Driving School Saved My Life 10 Minutes After Graduating

Oh, how sweet irony can be sometimes.

If you were to ask me how I spent my Sunday, you might not believe me at first.

At the ripe age of 32, I went back to driving school for a refresher course – and it was brutal.

The class took up my entire Sunday and as boring as it may have been, I'm surprisingly glad and relieved that I went. I had received a letter in the mail a few weeks back about a speeding ticket I received back in 2019, and the RMV said I needed to take one refresher course or face a license suspension. It's pretty clear which route I went.

Fast forward to this morning and me walking into class. Eight hours later I had completed the course and passed with flying colors. It's amazing the simple things we tend to forget when it comes to the rules of the road and I am forever grateful for it, and I'll tell you why.

Literally 10 minutes after I left the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Taunton where the class was held, I found myself face-to-face with what could have been a major car pileup on Route 24 South. One of the things taught to the delinquent group of drivers was how to avoid fender benders and accidents on the road by following this simple rule, the "Three-Second Tailgating Rule."

"Simply leave 3 seconds worth of room between you and the vehicle you are following. Just watch the vehicle in front of you pass a road sign or other inanimate object on the side of the road and count out “One Massachusetts, Two Massachusetts, Three Massachusetts” before your vehicle passes that same object. In most situations, this will provide you sufficient distance to react and stop if the vehicle in front of you slows or stops suddenly. When conditions are not ideal (snow/ice, heavy rains or driving a heavy vehicle…even if it’s just full of people) give yourself 4, 5 or even more seconds of space."  – DriveInControl.org

So here I am, looking for markers on the side of the road to try out this theory and right around the time that I had perfected the perfect spatial distance between the car in front of me and myself, the inevitable happened.

Up ahead was a minor incident that had everyone and their mother slamming the brake pedal to the floor, including myself.

Had I been tailgating the vehicle ahead of me and was uneducated about the "Three-Second Rule", I would have for sure rear-ended the guy in front of me.

I'm telling you, there's no making this stuff up and I'm glad (and relieved) that it happened when it did.

So, take my advice: even if you're not court-sanctioned or sent by the RMV, consider taking a day out of your already busy life and take a driver's refresher course. Who knows, it just might save your car – or perhaps even your life.

#The3SecondRule  #RulesOfTheRoad #TheMoreYouKnow