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 [...]
Category: "News"
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
‘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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving
Research predicts which cars are likeliest to run lights at intersections
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 [...]
Traffic School Rule Change – Court Dismissal Changing to Conviction
Effective July 1, 2011, California courts must report traffic safety violations as convictions.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]