic rights of way, can keep a vehicle between the lines on a curvy road and can perform very basic emergency braking in a straight line.
A second tier to do some sub-limit testing at low G and normal speed limits.
A third higher tier to do limit handling on things like skid pads, wet pads, high speed ovals, etc.
High risk, high Cg, testing prone to rollover or let’s say 100 mph+ testing on handling courses is done by a tiny set of well qualified drivers.
Anyway, about 40% of qpeople fail to pass the test for the first tier on their first try. There are some particular ethnic groups from countries that don’t usually have easy access to cars in their homeland that fail at an even higher rate.
A lot of people who *think* they’re good drivers would be surprised when challenged by legitimate instructors in SCCA, tactical/evasive school and the like. Never been on a proving ground test but I assume it would similar there. I’ve been knocked down a peg or two more than once as the FNG until a sense of humility finally got through my thick skull.
I think it would be interesting (and most helpful, too) to have just such an instructor in the passenger seat with me. Both for a Summer stretch, and then during the Winter when warming up means icier road conditions. He or she could critique and let me know where my driving is lousy, what I could improve on. And maybe give helpful tips on how to navigate around those who left their brains in bed when they got behind the wheel that day.
I’ve made the comment a time or two to friends that driver ed cars need to be a large 70’s car with a manual transmission, no power steering , no power brakes and the headlight dimmer switch on the floor. If you can successfully drive that with competence, you drive anything anywhere in all traffic conditions.
I would also include rear wheel drive. The Driver’s Ed teachers should have students practice during the Winter months when there is ice and snow on the road. Oh, and make them stop at the top of a steep hill with that manual transmission! LOL, I remember having to parallel park one of those 1970s’ boat cars (ha ha). But the dimmer switch on the floor board? Now I am just feeling old.
The competency level of a driver with a license is now equivalent of the scholastic ability of someone with a high school diploma. Many years ago you would have been expected to know how to drive safely and how to read, write and calculate.
Today they couldn’t make change if it wasn’t for the digital display on the cash register and paying attention whilst driving seems less important than playing o their phones.
Who teaches young people how to drive? GovCo.
Who certifies they are then competent? GovCo
In the first year of driving ~50% have “accidents”. Who is to blame? NOT GovCo.
GovCo sux.
Sidebar: Notice that older people will ask to see your “driver’s license”, younger folks want to see your “ID”. The programming is nearly complete.
Morning, Mark –
In re: “Notice that older people will ask to see your “driver’s license”, younger folks want to see your “ID”. The programming is nearly complete.”
This is so true! Thank you for pointing that out!