Experience Counts…

Imagine this: It’s a hot summer day. There you are standing on the deck of a boat in some exotic, clear-watered location. You wiggle into your wet suit, your dive buddy helping you with the zipper. You pick up your 30-pound “backpack” that includes your air tank, buoyancy control and integrated weight system. You pull the mask over your face and place the snorkel firming between your lips. You and your buddy scissor-step into the water. You begin your descent by letting the air out of your buoyancy control. And then it hits you… This is your first instructor-free scuba dive. Suddenly those few short hours of certification training just don’t seem sufficient. Sure, you passed the skills test in the water. You even studied and aced the written exam. But the reality that each of those simultaneously-performed skills is the only thing keeping you alive quickly becomes overwhelming…

Ok, so maybe you aren’t an actual scuba diver, but you certainly can relate to the situation. If nothing else, imagine what it was like when you first learned to drive a car. Sure, there are some “natural” drivers that just seem to pick up the skills, but for most of us, it took some practice. It wasn’t that each individual action was difficult in and of itself. But rather, it was the simultaneous use of each of them that took a little getting used to.

For this very reason, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 33 earlier this month. SB 33 will affect all California drivers and states that no one will be permitted to drive a motor vehicle “while using a wireless telephone, unless that telephone is designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking operation.” The bill also “prohibits[s] a person under the age of 18 years from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone, even if equipped with a hands-free device.” Those who are in violation of the new law will be fined 20 dollars the first time and 50 dollars each time thereafter.

Many Californians have known about the first portion of this bill for months. It is slowly becoming common knowledge that the days of driving a car and talking with a cell phone plastered to you ear are soon coming to an end. But the portion of the bill prohibiting people under the age of 18 from using any sort of cell phone, including hands-free devices, may be a little less publicized. And while many- most likely all of those who fit into this age category- may feel that this type of separation between older and younger drivers is unfair and even unnecessary, perhaps it will do California some good.

While being young does not equal driving poorly, it certainly does mean less behind-the-wheel experience. And let’s face it: we will live in an experience-based society. Jobs are often given to those who have had experience in a field over those who are new to the workforce. Why? Because an experienced employee has proven him or herself to be competent and trustworthy. Getting behind the wheel should be no different.

And while age discrimination is something that should not be tolerated, taking steps toward protecting the next generation of Californians is a step in the right direction. According to a press release from the governor’s office, “drivers age 16 to 19 have a fatality rate that is four times the rate of drivers ages 25 to 69.”

Of course, there are responsible young drivers. Just as there are irresponsible experienced drivers. But as Governor Schwarzenegger said, “Teenage drivers are more easily distracted. We want to eliminate any extra distractions so they can focus on paying attention to the road and being good drivers.”

Let’s face it. Having good drivers on the road is something that affects each of us. And while some of us may not think that talking on a cell phone is that big of a distraction, try adding it to the already long list of recently-acquired skills that a new driver is faced with...

It would be just as unsafe as a new scuba diver trying to navigate uncharted waters and locate a sunken ship… let’s leave that for those with a little more experience…