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Chapter 1

The document outlines the Improv Traffic School's Aware Driver Course, emphasizing the importance of a positive attitude and awareness while driving. It highlights alarming statistics about traffic accidents and fatalities, categorizing bad drivers into aggressive and unaware types. The course aims to modify driving behavior and improve safety by encouraging participants to evaluate their driving habits and make necessary changes.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
19 views10 pages

Chapter 1

The document outlines the Improv Traffic School's Aware Driver Course, emphasizing the importance of a positive attitude and awareness while driving. It highlights alarming statistics about traffic accidents and fatalities, categorizing bad drivers into aggressive and unaware types. The course aims to modify driving behavior and improve safety by encouraging participants to evaluate their driving habits and make necessary changes.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AZ Chapter 1: Appropriate Attitude

Section 1.1
Disclaimer: This program is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. All
content is the property of the authors and is not owned or sponsored by any court, judge,
Department of Motor Vehicles or any other public entity.

Welcome to the Improv Traffic School's award-winning Aware Driver Course. We know you
have choices and are glad that you selected us. We hope that you enjoy your experience and
become a safer driver. Should you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please feel free
to call us 7-days a week.

Important: Course Completion Instructions


PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE BEGINNING THE COURSE.

• The course is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


• The course consists of 10 easy-to-follow modules.
• You must complete your course at least 7 calendar days prior to your due date or court
appearance date. The course will automatically lock after that date. If you are locked out
of your course because you were unable to finish it in time and you have not completed
the quiz in Chapter 10, you will need to contact your court for a continuance.
• The course takes a minimum of 4 hours to complete. This is a time requirement set by
the Supreme Court. You must spend the required amount of time on each chapter,
including careful attention to the summary in each chapter's "Let's Review" portion (at
the end of each chapter), as the chapter quiz questions are taken from the course
material presented in that chapter. After each of the sections contained within each
chapter, you will be prompted to complete a 3-question quiz. You must pass each
section quiz by getting each of the three questions correct. You will be able to retake
the section quizzes as many times as you need until all three questions have been
answered correctly. Then, you will be able to continue to the next section.
• Your pass/fail grade depends on passing the chapter quizzes (25 accumulative
questions) with a cumulative score of 80%. This means that you can get up to five
questions wrong and still complete the course.
• You can login and logout as many times as
you wish. You will be given full credit for any
time spent on the course; however, our
recommendation is to complete at least a full
chapter per session, including the corresponding
chapter quiz, so that the recently reviewed
material is fresh in your mind. If you logout, you
can simply return to the course at your own
leisure by logging back into the course with your
username and password and click on the
chapter where you left off (Status will read "In-
Progress") or the next one to start.
• Each chapter will have a short chapter quiz
that tests you on the course material.
Remember that your score is cumulative. You
can miss five chapter content questions. If you
miss a sixth question, you MUST enroll in a
traditional live class and your state fees will be
forfeit. You cannot retake an online course, so
be sure to read the chapter text!
…and now, let's go to class!

To watch the introductory chapter video, press the play button.

The introductory videos are optional. Any information presented in the video is also covered in
the written material below.
https://vimeo.com/91036523

Becoming a Safer Driver


OK, now that you have a basic idea about how your attitude affects you, let's talk about driving.
Here's your first Traffic Trivia Question.

TRAFFIC TRIVIA
How many registered vehicles are there in the United States today?

Answer: Over 265 million vehicles!

There are over 265 million vehicles, and those vehicles travel almost 3 TRILLION miles
annually.
How many of those vehicles are
operated by safe, nice, law-
abiding drivers? The answer is,
"not enough." Many of us are
really great drivers. We watch
out for other drivers and we
make sure we don't do anything
unsafe or selfish on the road.
There are a lot of irresponsible
drivers on the road, and you see
them all the time. They run red
lights, they speed, they drive fast
in the slow lane, and they make a
lot of illegal turns. They think that
just because there's no police
officer around, it's okay to do whatever makes the trip faster. Don't these people make you
mad? Or… are YOU one of these people?

As you go through this course, keep in mind that:

• There are more than 5.8 million traffic crashes every year in the United States.
• Over 37,000 people die in those crashes. That's about 102 people each day.
• In addition to the cost in human lives, the economic cost exceeds $240 billion annually!
• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the estimated
cost of motor vehicle crashes was $242.0 billion, or $750 for every person living in the
United States.
• A recent report states that the per-person cost of traffic fatalities is $3.2 million and
$68,170 for injuries.

Sobering Statistics
The NHTSA lists the following statistics:
Every year, almost a thousand of those fatalities have happened right here in Arizona. That’s a
lot of lives lost in traffic crashes, but the good news is that in 2016 the number was 962 – a
significant decline. The numbers are pretty evenly split in that about half occurred in rural areas
and half in urban areas. Of those fatal crashes, 111 were on the Interstate.

The above statistical numbers include emergency services and court costs, but not the costs
that result from a traffic collision, such as lost wages from work, higher insurance rates, and
other related costs.
The reason for traffic rules and regulations is to keep all
those millions of vehicles from crashing into each other.
It's as simple as that!
There is an old assumption in show biz: "If you can put
on a performance and reach or move even one person,
then you've done your job as a performer and the world
is just a little bit better." Now let's think of this saying in
terms of driving. How much better would our world be if
everyone drove just a little bit more safely?
So, let's start with you! After each chapter of the course,
stop and think to yourself, "Is there room for me to
make a minor change in my daily routine?" There usually
is!
It all starts with a positive attitude and willingness to
admit to yourself that you need to make that small
change!

Section 1.2
Types of Bad Drivers
There are two types of bad drivers: The "aggressive" and the "unaware."
The American Institute for Public Safety defines the aggressive driver as a person who drives
with a lack of courtesy and thus creates dangerous situations on the road. In other words,
aggressive drivers are selfish people with really bad attitudes that cause potential harm to
others.
Although unaware drivers pose an equally threatening risk to others on the road, they are less
conscious of it because they are not paying close enough attention to their surroundings and
situations or to how their driving is affecting others.

Research shows that 41 million licensed drivers don't


know the basic rules.
A national drivers test showed that too many licensed drivers do not know the rules of the
road. Results for one of their recent tests found that 20.1% of drivers on the road—amounting
to roughly 41 million licensed Americans—would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken
today.
More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the
ages of 16 and 65 were administered a 20-
question written test designed to measure basic
knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They
were also surveyed on their general driving
habits.
Idaho and Wisconsin drivers tied for first in the
nation, with an average test score of 80.6%.
Arizona drivers ranked 30th, with an average
score of 76.5. The national average score was 76.6%, which is only 6.6% above the 70% failure
line.
Test results showed:
• Overall, findings from the annual survey indicate the number of drivers with knowledge of
basic road rules is decreasing, with test scores lowering from previous years (76.6% vs.
78.1%).
• Seventy-two percent of drivers could not properly identify a typical safe following distance
from the car in front of them.
• Only 15% of drivers knew the correct answer regarding what to do at a traffic light
displaying a steady yellow signal (stop if it is safe to do so).
• The older the driver, the higher the test score. Drivers 35+ years old were most likely to
pass. The age group with the highest failure rates was young adults (18 to 24 years old).
White males older than 45 received the highest average score.
• Fortunately, nearly all respondents (98%) know what to do when an emergency vehicle with
flashing lights approaches, what to do when hydroplaning, and the meaning of a solid
yellow line.
Hopefully you knew the correct answers. If you didn't before this course, you will by the time
you are done.

Drivers not only lack basic road knowledge but exhibit


dangerous driving behavior as well.
Let's review some basic stuff, like signaling. Why
is it that so many drivers don't give us the simple
courtesy of signaling? These people would
probably fall into one of two categories:
"Unaware" or "Aggressive." The "unaware" driver
may not signal because he doesn't realize that
you're next to him or right behind him. The
"aggressive" driver knows you're there but
doesn't care. It's too much effort for him to use
his turn signal. Both types of drivers are equally dangerous.
Have you ever been behind someone on a single lane road who's driving very slowly? There's a
line of traffic building up behind him, and the person continues driving without pulling over to
allow others to pass. Why? An unaware driver doesn't realize all those people are behind him.
An aggressive driver in the same situation may be thinking, "I know those people are behind
me, but I don't care. I don't have to drive the speed limit if I don't feel like it, and I couldn't care
less who is being affected, because I'm more important."
Some people are both unaware and aggressive
drivers.
Drivers who don't follow the rules are involved
in more collisions. One in every 3 collisions
results in an injury.
Driving a car is like handling a loaded weapon.
Without the proper training and attitude, it can
be a dangerous and potentially lethal tool. Being
an aggressive driver is like playing Russian
Roulette; eventually, someone is going to get
hurt.
It's a right to own a vehicle, but it's a privilege to
be allowed to drive it.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't have a
constitutional right to drive a vehicle on public
roads. It's a privilege that is given by the State,
and this privilege can be taken away!

Behavior Modification
LET'S FACE IT… we can all use some attitude adjustment. Or, as experts say, “Behavior
Modification.”
However, it makes more sense to do this before you hurt someone or even hurt yourself.
Unfortunately, in Johnny's case, he learned the hard way, because it wasn't until he got very
badly injured that he made a modification to his driving behavior.
People try to do many different things while they should be just driving. For example, they read
a map, write, talk and text on the cell phone, put on their makeup, insert their contact lenses,
eat, drink, and have even been seen shaving! Some even have sex while driving! One of our
students got a ticket for reading the newspaper while driving on the highway. How would you
like to be driving next to that guy while he's reading the sports section?

While driving, you must focus


100% of your attention on the
road and driving your vehicle. In a
split second, conditions on the
road can change and you must be
prepared mentally and physically
to react to those changes.
In addition, having the appropriate
attitude when driving will enable
you to focus more clearly, and be
more aware of your surroundings,
both of which will assist in
ensuring that you arrive at your
destination safely.
Further, don't allow your emotions to interfere with safe driving. Use all the good judgment,
common sense, courtesy, and safe driving procedures that you possibly can.
The first step to becoming an aware driver is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and
emotional state while driving. Be honest and truthful when evaluating your driving abilities and
attitude. It just might save your life!

Let's Review!
• Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege.
• A car can be as dangerous as loaded weapon.
• There are over 265,000,000 registered vehicles in U.S.
• More than 5.8 million crashes occur every year.
• The economic cost of crashes exceeds $240 Billion.
• A fatal crash can cost as much as $500,000.
• Each year over 37,000 people die in car-related crashes; almost a thousand in Arizona
alone.
• One in every three collisions results in injury.
• There are two types of bad drivers—Aggressive and Unaware.
• The first step to become better is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and emotional
state.

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