LAKE COUNTY — In an effort to bring new driver safety tools to teens, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has tapped popular Web sites with young people: DMV now has it”s own channel on the popular video sharing site YouTube.com, and a MySpace.com page, the most successful networking site on the Web. The trend is especially helpful in poor and rural counties, where resources, driving schools and access to a car may be limited. A teen hoping to hone their driving skills can do so right from their desktops at school, home or at the public library.
The 54 short video clips on the DMV YouTube Channel range from one to five minutes with new drivers in mind. But even the most experienced driver can get a refresher course by viewing these mini driving-safety movies, some of which are geared toward practicing for the driving test, according to DMV spokeswoman Jan Mendoza.
“YouTube users are pretty savvy and know how to exchange information. We”ve been tracking how many hits we get on the site, and a lot are being looked at,” Mendoza said. Thursday”s views were close to 4,000 for the new channel, with 84 new subscribers.
The drive test isn”t the only subject viewers can expect. A click of the mouse can take you inside a big rig to see what a trucker sees, showing the viewer how limited their line of sight is. Along with big rigs, there are clips to show drivers how to share the road with motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. “Someone who has been driving for 35 years or more can glean things from these videos,” Mendoza said.
“Traffic safety is our top priority and with the YouTube videos, we hope to catch the attention of each and every teen driver as well as seasoned drivers in California,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “YouTube gets millions of visitors each day and the DMV saw this as an excellent tool to reach out to the masses. Each video clip teaches a very important aspect of driving.”
Lindsey Yaffee, a driving instructor with Painless Payless Driving School in Kelseyville, said getting a license for the first time can be a daunting experience, and YouTube video clips helping students prepare for the test are a good idea. She said some new drivers have never been behind the wheel before when they take their first driver”s education lesson, but if they have, they could have picked up some bad driving habits.
“Any added experience with a video would be helpful. One of the problems I see with new drivers is they have no idea how much turning is needed. You can verbalize that to them, but they really need to visualize and experience it themselves before they can learn. Another thing is they get confused about the gas and the brake. A lot of times the students really struggle, so if they can get that feeling of being on the road without driving off the road, that would be a good thing,” Yaffee said.
DMV takes some of the mystery away for the student who has never been behind the wheel before, allowing their first driving lessons to be more productive. No matter how experienced they may be, however, they still start out their first lesson in a large parking lot, Yaffee said.
In one of the video clips, the viewer can go along on a “drive test.” The examiner explains the process of the test and reasons why people fail. Video clips of “The Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Drive Test” include unsafe lane changes, failure to yield, failure to stop and lack of experience. These clips go on to show the viewer how to overcome these obstacles and pass the test.
To access the DMV YouTube channel go to www.youtube.com/californiadmv
To access the DMV MySpace Page go to www.myspace.com/californiadmv
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
