Long Island - Nausua/Suffolk
Region includes programs in : Nausua/Suffolk
Regional News
We will post articles, reviews, and news from Regions across the state here. Please send your material to our editorial staff at this website.
From the desk of Dennis Bzduch - York Central School Driver Ed Program
LAKEVILLE — York Central School Driver Education teacher Dennis Bzduch wanted to do more than teach students about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol, texting while driving and what it's like to lose control of your vehicle on icy or wetroads. So he showed them. About 140 students from Keshequa, Perry, York, Livonia and Caledonia-Mumford recently participated in a driver's education clinic coordinated by Bzduch at Minnehan's recreation complex, 5601 Big Tree Rd.. The clinic, which Bzduch has presented for four years, offers stations that simulate vehicle operator situations. In addition to driving under the influence and texting, these scenarios also include driving in a tractor-trailer's blind spot, a vehicle rollover and the impact on the body of a crash. The clinic includes demonstrations by State Police, Livingston County Sheriff's Office and other vendors that donate time and simulators. "Everything was messed up It puts your coordination off and it would be really hard to drive," Keshequa Central School student Brayden Link, 16, said about wearing the glasses that simulate in effects of alcohol. She tried to toss a ball back and forth with her classmate Jennifer Tallman,16. "It showed us how it is to drive if we were drinking. It would be really hard to be behind the wheel. It would be really scary," Tallman said. Many of the students, even male athletes, were surprised at the jolt of the Convincer, LCSD's crash simulator. Even at 10 miles per hour, the impact of a crash sends shock waves to the body. "It hurt actually," said Chris Wilson of Caledonia-Mumford Central School. The State Police's rollover simulation demonstrated the importance of wearing a seat belt by showing what the body goes through when a vehicle rolls over. Donald Bullet from Caledonia-Mumford said all he could think of when watching the demonstration was serious injury, even death. Jake Flagler from Caledonia-Mumford, said the rollover demonstration and a few of the other simulations really alerted him to the seriousness of distracted driving. Bzduch says the clinic would not be possible without the cooperation from Minnehans. The clinic has grown over the years and encompasses the entire parking lot and motorized car tracks.The motorized cars are used in several of the simulations. Minnehans manager Jeff Smith said he closes the tracks to customers during the clinic so students can utilize the bullet and Indy cars for the simulations. "A lot of these kids come here during the summer so this is a way for us to give back to help keep the kids safe. It's a way to teach kids real life experiences in a non-life threatening way," Smith said. Caleb Nellis, 16, from York Central School said the clinic is very educational and helps him with his driving abilities. "I'll know how to handle my car better in these conditions," he said of driving the bullet cars to simulate vehicle drifting. His classmates, 16 year-old Jonathan Stockslader said the drunk goggles made it difficult to navigate even a peddle car, much less a motor vehicle and 16 year-old William Fairhead said the rollover and crash simulations really did convince him to buckle up when operating or riding in a motor vehicle. Bzduch has been teaching driver education at York for 10 years. The course is offered during the summer. He says the clinic has grown since it started and he is as excited about the invaluable education its gives students as he was the day it started. "These are things we couldn't do in Driver Education class and Minnehans has been great," he said. "We couldn't do any of this without them." Tina Hancy
From the desk of Jim Korn, Rochester NY
Jim ran across these two sites that he wanted to share with other teachers:
http://www.textingndriving.com/
http://www.cellcontrol.com/?gclid=COG_1JuLvLECFQhN4AodI2EAHg
From the desk of Brigitte Nesteroke - Regional Representative for Mid Hudson Area
In a recent article that member Brigitte Nesteroke read entitled "EARLY AND ONGOING VS. CRAMMING. HOW TO ENSURE DRIVERS KNOW THE LAWS AND RULES? ", she noted and wanted to share this information, especially with new driver education teachers. Hopefully we are all dealing with this type of information up front in our programs where we present THE HTS and concurrently in our laboratory phases of the program as we take to the road. Like New Hampshire, we need to make sure that new drivers know, apply and practice not only good driving skills but also understand why various rules of the road make the system work efficiently. We all will benefit from this read.
"EARLY AND ONGOING V. CRAMMING.
HOW TO ENSURE DRIVERS KNOW THE LAWS AND RULES? "
The forward in the New Hamphsire Driver’s Manual clearly states, “driving a motor vehicle on public streets and highways is a privilege. In order that you may fully enjoy the privilege of driving, it is necessary that you know what laws, rules and regulations exist. Further, you must observe them at all times or run the risk of having your privileges suspended or revoked”.
If you want someone to commit what they have learned to long term memory you do it over as long a period of time as possible and have many opportunities to heighten thinking on the issue.
If we want students to remember the driving law summaries contained in the drivers manual, we need to introduce the information as early as possible and keep taking jabs at it throughout the driver education program. When we use the short term memory cram route at the end of the driver ed program, that information begins to drop out memory much faster than an inclusive method throughout the program. Telling students at the end of the program that, “You’ll need to know this so you can pass the DMV test” is not factual. The planners of this short term memory push are looking at getting the license as the end of the line for knowing the information. The manual contains information on laws and rules of the road that all drivers and others should know now and in their future driving experiences.
In order to promote movement into long term memory, we should be requiring the student to know the bulk of the driver manual material before driving as the wording in the forward of the manual indicates. After that, ongoing questions or prompts in-car, during observation and in classroom should be used to bring the information up again and again throughout the course as often as possible to help process the information into long term memory.
Cramming into short term memory the information for the DMV test just prior to the end of the class and going to the DMV for the test the next day may provide the 80% needed on the DMV test but the quick drain following does not serve the safety of the student or the rest of us well. The manual outlines this is what you need to know for driving now and in the future. Application of the laws with and through the classroom and the driving experience removes them from an abstract role as something only for the “DMV test”. Some instructors express the view that they are doing an effective driver education job if their students pass the DMV tests and get a license. Short term memory soon empties and we then have more drivers who aren’t really sure what the laws are.
The driver’s manual references a figure of over 40,000 crashes a year in NH, the overwhelming percentage of those are licensed drivers. Passing the DMV test and getting a license does not equal a safe lifetime of crash free driving. That is what we should be attempting with driver education.
Instead of waiting until the end of the driver education program to commit the DMV manual material to memory, students should be issued the driver’s manual before the start of the driver education program. The point should be made that they will need to know the information contained in the manual before they drive on another’s license. Encourage parents to have students’ pickup a manual and hit it hard because they should know that information before they start driving. They should be tested and held accountable for the DMV manual material as they enter the driver education course. Students should be asked questions randomly throughout the program in the car and in class and a few questions on each test or quiz on the key laws and rules of the road. The more often questions occur and the subjects are brought into the active thinking process over the longest period of time possible, the more likelihood information will move into long term memory. We want to share the roadways with better informed, safer drivers.
"EARLY AND ONGOING V. CRAMMING.
HOW TO ENSURE DRIVERS KNOW THE LAWS AND RULES? "
The forward in the New Hamphsire Driver’s Manual clearly states, “driving a motor vehicle on public streets and highways is a privilege. In order that you may fully enjoy the privilege of driving, it is necessary that you know what laws, rules and regulations exist. Further, you must observe them at all times or run the risk of having your privileges suspended or revoked”.
If you want someone to commit what they have learned to long term memory you do it over as long a period of time as possible and have many opportunities to heighten thinking on the issue.
If we want students to remember the driving law summaries contained in the drivers manual, we need to introduce the information as early as possible and keep taking jabs at it throughout the driver education program. When we use the short term memory cram route at the end of the driver ed program, that information begins to drop out memory much faster than an inclusive method throughout the program. Telling students at the end of the program that, “You’ll need to know this so you can pass the DMV test” is not factual. The planners of this short term memory push are looking at getting the license as the end of the line for knowing the information. The manual contains information on laws and rules of the road that all drivers and others should know now and in their future driving experiences.
In order to promote movement into long term memory, we should be requiring the student to know the bulk of the driver manual material before driving as the wording in the forward of the manual indicates. After that, ongoing questions or prompts in-car, during observation and in classroom should be used to bring the information up again and again throughout the course as often as possible to help process the information into long term memory.
Cramming into short term memory the information for the DMV test just prior to the end of the class and going to the DMV for the test the next day may provide the 80% needed on the DMV test but the quick drain following does not serve the safety of the student or the rest of us well. The manual outlines this is what you need to know for driving now and in the future. Application of the laws with and through the classroom and the driving experience removes them from an abstract role as something only for the “DMV test”. Some instructors express the view that they are doing an effective driver education job if their students pass the DMV tests and get a license. Short term memory soon empties and we then have more drivers who aren’t really sure what the laws are.
The driver’s manual references a figure of over 40,000 crashes a year in NH, the overwhelming percentage of those are licensed drivers. Passing the DMV test and getting a license does not equal a safe lifetime of crash free driving. That is what we should be attempting with driver education.
Instead of waiting until the end of the driver education program to commit the DMV manual material to memory, students should be issued the driver’s manual before the start of the driver education program. The point should be made that they will need to know the information contained in the manual before they drive on another’s license. Encourage parents to have students’ pickup a manual and hit it hard because they should know that information before they start driving. They should be tested and held accountable for the DMV manual material as they enter the driver education course. Students should be asked questions randomly throughout the program in the car and in class and a few questions on each test or quiz on the key laws and rules of the road. The more often questions occur and the subjects are brought into the active thinking process over the longest period of time possible, the more likelihood information will move into long term memory. We want to share the roadways with better informed, safer drivers.