Latest Post from Gas 2.0: Op-Ed: A Driver’s License with Green Credentials

Op-Ed: A Driver’s License with Green Credentials

Posted: 22 May 2011 07:27 AM PDT

My driver's education class was a joke, and I don't imagine it has gotten any better. Yet there are some very simple techniques that could be taught that would reduce congestion, save fuel, and promote a better driving environment.

The only thing I remember from driver's education is learning how to use the emergency brake. My instructor (a retired teacher of something) took me to a parking lot, let me accelerate the Chevy Cavalier as fast as I could before yanking the e-brake. That was fun, tough not exactly useful information for daily driving.

Most of the rest of the class was driving statistics, anti-DUI rhetoric, and memorizing useless facts about how many feet should be between me and the other cars on the road depending on conditions.

Is it any wonder America's roads are constantly congested? People never learned to drive properly, so we have people going 10 mph under the speed limit in the fast lane, dickheads passing on the shoulder, and dudes in pickups trying to drive right up your tailpipe. If only getting your driver's license wasn't so easy.

Take Germany for example. It costs $2,000 for a license, requires up to 45 hours of professional training (non of this sidejob bullcrap) and another 12 hours of theory…whatever that is. It sounds downright draconian, but before you judge their methods, watch this video of a Corvette Z06 going 200 mph on the Autobahn. Ze Germans can drive. They know how to get out of the way. They know their place on the road. So I think a good start would be making driver’s education mandatory. Want a license? Sit through a class, damnit.

While that hasn't eliminated traffic congestion, I think adding a section about conserving fuel and the basic premise of hypermiling to driver's ed could go a long way towards promoting a better generation of drivers. How many times must I see somebody fly past me, full throttle…towards a red stop light? What was the point guy? I'm right next to you, but you wasted a lot more gas than me getting to this point.

With gas prices at $4 a gallon, pretty much everybody is looking for a way to save gas. Why not make this a teaching point? And why not inform people about where their oil is really coming from at the same time? And more to the point, let's show these new drivers how to drive well. Sorry, but not blowing through a stoplight and parallel parking doesn't prove you're a good driver.

Basically, I am just sick of awful drivers. I am sick of watching people waste fuel for no good reason. To me, wasting a tank of gas is almost akin to throwing out a perfectly good plate of food after taking just a few bites. Instead of scaring new drivers with flicks like Red Concrete, we should show them how to get the most mileage out of their gas tank, how to drive with consideration to others, and most importantly, we need to stop handing out licenses like they're a right, not a privlidge. It's not even like my generation is all that interested in cars, but the least we can do is make sure those few who take the plunge aren't contributing to the congested mess we call America's highways.

Is it just me, or do I sound older and crankier than usual today?

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.