What the Drivers Manual Doesn’t Teach

In the journey to becoming a licensed driver, the culminating moment is — of course— the moment you pass that road test and are awarded your license! Freedom is yours. The ability to go where you want, when you want, with whom you want. For a teenager that might mean going to the movies on a Friday night with friends. But for adults— especially ones newly immigrated to the U.S.— it means the difference between taking group transportation to a part-time job at a meat packing plant, and the opportunity to apply for a better paying job with more consistent hours because of the ability to drive yourself.

But in order to join the driving force safely, what we sometimes don’t consider is the very detailed and crucial foundation of understanding that was laid long before you picked up the driver training manual. Learning to drive safely is about more than just the rules of the road, it’s also about interacting with other drivers, pedestrians and law enforcement in a way that’s culturally appropriate.

Rebekah has been working with this demographic for 8 years. She has learned a good deal about their culture, their needs, and their questions. Trust has been established, so they can ask questions that they might not feel comfortable to ask their boss or coworkers.

In my most recent round of drivers education classes, one young Burmese mother asked me, “If I’m driving through a neighborhood and there are children playing in the road, shouldn’t I honk?”

I considered her question carefully, playing the scenario out in my mind. Children are riding bikes outside, their mothers keeping an eye on them somewhere nearby. A car turns into the street and starts laying on the horn, honking at the children. The mothers run to grab their children off the street, while glaring at the driver who was honking incessantly at young children. Maybe they even take note of the driver’s Asian ethnicity and it confirms a racial stereotype. “….immigrants are so rude….” What they likely are unaware of is that in many Asian countries the horn is used generously as a means of making your presence known on the road, increasing safety. The same act that is intended for safety by a Burmese driver may well be interpreted as rude and aggressive by a Westerner.

We provide childcare for these driver’s education courses so that young mothers can become equipped to soon drive their little ones to school.

“You can use your horn, yes,” I answered, “especially if it’s a matter of safety and the child doesn't see you. But first… I would slow down, try to make eye contact with the kids or the adults supervising, and if they don’t see you, then get their attention with just one or two short honks. Westerners don’t use their horns as much, mostly just in emergencies, and long honks can be interpreted as angry.” My student nodded earnestly, and I hoped my instructions offered a healthy balance of safety plus preserving neighborly relationships.

The TN Drivers Manual is the main curriculum for driving class, but much of our class discussion centers around what’s not in the book. Students keep vocabulary lists of the book’s technical lingo, like ‘pedestrian’ or ‘motor vehicle’. Most English speakers know these words, although they are not commonly used in conversation. We would just say, ‘someone walking’, or ‘car.’ Before our refugee students can learn the rules of the road they have to learn the language of the road. Right of way. Yield. Urban. Rural. Accelerate. Deccelerate. There is so much knowledge which even the most detailed training manual assumes.

Our work is to sit with refugees and help establish that baseline of knowledge that we aren’t even conscious we possess. We are laying a foundation. It is slow work, but so important to helping refugees truly acclimate to their new homes. They understand how valuable such insights are, and express overwhelming gratitude for class times, and for the childcare that we provide so young mothers can also become equipped to soon drive their little ones to school.

Looking to the future we hope to empower a Burmese speaker to be able to teach the next round of driving classes. Though the numbers have slowed in recent years, Nashville is still welcoming new refugees all the time, people who have been uprooted forever from their homes, and are digging in to learn and establish a new home for themselves. It is truly a privilege to show hospitality to these brothers and sisters, and help lay a foundation that will serve them well in their coming years.