‘Lapdogs’ Still Legal In Illinois

‘Lapdogs’ Still Legal In Illinois

Despite an effort by some legislators to make it illegal for drivers to have a pet (dog or otherwise) loose in the vehicle while they are driving, the measure failed to garner enough votes to become state law. Some have argued that driving with a dog on your lap (is it even possible to drive [...]

Use Your Turn Signals Or Face The Consequences

Use Your Turn Signals Or Face The Consequences

You might not use your handheld device while driving, but chances are you are doing something else which is also a leading cause of vehicle crashes in the United States: Failing to use your turn signals. That’s right. More than 2 million accidents every year are caused by drivers failing to signal when they turn [...]

Teens Most At Risk For Distracted Driving Crashes

Teens Most At Risk For Distracted Driving Crashes

More research has been done on teens and the dangers of distracted driving in the last six months than in the previous 100 years of existence of the automobile. Of course, the dangers of distracted driving have only recently come to light. The ubiquitous nature of handheld devices and the many uses for them has [...]

NSC Warns Employers That Employee Crashes Can Cost Them

NSC Warns Employers That Employee Crashes Can Cost Them

The National Safety Council is focusing its efforts on reminding employers that they are often held liable when employees are involved in vehicle crashes while on duty, especially if they are on the phone with their boss at the time. A new white paper released by the NSC, “Employer Liability and the Case for Comprehensive [...]

Texting And Driving: There’s An App For That

Texting And Driving: There’s An App For That

If you worry that your spouse, child or any loved one, might be tempted to try to text while driving, you can install a new smartphone app that will keep them from doing so. The Drive Safe Mode app works by using GPS technology to determine whether or not you are in a moving vehicle. [...]


Driving Tips

‘Lapdogs’ Still Legal In Illinois

Despite an effort by some legislators to make it illegal for drivers to have a pet (dog or otherwise) loose in the vehicle while they are driving, the measure failed to garner enough votes to become state law. Some have argued that driving with a dog on your lap (is it even possible to drive [...]

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Improv Wisdom

Street Racers Risk Their Lives For Stupid Thrills

Teenagers are prone to doing stupid things. Anyone who has a teenager, had a teenager or knows a teenager knows this is true. Maybe it’s all the hormones running through their system or maybe it’s a lack of experience, but whatever it is, it sometimes makes them do stupid things. Like street racing. Traffic school [...]

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Improv Driving Fail

OC Judge Busted For Fixing Tickets

Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard W. Stanford Jr. has been removed from office after it was discovered he had been “fixing” tickets for his family and friends. Now, we’re not fans of traffic citations, but if you get one, pay your ticket and head to traffic school, don’t try pulling strings to get out [...]

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Car Reviews

Do smart cars make driving less fun?

Related topics: Traffic School,  Defensive Driving School What used to be a thing of fantasy or science fiction is now on a fast track of becoming a reality. More and more cars now have “smart car” features, ranging from sophisticated navigation systems to smart braking controls.  These “smart” technologies include: electronic stability control systems  to [...]

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Recent Articles

Some Dispute NTSB Ban On Distracted Driving

When the National Transportation Safety Board reported in December that distracted driving was causing more traffic fatalities that driving under the influence of alcohol, many state legislators went to work drafting legislation designed to inhibit the use of handheld devices or ban them entirely. But not everyone is convinced that handheld devices pose the same [...]

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FHP Troopers Warned For Speeding

An investigation by The Sun Sentinel newspaper in south Florida has resulted in more than two dozen Florida State Troopers being issued warnings for speeding and another dozen still under investigation. In all, 31 state troopers received warnings for excessive speed and are being made to attend a four-hour ethics course as a result of [...]

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California Ups The Ante For Distracted Drivers

When it comes to distracted driving, California legislators want to send a message loud and clear: If you do it, you will pay. The California State Senate approved a measure which would ultimately raise the fine for anyone caught using their cell phone while behind the wheel. Senate Bill 1310 increases the fines for breaking [...]

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‘Lapdogs’ Still Legal In Illinois

Despite an effort by some legislators to make it illegal for drivers to have a pet (dog or otherwise) loose in the vehicle while they are driving, the measure failed to garner enough votes to become state law. Some have argued that driving with a dog on your lap (is it even possible to drive [...]

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Florida Driving Hazard: Alligator

In one for the record books, a group of Florida drivers suffered some delays while animal wranglers wrestled with an alligator that was gingerly crossing through traffic. By wrestle, I mean wrangled-got it off the road and stowed away safely so it could be transported back into the wild where it belongs. Wild animals pose [...]

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Californians Flaunt Distracted Driving Warnings

A new study by the California Office of Traffic Safety says that a full 10 percent of all California drivers are distracted drivers. That means for every ten cars you pass, one of them likely has a driver trying to check his email, talking on the phone or sending a text. How many cars do [...]

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Traffic Fatalities Down Nationally

Despite an increase in the number of traffic fatalities caused by distracted driving, the nationally rate of traffic fatalities fell last year to its lowest level since record keeping began in 1949. These numbers come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which records all vehicle crashes and compiles statistics accordingly. The NHTSA is the [...]

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FHP Focusing On Aggressive Drivers

Florida Highway Patrol is making it their business to remind drivers that the way driver, their mental attitude behind the wheel, matters. Aggressive driving simply will not be tolerated, and the FHP is sending that message with increased patrols, focused on aggressive drivers. Aggressive driving simply does not make sense no matter how you look [...]

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California Lane Splitting Is Legal

You are sitting in traffic, minding your own business, waiting in the line of cars with everyone else, when a motorcyclist comes cruising between the lanes, bypassing all the stopped cars. It makes many drivers frustrated. It might frustrate you (and most other drivers) but it is perfectly legal, and a good way to convince [...]

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Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

This month everyone involved with safe driving will be focusing their efforts on the most at-risk group of drivers: teens. That’s right, teenagers are the most likely drivers to be involved in fatal crashes. According to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, traffic crashes are still the leading cause of [...]

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Use Your Turn Signals Or Face The Consequences

You might not use your handheld device while driving, but chances are you are doing something else which is also a leading cause of vehicle crashes in the United States: Failing to use your turn signals. That’s right. More than 2 million accidents every year are caused by drivers failing to signal when they turn [...]

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Drunk Grandparents Busted For Towing Kid

In one of those stories you have to see to believe, a Florida couple was arrested this past weekend for towing their 7-year-old behind their SUV. To be fair, the little girl was having a delightful time in her toy car, but it was attached to the SUV with two dog leashes; granddad, who was [...]

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Ticket Forgiveness Program In California

If you have a few overdue traffic tickets you have been worried about, now is your chance to have them taken care of without fear of repercussions. California is offering a partial forgiveness program for drivers with certain tickets and they have until June 30 to get these tickets taken care of. Only tickets for [...]

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Teens Most At Risk For Distracted Driving Crashes

More research has been done on teens and the dangers of distracted driving in the last six months than in the previous 100 years of existence of the automobile. Of course, the dangers of distracted driving have only recently come to light. The ubiquitous nature of handheld devices and the many uses for them has [...]

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Driver-less Cars In Florida? Maybe

Add Florida to the growing list of states interested in finding the right legal definitions to allow autonomous vehicles to hit the roads there. The Sunshine state could benefit greatly from reduced traffic congestion. With their large (and growing) senior population, they would also seem to be a good position to sell cars which can [...]

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California Car Insurance Optional

In California, just because you don’t have car insurance doesn’t mean you can’t drive legally. In fact, California state law provides an option for uninsured motorists to circumvent the insurance provision of driving legally by paying $35,000 to the California Department of Motor Vehicles or putting a $35,000 surety bond. In this way, they’re still [...]

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Recording Traffic Stops Is Risking Business

Taking a photograph on some, anyone, in a public place is a protected right for all Americans. It has borne the test of justice and been found safe in all cases. However, the same cannot be said of audio recording, a prime component of video taping which has become more common than photographing someone has [...]

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Federal Distracted Driving Law On The Horizon

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he supports and encourages a federal ban on texting and driving and the use of any handheld device while driving. LaHood made the comments during a speech at a distracted-driving summit in San Antonio, Texas, this week. He called distracted driving in the U.S. an “epidemic” and said a [...]

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Prom Night Driving Can Change Your Life-Forever

United Way of Broward Commission on Substance Abuse is embarking on a campaign to educate teen drivers about the dangers of driving after prom night and graduation. Teens often use these two events as an excuse to acquire alcohol and have a party. Unfortunately, not only is it illegal for a teenager to drink alcohol [...]

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College Students At Greater Risk Of Distracted Driving

A new study from UC San Diego’s Trauma Epidemiology and Injury Prevention Research Center and the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows that when a driver uses a handheld device for texting while driving their risk of having a serious crash increase as much as 16 times. This is hardly news to the National Transportation [...]

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NSC Warns Employers That Employee Crashes Can Cost Them

The National Safety Council is focusing its efforts on reminding employers that they are often held liable when employees are involved in vehicle crashes while on duty, especially if they are on the phone with their boss at the time. A new white paper released by the NSC, “Employer Liability and the Case for Comprehensive [...]

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Florida Drivers Pegged As The ‘Worst’

CBS news blogger Gary LaPierre is weighing in to the ongoing battle about who has the worst drivers. And Florida wins hands down as far as he is concerned. To be fair, LaPierre admits that Florida also has the highest rate of tourism in the nation and that most of those tourist arrive in the [...]

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Manhattan Beach Police Aim For Distracted Drivers

In one day, April 18, Manhattan Beach, California, police decided to send a loud and clear message to drivers that they would not tolerate distracted driving in their community. The stepped up enforcement resulted in 78 citations for cell phone use, 15 for texting and one warning for distracted speeding. There were five motorcycle mounted [...]

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Road Construction Means Drive Safe

This week is National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week and around the country police are on the lookout for drivers who ignore road construction signs and refuse to slow down or yield for construction crews. Road construction can be frustrating for drivers stuck waiting in traffic, wading through congested highways, or just those who are [...]

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Teens Help Teens Drive Safe

When it comes to driving education students learn a great deal from their peers. So, if your child’s friend is a safe driver, you can bet at least a little bit of that ‘good behavior’ will rub off on your kid. And vice-versa. That is what makes a new safe driver book written by students [...]

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Florida Fails To Pass Texting Ban (Again)

Florida legislators have yet to agree on a comprehensive statewide ban on the use of hand held devices by drivers, but they have focused on other driving safety related issues including aggressive driving and general highway safety. Due to its reputation as a tourist hot spot, Florida sees millions of visitors every year who arrive [...]

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Texting And Driving: There’s An App For That

If you worry that your spouse, child or any loved one, might be tempted to try to text while driving, you can install a new smartphone app that will keep them from doing so. The Drive Safe Mode app works by using GPS technology to determine whether or not you are in a moving vehicle. [...]

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California Toughens Child Safety In Vehicles (And More)

California legislators introduced a host of new restrictions intended to increase vehicle, driver and passenger safety on highways and roads this year. The laws are many and varied. Some address child safety while others are focused on general driving safety. A change to the existing California Child Passenger Safety Seat law now requires that all [...]

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California Crack-Down On Distracted Drivers

California is taking a no-nonsense approach to enforcing distracted driving laws. California Highway Patrol officers and local municipal police departments have been engaging in around the clock vigilance to watch for drivers who are using their handheld cell phones or texting while driving, flaunting the state’s ban on using handheld devices while driving. A recent [...]

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Florida Has Different Requirements For Senior Drivers

The Florida weather and laid back lifestyle are an attractive to everyone, but perhaps most especially to people who have spent the majority of their adult lives in colder, less hospitable climates. This might be why Florida consistently ranks among the most popular retirement destinations, along with South America and Arizona. To handle this annual [...]

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You Need Math To Beat A Ticket

If you have ever received a speeding ticket, or a ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign, or any type of traffic citation at all, you have no doubt wondered at least briefly if it would be worth it for you try and beat it. Well, before you make the attempt you should [...]

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California Considers Ban On ‘High’ Drivers

California Democratic Assemblywoman Norma Torres is crafting legislation making it illegal for any driver to be under the influence of any drug, marijuana or prescription drugs included. The move is meant to offset the increasing number of drivers who are high on medical marijuana when the commit traffic infractions or are involved in vehicle crashes. [...]

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Race Cars Legal On Florida Roads

According to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, if your vehicles meets basic safety measures, specifically head lights, turn signals and safety belts, it is legal to drive on the roads there. That means if you are a NASCAR owner, with a few minor modifications your race car is street legal. This great news for [...]

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Chapel Hill Bans All Cell Phone Use By Drivers

Starting June 1 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will become the first municipality in the nation to ban all cell phone use by drivers. The new ban on cell phone use includes hands-free devices such as Blue Tooth connections. If you try to talk on your cell while you are behind the wheel of your automobile [...]

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Tax Day Has Driving Dangers Too

It is bad enough we have to pay income taxes year after year, but now a new report published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association said tax day has another, more subtle but no less painful, side-effect: Our chances of being a fatal traffic crash goes up by six percent. The AMA [...]

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‘Glee’ Takes Distracted Driving Warning To Teens

Teens comprise the demographic group most at risk of the dangers from distracted driving. Because just about every teenager has a cell phone, and just about every teenager uses texting as their primary means of communication, coupled with the fact many teenagers are new drivers, they are most likely to have a vehicle crash caused [...]

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Older Drivers Are Safer Drivers

It might seem conventional wisdom that as we grow older we become less safe behind the wheel, but data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles show that simply is not the case. Although crashes by senior drivers often seem more spectacular and garner more media coverage, they happen much less often [...]

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Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Distracted driving has become a hot button issue across the United States, as municipalities, legislators and police grapple with the surge in the number of people suing handheld devices for navigation, communication and surfing the web. The ubiquitous nature of these electronic devices means just about everyone who is driving has some type of handheld [...]

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Seniors Fear Losing Freedom To Drive

This will likely not come as a surprise to many people, but almost all American senior citizens fear losing their ability to drive. In fact, a recent poll by AAA shows that 85 percent of all seniors fear losing their driving privileges and more than half would consider losing their driving privileges a serious problem. [...]

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More Cops Killed By Car Crashes Than Guns

In 2011, for the first time in more than a decade, more police officers were killed in the line of duty by vehicle crashes than gunfire. This is made even more significant by the fact that officers receive extensive training in vehicle safety and are required to complete a traffic school as part of their [...]

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Subaru To Debut ‘EyeSight’ Safety Features

Automobile safety features abound, but the most advanced of these are usually reserved for luxury, high priced models. Subaru is trying to change all that by incorporating a host of the latest, most advanced safety features into a single package they are calling ‘EyeSight’ which they intend to make available in their more affordable vehicle [...]

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Men’s Health Names Most Dangerous U.S. Cities For Driving

In what will surely become a contentious debate for drivers around the country, Men’s Health Magazine has released a list of what it considers the most dangerous U.S. cities for drivers. Surprisingly, New York City, often considered one of the most dangerous places to drive, but actually finished as the seventh safest city for driving. [...]

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Driving Fines Vary By Community

When it comes to how much you might pay for your next ticket everything hinges on where you broke the law. Traffic citations might seem to be a one-size-fits-all punishment, but in reality how much you pay varies greatly from community. A speeding fine might cost you $100 in the north, but the same citation [...]

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GPS Threatened By NHTSA

The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines for fighting distracted driving would essentially make in-car GPS systems unusable because they would be considered a driving distraction. The NHTSA has been working in conjunction with automobile manufacturers to limit the ability of drivers to access in-car electronics such as navigation systems, access to the Internet [...]

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Foggy Windows Create Dangerous Drive

For some it happens in the winter, for others it is spring, but whenever you are having a problem keeping your windows clear of fog, the danger for you, your passengers and the other cars sharing the road with you greatly increases. Traffic school graduates understand the importance of having equipment which works right. That [...]

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Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, But Drive Sober!

Every year Americans gather together on March 17 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by honoring their Irish ancestors and sharing a toast to the continued good health of their Irish friends. They also tend to drink. A lot. Not surprisingly police are abundantly aware of the tendency for people to consume vast amounts of alcohol [...]

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Michigan Lawmakers Targeting Drivers Who Text

Following in the footsteps of 36 other states, Michigan appears poised to approve a ban on texting while driving. A final vote on the measure is expected tomorrow but the bill appears likely to pass with a majority in favor. Michigan uses a graduated licensing system and the new law would only target those drivers [...]

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NHTSA Targeting In-Car Electronics

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration want drivers focused squarely on their driving, not handheld devices or hands-free devices, even the ones that come with their new car. That’s right, the NHTSA is asking all vehicle manufacturers to limit the ability of drivers to access any and all distracting information via their in-car, on-board systems [...]

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Distracted Driving Not The Only Roadway Hazard

A lot of attention has been paid recently to the dangers of distracted driving. In fact, a December report by the National Transportation Safety Board stated that distracted driving is now causing more vehicle crashes than driving under the influence of alcohol. However, just because distracted driving is dangerous that doesn’t mean that it is [...]

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Pennsylvania Bans Texting And Driving

A Pennsylvania ban on texting and driving takes effect Thursday, adding to the number of states which effectively limit which devices drivers can use behind the wheel. The Pennsylvania ban is not as tough as in some other states. Drivers convicted of violating the ban on texting while driving will receive a citation for $50, [...]

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Study Shows Handheld Devices Ban Saves Lives

Four years ago California lawmakers enacted a sweeping ban on the use of handheld devices by anyone driving a vehicle. This week researchers at UC Berkely released a study which shows that the number of traffic crashes caused by drivers using these devices has declined, something which researchers say is a direct result of the [...]

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Colorado Targets ‘Stoned’ Drivers For DUI

Some Colorado lawmakers are looking to expand the definition of ‘driving under the influence’ to include being under the effects of marijuana. Although no definitive study has been done, analysts theorize that there are more drivers operating vehicles under the influence of marijuana than there are drunk drivers. Studies done by the AAA have shown [...]

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Teen Drivers Suffer Most

According to both the National Transportation Safety Board and AAA, when it comes to the likelihood of having a vehicle crash, teen drivers are far and away at the top of the list. First time drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a serious vehicle crash than older, more experienced drivers. In [...]

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Police Benefit From Defensive Driving So Can You

Police officers are known for their capability at handling a weapon, interrogating suspects and solving crimes, but defensive driving skills are also an important part of every day police work. In fact, every year police officers practice their safe driving skills as part of their regular training, and new recruits too must pass a rigorous [...]

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Senior Drivers Benefit From Traffic School Too

The number of older Americans driving, those who are 65 or older, is now at 16 percent, with some states posting an even higher share of older drivers. And these numbers are only expected to climb as more Americans live longer, more active, lives. Older drivers have more experience behind the wheel, obviously, but they [...]

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More Teens Likely Driving High

A new report on teen drug use seems to indicate that more teenagers than ever before are turning to marijuana as a recreational drug. This coupled with their propensity for texting and riding with friends leads many analysts to predict that many of these stoned teens are likely getting behind the wheel. Traffic school teaches [...]

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Florida BMV Warns Drivers To Beware Of Clones

It’s not Star Wars that the Florida Bureau of Motor Vehicles is talking about when they warn car buyers to beware of ‘clones,’ but they are just as evil as the Empire. Cloning is a way that intrepid car thieves can make their stolen vehicle look more legitimate to prospective buyers. Specifically it entails the [...]

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Second California DUI Earns You A Suspended License

If you get busted for driving under the influence of alcohol in California, while on probation for a DUI infraction, you will definitely have your license suspended. How  long it is suspended has a lot to do with how intoxicated you were at the time and whether or not you submit to a test for [...]

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50 Years Of Safe Driving For ‘UPS’

Meet Ron “Big Dog” Sowder. Sowder was recently inducted into the UPS Hall of Fame for his record of safe driving that spans five decades. That’s right. Sowder joined UPS in 1961 and has stayed safe and sound on the road ever since, despite racking up four million miles and delivering 35 million packages during [...]

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Studies Show Men Text And Drive More Than Women

With females comprising more than half of all registered drivers in Connecticut, you would be forgiven for thinking they receive the majority of traffic citations for texting while driving. But you would be wrong. A recent study shows that while men comprise less than half of all registered drivers in the state, they also represent [...]

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States Grapple With Texting Bans

Right now Illinois, South Carolina, Alaska, Alabama and Florida legislators are wrestling with statewide bans on texting and driving. Some laws are more far reaching than others but all of them address the growing concern that drivers are spending too much time behind the wheel doing something other than driving. No doubt a recent report [...]

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Distracted Driving A Global Problem

You would be forgiven for believing that distracted driving is primarily a problem only in the United States. After all, a recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board seemed to indicate that U.S. drivers were most likely to drive distracted by their handheld devices. But handheld devices, cell phones, text messaging systems and other [...]

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Cell Phone Bans Gaining Traction

When the National Transportation Safety Board suggested that all states ban the use of any handheld device by drivers, many legislators decried the idea as an affront to personal liberties. However, perhaps quietly, many states are beginning to take the suggestion seriously and are moving toward the creation of legislation designed to do just that. [...]

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States Join Forces To ‘Move Over’ Drivers

Alabama, Florida and Georgia are teaming up to get drivers to understand that when an emergency vehicle is parked on the side of the road, or any vehicle for that matter, they need to reduce speed and move over. It’s not just a good idea in those three states, it’s also the law. Florida, Georgia [...]

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‘Florida Fog’ Results In Deadly Crashes

They call it ‘Florida fog’ but it’s really dense, grey-black smoke that comes with wildfires sweeping through the scrub and brush. Florida is known as the Sunshine State for good reason: The state gets more sunshine than just about anywhere else in the nation. Most days, even those with a little rain in the morning, [...]

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Atlanta Trying To Improve Traffic Flow On Major Roads

The city of Atlanta, Georgia, has seen a continued rise in its population over the past decade or so as residents move into the city, repopulating urban areas once abandoned, and increasing traffic congestion on neighborhood streets. To combat this problem the city has tried a number of methods. Some have had limited success, while [...]

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Teen Drivers Need More Attention

When it comes to teen drivers, too much attention is never enough. The fact is, traffic fatalities caused by distracted driving are surging, with a good proportion of these involving teenagers. When you consider that teenagers account for more than half of all texting traffic in the world today, it makes sense that at least [...]

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Insurance Rates Go Up Because Of Texting

As if causing an accident and hurting yourself or someone else isn’t enough of a reason to stop texting and driving, you can now add increased insurance rates to the mix. That’s right, insurance companies are reporting that rates have been going up primarily because of the increase in vehicle crashes caused by distracted driving. [...]

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Self-Driving Cars In California

Right now in California, Google is testing a fleet of small, driverless cars, on some public roadways. Yes, Automated, robotic cars without drivers. On the roads. Google says the new cars are safe and can be programmed to avoid collisions, dangerous driving, traffic congestion and other hazards on the roadways. These autonomous vehicles can limit [...]

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Don’t Drive Stupid And Post It On Facebook

Driving stupid, which means breaking the speed limit, distracted driving or any sort of reckless driving, is bad enough. But if you’re dumb enough to post video of yourself doing it on your social media network, or brag about it via social media, you deserve to be busted. That’s the lesson being learned by stupid [...]

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Florida Lawmakers Ask Gas Stations To Be Upfront

In Florida, if you pay at the pump with a credit or debit card you might pay an extra .05 to .12 cents for every gallon, just for the convenience of paying with plastic. That’s not a bad thing, if you know what’s coming, but not every gas station makes its policy known, much less [...]

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Washington State Speed Cameras Questioned

The question is one of legality, rather than morality and it’s being posed by a former judge with two decades experience on the bench. It all started when retired Cowlitz Superior Court Judge Jim Warme received a speeding ticket through the mail, generated by a school zone traffic camera. Unfortunately, a city ordinance does not [...]

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Street Racers Risk Their Lives For Stupid Thrills

Teenagers are prone to doing stupid things. Anyone who has a teenager, had a teenager or knows a teenager knows this is true. Maybe it’s all the hormones running through their system or maybe it’s a lack of experience, but whatever it is, it sometimes makes them do stupid things. Like street racing. Traffic school [...]

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OC Judge Busted For Fixing Tickets

Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard W. Stanford Jr. has been removed from office after it was discovered he had been “fixing” tickets for his family and friends. Now, we’re not fans of traffic citations, but if you get one, pay your ticket and head to traffic school, don’t try pulling strings to get out [...]

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Arlington ‘No Texting’ Law Having An Impact

Texas state legislators have said they believe the issue of whether or not to ban drivers from using handheld devices is best left up to the cities, and not the state. When the National Transportation Safety Board released their recommendation that all states ban handheld devices, Texas lawmakers were the first to say it was [...]

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Indiana Goes To Color-Coded Warnings For Drivers

In 2011 the Indiana legislature passed a new law which put the entire state on the same system when it comes to alerting motorists to winter weather travel hazards. Prior to the new system, each county had its own system, some of which differed greatly between what they considered a snow emergency; how and when [...]

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Don’t Get Stranded This Winter Without Your Smartphone

Believe it or not, the most useful tool to have with you in the event of a winter snowstorm, might just be your smartphone. A new smartphone app has been released specifically designed to help motorists who become stranded on the roadway during a winter snowstorm. Now, you don’t need an online traffic school to [...]

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AAA Pushing For Tougher Driving Laws In Florida

Florida is one of just 15 states where it is still legal to use a handheld device to text while you drive, but if AAA has anything to do with it, the laws will soon be changed. This week AAA announced it was asking members to push the 2012 Florida legislature to adopt stricter laws [...]

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California Focusing On Child Safety

New laws come with every New Year and in California a fair share of these laws address the growing issues facing drivers and their passengers. One of these laws specifically concerns the safety of children who regularly travel our highways though not usually behind the wheel. (There are separate laws to handle kids who drive [...]

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New Jersey Seeks New Restrictions On Teen Drivers

New Jersey already has a strict graduated driver’s license program for new teen drivers. They impose severe limitations on how much training a new teen driver must receive, when they can drive, who can they drive with and how long they must drive with a learner’s permit before taking to the roads on their own. [...]

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States Grappling With New Laws For Interstate Truck Drivers

Trucking is on the minds of legislators in almost every state as they race against a deadline to implement a new federal mandate meant to improve interstate trucking safety. The new law takes effect January 30 and requires all states to collect and store medical proof from truck drivers that they are in good enough [...]

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Midwest Drivers Struggle With Sudden Snow

The New Year started with a bang and a blanket of snow for the Midwestern United States, as the entire Ohio Valley and points west saw a sudden and unexpected snow squall sweep through. For anyone who has not successfully completed an online traffic school (preferably a comedy traffic school) this meant a dangerous morning [...]

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Safe Vehicles Make For Safer Roads

The number of traffic fatalities is down around the country, due in no small part to traffic school and a host of new safety features in the new automobiles rolling off the assembly line. It wasn’t so long ago that safety features like airbags were options on new vehicles, but today almost all new cars [...]

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California DUI Deaths Down

We’d like to think our online traffic school had at least something to do with it, but whatever the reason Californians are celebrating a dramatic decrease in the number of deaths attributed to DUI this year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last year saw 791 deaths due to driving while intoxicated, either as [...]

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CHP Is Serious About Defensive Driving

When it comes to defensive driving, nobody takes is more seriously than the police. These are the folks who are on the scene of every crash. They have seen the worst that can happen when a distracted driver loses control, crosses the median and slams head-on into traffic headed the other way. They measure the [...]

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Drunk Driving Ticks Up On New Year’s Day

According to the most recent AAA analysis of traffic statistics, the number of drunk driving-related fatalities occurs on New year’s Day. This is likely to be a few hours after midnight as folks are driving home from parties or celebrations where alcohol is served, or maybe they were just sitting home to watch the festivities [...]

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Back Home In California? Might Be Time For Traffic School

Now that the war in Iraq is at an end, thousands of soldiers will be coming to the spouses; boyfriends and girlfriends; families and life they left behind. With so many soldiers returning to the United States, you can expect that at least a few thousand of these soldiers will be coming home to California. [...]

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Laughing Your Way To Cheaper Auto Insurance Rates

It sounds ludicrous at first, but so did Earth Shoes, car phones and kiwi as a garnish. In keeping with its commitment of promoting driver safety and providing the state’s motorists with enhanced customer conveniences Arizona Supreme Court approved Improv Traffic School, an online humor-based defensive driving program, for Arizona drivers who are cited for [...]

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California Offers Amnesty For Unpaid Traffic Tickets

Californians who have been waiting for their ship to come in before paying some overdue traffic tickets just got an early Christmas present. California Legislative Assembly Bill 1358 allows for a one-time, 50 percent reduction if the outstanding tickets are paid between Jan. 1 and June 30. The offer is good in all 58 counties [...]

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Be Thankful For Safe Driving

Be Safe Behind The Wheel All Year Long Want to know who is most thankful for safe drivers? The police. Just ask any California police officer, especially those who patrol interstate highways, and they will tell you, their worst memories are of crash scenes. People injured or killed through driver negligence; children hurt or left [...]

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Good News For Defensive Drivers: It’s Working!

Safe Driving Does Make A Difference If you have ever wondered whether defensive driving really makes any difference, wonder no more. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this week that the number of traffic fatalities last year is the lowest on record. With 32,885 traffic related deaths last year, the NHTSA said the number [...]

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Texting And Driving Do Not Mix

Distracted Driving Kills You don’t need to look far to find evidence that distracted driving leads to increased rashes. Anyone who has successfully completed an online traffic school knows just how dangerous it is to lose focus while you are behind the wheel. Anything that distracts you from the effort of driving; takes your eyes [...]

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NTSB Wants Complete Ban On Cell Phone Use While Driving

Distracted Driving Is Dangerous Driving National Transportation Safety Board this week released a report recommending a complete and total ban on the use of cell phones while driving.  The ban would include wired, wireless, hands-free devices and texting devices, but would not include the use of such devices by passengers in an automobile. According to [...]

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MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving

Research predicts which cars are likeliest to run lights at intersections

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NY Cracks Down on Distracted Drivers

Governor Cuomo Signs Law Strengthening Enforcement Against Drivers Caught Using Handheld Electronic Devices New Legislation Makes Using Handheld Electronic Devices while Driving a Primary Traffic Offense; Additional Regulation will Increase Penalty from 2 Points to 3 Points for Cell Phone and Electronic Device Usage While Driving Albany, NY (July 12, 2011) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo [...]

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New CA Traffic School Law Designed to Curb Repeat Offenders

Under a new California state law, AB 2499, that takes effect on July 1, 2011, the CA Department of Motor Vehicles will be keeping track of repeat traffic offenders. Drivers with points on their licenses can go to traffic school, but the courts will no longer dismiss infractions against them. In the past, when courts [...]

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Buried in Traffic Tickets? 3 Ways to Prevent Your Car Insurance Rates from Digging You In

If you’re like most people today, finding ways to save money is your #1 obsession. But if you have one or more traffic violations, your car insurance rates may be taking back every penny you work so hard to save.

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Do smart cars make driving less fun?

Related topics: Traffic School,  Defensive Driving School What used to be a thing of fantasy or science fiction is now on a fast track of becoming a reality. More and more cars now have “smart car” features, ranging from sophisticated navigation systems to smart braking controls.  These “smart” technologies include: electronic stability control systems  to [...]

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Different Insurance for Different Stages of Your Life

Your age impacts your insurance rate. A young driver is charged because they are a higher risk factor. Rates for older drivers take slower reflexes and declining vision/hearing into account. Your stage of life is a key to your insurance rate, but discounts are available for every stage of life. When you know all of [...]

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Traffic School Rule Change – Court Dismissal Changing to Conviction

Effective July 1, 2011, California courts must report traffic safety violations as convictions.

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Mercedes SL drivers get ticketed about four times as often as the average driver.

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Mercedes for a price of Honda?

To work in traffic school you have to be a car junkie, we daily scan interesting news to share with our readers. Mercedes plans to launch compact coupe and SUV in U.S. STUTTGART — Mercedes-Benz will launch coupe and SUV versions of its new compact car family in the United States in the next three [...]

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ANOTHER CELEBRITY BEHAVING BADLY – Melrose Place Star Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter

The star from the original Melrose Place continues to make headlines following her DUI car crash last June in New Jersey, which resulted in the death another motorist. Amy Locane-Bovenizer is facing manslaughter charges. The 39-year-old mother of two pleaded not guilty to aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto charges, reports say. Somerset County prosecutors [...]

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California Traffic Tickets Fines

CALIFORNIA DRIVERS – BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE! Effective immediately, if you do not stop at the red light, be ready to pay $436 in fines, or if you pass a school bus with flashing red signals, you will be charged $616…fines are going up. Just for your information, the next time you park in [...]

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Clean Air Stickers To Expire In 2011

Attention California Drivers! All good things must come to an end, and it’s the same for California’s HOV-Lane access perk for owners of three hybrids:  the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda Insight. If reauthorization is not granted by the Federal Highway Administration, use of these stickers will expire. Currently, the use of Clean [...]

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Insurance Reduction for New York Drivers

New York Drivers pay some of the highest insurance rates in the country. However they are also fortunate to live in a state which is one of the very few in the nation that mandates insurance companies to reduce drivers premium.

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2010 Green Car Survey

Hybrids and high-mpg gas vehicles still top the list with 52% of consumers, Hybrids being most preferred.

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LA Auto Show 2010 Top Models

Highlights from the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Featuring five new cars: the Chevrolet Camaro convertible, Range Rover Evoque 4-door, Hyundai Elantra sedan, Mercedes Benz CLS 63 AMG, and the Fiat 500

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New Car Buying Tips: Dealer Add-Ons

This innocent sheet of paper contained two seemingly “valuable” add-ons, adding $600 to the sticker price of the vehicle. In the industry, this list of add-ons is called the “supplemental sticker ” We call it the “rip-off sticker”, you judge for yourself.

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My Used Car’s a Lemon! Am I Stuck With It?

Lemon laws protect new car buyers in every state in the nation, but it’s far more common for used car buyers to get stuck with an unreliable vehicle, or to incur repair bills that cost more than the car. For such unfortunate consumers, it often goes downhill from there.

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Odd Tales On The Road – International Edition

There may be some odd traffic rules in the United States such as: you’re not allowed to shoot wild animals from your vehicle (no sharks either)… but today we’re going to focus on the oddities of driving internationally. The Famous Hook Turn ONLY in Melbourne This turn was created to insure that Trams had the [...]

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Traffic School GLEE-style

The producer of this Tonight Show skit visited our Improv Traffic School class in Sherman Oaks, CA and was inspired to show how the classes are conducted here in Hollywood.

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Do you know why I pulled you over?

If you have  attended one of our defensive driving school courses you would probably know the answer. Many states still have a number of antiquated state driving laws that are  simply crazy. Got a housecoat? If you’re a woman, it’s illegal to wear one while driving in California…. ; In Glendale, Arizona – cars are [...]

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Pricey used cars test conventional wisdom

We are always trying to save you money here at our online traffic school. The conventional wisdom that buying used cars is always the most frugal option may be tested by rising prices in the U.S. auto resale market. Edmunds.com estimates the average price paid for a used, three-year old auto has risen $1,471 — [...]

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50 Celebrities & Their Cars

50 Celebrities & Their Cars 1. Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony drive an Aston Martin DB7 & Lotus Elise 2. Ryan Gosling – Drives a black Toyota Prius. 3. Pierce Brosnan – Owns an Aston Martin Vanquish. 4. Verne Troyer – Drives a custom Mercedes CLK. 5. Janet Jackson – Drives an Aston Martin Vanquish. [...]

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Top Ten Cheapest New Cars

When you consider total cost of ownership like special financing programs, repairs, fuel efficiency, wear and tear…, purchasing a new car can make more sense than buying used. If you’re looking for practical and affordable, we got good news for you: you can still buy a good new car under $15,000. If you have a [...]

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Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Anyone driving the twists of Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles recently may have glimpsed a Toyota Prius with a curious funnel-like cylinder on the roof. Harder to notice was that the person at the wheel was not actually driving. The car is a project of Google, which has [...]

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Texting-and-driving bill dies

Senate deadlocks on measure to ban sending messages from road. Arizonans will not be banned from texting while driving, at least this year. Proposed legislation that would have prohibited typing, reading or sending text messages and e-mails while driving on a state highway died with an 11-11 vote by the Senate on Tuesday. The bill [...]

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Pursuing good health is a laughing matter

He may not actually be funny himself, but for the past two decades, Dr. Steven Sultanoff has been an evangelist for therapeutic humor. The clinical psychologist, who leans more toward clever than hilarious, teaches the value of jokes, and the belly shaking that comes with them, to medical professionals and therapists at Pepperdine University and [...]

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Cars Most Likely To Get A Ticket

Contrary to popular belief, drivers in red cars don’t get ticketed more often than their less-flashy comrades. Middle-aged males with a thing for foreign brands, on the other hand, had better watch out. Men who drive a Volkswagen GTI or Mercedes-Benz CLS-63 AMG are twice as likely to get a ticket than the average driver. [...]

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Fighting Traffic Tickets – Is it a Good Idea?

Decide Whether the Ticket Is Worth Fighting First off, decide whether it’s worth your time to fight a ticket.   If a ticket means thousands of dollars in increased insurance premiums, risk of license suspension, or other serious penalties it may be worth the hassle…  however, fighting tickets is not simple  it may  not be always [...]

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Hope: Intelligent Traffic System

An intelligent traffic system can now make future predictions of which route will be the best way for you take to avoid congested roads. In urban areas especially, this traffic system is going to be wildly useful. While there are many routes a driver can take, it is not easy to predict which one will [...]

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Things To Do In A Traffic Jam

You cannot escape the inevitability of certain things in life: death, taxes and, if you live in a major city, being caught in a traffic jam. Traffic jams are something you just cannot avoid. When you think of traffic jams, what images come into your head? Images of hot days and dusty road congested with [...]

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Scientist Find Your Brains Traffic Cop

Scientists have made a new discovery with a protein that is supposed to help brain cells direct traffic from within the brain. This protein is called MEC-17. Working for an online traffic school I call the MEC-17 your brains traffic cop. Scientists are hoping that this protein will play a part in their much research [...]

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Cell Phone Use While Driving: New Level of Fail

Ian Charles Mason, age 34 from Jamul California did not pay any attention to law enforcement officers who constantly advised him against distracted driving. As a worker from an comedy traffic school, I warn everyone to refrain from using his cell phone while on the road. Due to the unheeded advice, Mason lost his stash [...]

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New Data and Child Safety Seat Warnings

According to research carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it seems that fewer children died last year in roadway crashes. Yet, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is cautioning parents and caregivers alike to retain the use of child safety seats or booster seats. The data for child fatality point out that the [...]

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Worried About Rising Gas Prices? Be Prepared!

Unleaded regular’s hovering around $3 per gallon – which is high, but manageable. What if it goes back up to over $3 per gallon – or even $4 per gallon? Here are a few things to think about in the way of hedging your bets and insulating yourself and your family from the economic shocks [...]

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How To Avoid A Speed Trap

It may seem like every day is a battle while driving on the road. You race across town to get to places on time .. avoiding cars that are driving too slow or too fast. In most cases you may fall into the latter category since you’re always trying to make it to your destination [...]

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How to Pass a Breathalyzer Test?

One of the best ways to deal with the unfavorable DUI breathalyzer test is to make sure you do everything the officers ask you to do. But  if you can get them to laugh with you about it, well that can score you some brownie points. WATCH!

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News Flash: The Cultural Difference Of Southern Driving

Driving is cultural. In Germany they drive fast, in England they drive on the wrong side of the road, in the U.S. there is a cultural difference between defensive driving techniques in Southern and Northern states. The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged they had covertly funded a project with the U.S. auto makers for [...]

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Do They Still Make Stick Shift Cars?

You’re probably asking … why a stick shift .. aren’t all cars automatic? Well with the down economy you may consider purchasing a fine old school stick shift car for you teenager at a lesser price than their automatic counterpart, or for yourself. In the other spectrum of price, many high end cars are also [...]

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2010 Nissan 370Z

Since its 1970 introduction, Nissan’s “Z-car” has appeared in many forms – some better, some not so much. During the ’80s, in particular, it got ever-heavier . . . and ever-more-expensive. But Nissan returned the Z-car to its roots with the 2003 redesign – and that trend continues with the just-updated 370Z, which is once [...]

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New Car; Kid With Keys … FAIL

There’s nothing more exciting than handing the keys of a new car over to your child. You have worked years to be able to afford the luxury of providing your children the best of the best. There’s nothing more exhilarating for us blog viewers than to watch that new car go to crap. WATCH.

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Buddha on the Backstretch: The Spiritual Wisdom of Driving 200 MPH

Yep you read that title right, but this is actually a book title. “Buddha on the Backstretch”  is about how to deal with handling all the little setbacks in life with a mindful approach learned from Buddhism and  from Dale Earnhardt. We suggest reading this book to handle your 4 hour commute to work.

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Labor Day Driving Tips

According to AAA, 91 percent of the 34.4 million Americans doing short end of summer vacation will be doing so by car this Labor Day Weekend. Here are some tips to make sure you get to your destination … 1. Check the tires and tire pressure. Properly inflated tires last longer, handle better and return [...]

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Red Light Tickets Throw ‘Em Out

If you haven’t heard of Mr. Traffic Ticket yet; he may become one of your best friends. A San Diego attorney, Mitchell Mehdy aka Mr. Traffic Ticket is telling a judge to take red light camera tickets, and throw ‘em out! We agree. You get hit with $460 ticket and have to defend yourself against [...]

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DMV “Points” For Non-Moving Violations?

Many drivers are unaware that state DMVs now assign “points” for more than just moving violations. In Virginia and Maryland, for example one can get points – as well as a beefy fine – for violating carpool restrictions, or driving unbuckled. The logic behind the points system up to now has been that it provides [...]

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Defensive Driving In Hurricanes

Mother Nature strikes when you least expect it … our Improv Traffic School Team has come up with some tips on driving during a Hurricane. Driving Tip #1 DON”T DRIVE But it you have to ….. Driving Tip #2 Make sure you have a full tank of gas before you hit the open road! Driving [...]

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Odd Traffic Customs

There may be some odd traffic rules in the U.S. such as you’re not allowed to shoot wild animals from your vehicle (no sharks either) … but we’re going to focus on the oddities of driving internationally. The Famous Hook Turn ONLY in Melbourne This turn was created to assure that Trams had the right [...]

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