Gearing Up for New Technology When you stop and think about driver education, you must first consider that it is a huge responsibility. We as professionals in this industry, do all we can to lay the proper base, develop skills and instill a proper attitude with each student we teach. This is not always the easiest thing to accomplish, takes great care and a lot of patience on the part of the well-trained professionals that we have in this industry. There is always hope that we can have help, both legislatively and with more resources. I believe at least part of that help is here with the great technologies, that have been created and the myriad things that are in developmental stages at this time. Technology does not mean there is no longer a need for driver education schools or our teachers. Quite the contrary; we need more teachers today and a broader range of goals when we teach our students. Sometimes, there are technologies developed that we use, which are taken for granted and yet they still benefit us in many ways. As long as there are vehicles driving on the roadways of the World, there will be a need for proper education in handling your vehicle and interacting with other road users. After all, we have not won the war yet and people continue to die on our roadways. We have won battles in the war of driving and I am confident with these new technologies, we will win more! There literally is a myriad things now available on new cars to assist us as drivers that did not exist before. Let us start with air bags, ABS brakes, ESP, tracking controls and many, many more. This is only a drop in the bucket to what we will see. Smart cars are up and being developed as the World sleeps. These will not replace us, but will help to assist drivers on long trips and reduce driver error. When you consider that ABS brakes have been out for some time and yet very few people actually know how to use them, it is certain we are needed. ABS brakes exist to allow for better braking of vehicles and to allow us full maneuverability and steering control as we brake in any situation. This advancement can not be overstated, just as ESP is an advancement that will allow for correction of under steering and over steering. The bottom line is that we now have the opportunity to not only teach students the correct ways to drive, but need to better inform and teach our students the correct ways in which to utilize these new technologies. These technologies while very helpful and I feel essential, are useless without utilizing them properly. Education is still the key and what we do very well! Fortunately, our partners in the automobile industry are spending money and want to help drivers as well. Together, our diligence and commitment to new technologies and their implementation will improve road safety and reduce deaths. Some of the companies I would like to mention here are Continental Teves, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, On Guard Technologies, ABS Education Alliance and Bridgestone-Firestone Tires; just to name a few. As a result of the outstanding vision and leadership shown by these companies and others, I will issue a proclamation as President of The Driving School Association of the Americas and in consultation with our Board of Directors. This proclamation will site their outstanding efforts and name November 1999 as National Automotive Technology Month. I congratulate this industry and our automotive partners for the outstanding work that has been accomplished so far! In conclusion, let us be aware that tomorrow is brighter. It shall shine a brighter light than we have ever seen on driver education before. This will be the result of educational quality continuing to reach new heights and even greater advances in technology for automobiles than we have seen. I look forward to tomorrow. Back Next