To the editor:
On behalf of Marshall Driver Education Instructors, we wish to express our enthusiastic support for the construction of a permanent regional traffic safety education training center in Marshall.
The training facilities located within the proposed expansion to the MERIT Center will provide an important avenue to utilize educational best practices for the specialized training of over 200 novice and experienced drivers in the Driver and Traffic Safety Education process each year. The traffic educational facilities will offer a setting for numerous traffic safety educational opportunities including defensive driving courses for public service and first responder vehicle operators. The potential traffic safety educational opportunities at the MERIT Center include, but are not limited to:
defensive driving tactics/driver operator instruction
driving simulators for novice and experienced drivers
classroom instruction for Driver and Traffic Safety Education
low speed skills/skid recovery pad
off-road recovery instruction
controlled braking instruction
simulated city street driving course and training exercises
regional Driver and Traffic Safety Education event hosting
We support the expansion of the MERIT Center, including a traffic safety training center, and strongly encourage its expeditious completion. As your local Driver and Traffic Safety Educators, we are asking for your support for all users of the roadway system. Every user of the roadways from the pedestrian to the ambulance driver will benefit from the expansion of the MERIT Center by allowing each of us to share the road with well-educated and highly trained drivers. A yes vote on November 6 will enable the highest quality and progressive Driver and Traffic Safety Education to be provided within our community.
The expanded MERIT Center will facilitate fundamental and advanced skill development in a low-risk controlled environment. With your support, drivers will be able to put theory into practice by applying classroom training while on the driving range. This is a highly needed effort to reduce preventable accidents and deaths on the roadway system.
Marshall Community Services/Marshall Public Schools Traffic Safety Educators
Leanne Carmany, Bob Cole, Cheryl Henn, Amy Labat, Pat Irsfeld, Mark Greenwood, Jennifer Keely