Classification of Drivers

In the wonderful world of motor vehicles and driving, there are various types of drivers. Different behaviors on our roads are as a result of the many types of drivers we have in our roads.  In this essay, we will discuss the different types of drivers that are there between the old, the young, the locals, the foreigners who use our roads daily exhibiting different behaviors. Every day on the roads, we encounter different kinds of drivers. Some drivers are patients while others are the exact opposite. While other drivers drive in a fashion that makes the driving experience good for every road user, others attend to ruin this otherwise good driving experience for everyone around them.

Classification of drivers is such wide but there in this essay we will classify drivers the basic drivers on our roads according to the New York DMV which classifies drivers according to purpose and how long they have been driving. These include;

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The senior driver

This depends on how old an individual is but usually it is in the range of more than 65 years old in which one is usually termed as ‘seniors.’ The ‘seniors’ make about 13 percent of the US population but account for about 18 percent of all traffic fatalities. This is expected to go up as the baby boomers age thus swelling the number of old drivers on the roads in the near future.

Although most of the senior drivers do an excellent job in our roads, some as they age have certain physical changes occurring that may hamper them from good driving. These changes include but are not limited to; deterioration in vision or hearing. The result of the can be very fatal. The physical deterioration explains why the accident rates of the senior drivers exceed that of the underage drivers.  Some of the frequently reported mistakes by the old drives include failure to drive in the proper lane, failure to observe traffic signs, inattention and slow driving speeds on busy highways (Kansas department of transportation).

Beginner drivers

Attitudes about driving are formed as early as 9 years and the attitude of a kid determines what kind of a driver s/he will become. This is because most children tend to adopt attitudes similar to their parents. Therefore, parents should cultivate such positive attitudes about driving in their children like patience, vulnerability and safety consciousness.

This is the first stage of driving immediately one enrolls in a certain driving school like the DMV NY. This starts when one knows nothing from driving apart from sitting on the driver’s seat. The beginner is taught from the basic things that include importance of safe driving, traffic rules and regulations and manipulating an automobile. Beginners experience more complicated problems but they learn more and more as they move on.

For adolescents, they believe that they are invincible once behind the wheel. But figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration speak otherwise; drivers between the ages of 15-20 are involved in more than 15 percent of all fatal crashes while they only constitute 6.7 percent of the driving population (Kansas department of transportation).

Disabled drivers

This category includes all those drivers who are impaired in one way or the other due to health conditions. Those people who use a wheel chair are classified here. Also included in the group are those people who cannot walk a 200m without rest due to such condition as orthopedic, arthritis or neurologic conditions (Kansas department of transportation).

The motorcycle driver

These are one of the most complicated drivers on our roads. This is due to a large number of reported accidents that happen due to careless motorcycle driving. The reason is that they are hard to see in traffic or for drivers to judge how far or how fast they are moving. Although motorcycles account for only 4 percent of motor vehicles on the road, they are involved in about 10 percent of all traffic deaths.

Motorcycles have the same rights and responsibilities as all other drivers. It is always good that there is space between a motor vehicle and a motorcycle while on the road (Kansas department of transportation).

Fast drivers

These are those drivers that tend to drive within 5 mph of the fastest safe driving speed on the road and have very few people following them. They are found driving at 90 mph instead of a 70 mph on a freeway.  The fast drivers tend to focus their eyes on the road and not the people or the things on it. For this very reason, fast drivers are very attentive and alert to what is going on and if there is something that may pop up on the road, they are likely to stop before it is too late.

For the safest fast drivers, they know how to slow down slightly when there is danger ahead or if visibility ahead is limited. These fast but safe drivers know how to drive and not just operate a piece of machine. But fast drivers can also be dangerous especially if they are extremely aggressive and passing on close calls or cutting people off (The anatomy of 2 and 3 lane roads).

The slow driver

These are the kind of drivers that do not like to speed either because they are afraid of getting caught or simply not put all their attention on the road. Slow drivers rarely do cause serious problems on the road because they only got between the limits of 10-15 mph under the fastest safe driving speed for the road. These drivers are the ones that drive at 35 mph in a 50 mph zone or worse at 40 mph at a 75 mph zone (The anatomy of 2 and 3 lane roads).

Conclusion

Driving is such a complicated but enjoyable experience. More and more people are getting hooked up to driving and knowing how to drive gives one the opportunity to reach wherever they want without the hassle of commuting. The essay has dealt with the different types of drivers in our roads and their effect on traffic.