Online Defensive Driving Tips

Being a defensive driver may be a great skill but there are some drivers who don’t wish to be a defensive driver as it increases the chances of accidents related to driving. Funny, we have been writing a lot of tips and advice on how defensive driving can save your life, but this finding is something out of the ordinary. A defensive driving is a skill which you acquire to operate an automobile with the skills to prevent an accident. If these drivers think that such skills would rather cause them more danger then, one thing comes to our mind. What kind of skills have they acquired? It can be either that they have chosen a cheap defensive driving course and obviously they won’t have enough info or training. If you are not convinced about your defensive driving skills even after completing your course in defensive driving, you have been either duped or you haven’t been paying much attention to your training. Let us remind you of one thing, defensive driving saves lives rather than putting...

Want to get cheaper car insurance online, for your own teenagers? By now, most of your friends may have told you that getting car insurance online can be a very expensive deal. The primary reason for this is that auto insurance companies are quite aware of the fact that teenagers are not matured mentally or physically. Well, the good news is that there is one definite way to reduce that hefty car insurance bill. We all know that some teenagers are much more responsible than adults. Unfortunately, some teen drivers out there have simply ruined the chances of getting good car insurance deals. Moreover, statistics have also shown that teens account for more accidents than any other age group, combined. These results, just emphasize why teenagers ought to pay a higher premium. I am sure that you feel that this is unfair and that every teenager drives differently. Fortunately there are ways to go about this situation. If your teen gets pretty good grades at school, he can easily get a good ...

Halloween has become one of the scariest nights of the year. Not because of the spirits and the ghosts, but for all the drunk drivers. The number of vehicular crashes and injuries rise by another 30 per cent when Halloween falls on a Friday, Saturday or a Sunday. Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos and Newlin will be offering the Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home Program with the view of reducing these accidents. This program has been designed for all those adults who have been drinking or those who feel that they do not have any safe way to go home on this Halloween. Renowned attorney, Steve Fleschner, says “There is absolutely no excuse for getting behind the wheel drunk”. He further adds, “Whether you've had one drink or several, it just isn't worth the risk. Buzzed driving is still drunk driving”. Terre Haute and West Terre Haute will be hosting the Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program from 8 pm on 31st Oct, Sunday up till 2 am on 1st Nov, Monday, 2010. For getting a free ride ho...

For senior drivers, driving becomes more and more difficult with cars becoming more complicated, roads becoming heavier and traffic rules changing all the time. However, the biggest problem they face is their bodily function which starts to reduce due to their advancing age. To be a safe driver, you need specific physical abilities like sound hearing and vision, quick reaction time and strong memory which decline as we grow old but the rate of decline may differ from person to person. According to statistics, senior drivers are prone to receiving traffic citations for going through red lights, failing to yield to traffic signs or turning improperly. The accident rate is also more in this age group and they are most likely to get seriously hurt or succumb to the injury. However, if an adult driver has a healthy and safe driving habit from early on, they will mature into a careful senior driver. Habits are hard to die, so make sure you follow a safe driving habit. It is also a good idea ...

The recent number of DUI cases has established the fact that there are a large number of drivers who are extremely careless and lack a sense of alertness of the road. Luckily for various amateur drivers, the embodiment of a DUI simulator has raised the awareness factor involving this kind of occasion. Any amenable driver understands the fact that it is their responsibility to undergo a thorough examination in order to gauge if their driving skills are qualified enough to drive on the interstate. At present, several novice drivers are availing off driving solutions that are being offered by many defensive driving companies, in order to build and sharpen their skills as a driver. Defensive driving is nothing but keeping in mind the fact that your hands as a driver, ought to be no where else but on the wheel and that safety is not an extra, but a fundamental concern. Furthermore, a defensive driver must always be on alert. They need to be focused on the road ahead and avoid deadly distrac...

With so many organizations and law makers aiming to ban the use of cell phones in cars, it is important to know that the real problem is distracted driving. It has been responsible for vehicular accidents for far longer than cell phones have been around. In 2009, car crashes involving distracted drivers killed almost 5,500 people. As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only 18% of these accidents were due to cell phone distractions. Around 84% were reported as fatalities due to general carelessness or inattentiveness. Of course, this includes cell phones. But, a majority of them referred to eating, talking to the other passengers, looking out of the window or looking for an item. According to a recent survey carried out by Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., drivers have seen other motorists involved in distracted behavior. Around 90% of these said they have seen people eating and drinking while driving. Another 77% claimed that they have observed drivers applying makeup...

The Operation Teen Safe Driving program to be held in 2010-2011 has selected six telegraph area high schools for participation. This program is an initiation to try and decrease injuries and accidents involving the youth of Illinois. Gary Hannig, the Illinois Transportation Secretary announced the list of the participating schools. This includes the Alton High School, Godfrey, the Marquette Catholic High School, Alton, the Civic Memorial High School, Bethalto, the Gillespie High School, and Roxana High School amongst others. The Allstate Foundation and the Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety will hand out $2,000 to each of these schools. Throughout the program, the schools are supposed to develop and implement a peer-to-peer based program. At the end of the program, a report has to be presented. Winners would be selected from every one of the seven regions. Also, the winning school will receive the prize money to host a post prom party. The selected h...

An association between OSHA and U.S. DOT has been formed in order to fight against distracted driving. The main goal is to stop texting while driving on the job. “It is imperative that employers eliminate financial and other incentives that encourage workers to text while driving. It is well recognized that texting while driving dramatically increases the risk of a motor vehicle injury or fatality.”, says Hilda L. Solis, Labor Secretary. President Obama had signed an Executive Order related to safe driving last year. This order included the prohibition of federal employees from texting when they are driving. On the 21st of September, OSHA announced an initiative. The following points were included in it. A special campaign that will work on educating employers to discourage work related distracted driving. Reaching out to young employees by coordinating with the DOL partners and agencies. Investigate and issue penalties whenever a complaint is lodged regarding an employer that demands ...

The state is celebrating National Teen Driver Safety Week from Sunday to Saturday with a view of bringing attention to the laws that govern new drivers. Also, the impact parents have by setting down limits on their teens for modeling responsible driving behavior will be taken into consideration. Recent studies have shown that parents are the number one influence on their teens' driving. The leading cause of death among the teens aged between 16-19 in Washington is motor vehicle accidents. It has caused the death of 27 teen drivers in the year 2010. 84 teens died in motor crashes through 2008-2009. Parents should keep in mind the following steps to help teens become safe drivers: Try to enforce intermediate driver licensing law. The teens should not be allowed to carry passengers younger than 20 during the first six months. During the next six months they should be allowed to carry no more than 3 passengers that are younger than 20. Teens should not be allowed to drive between 1 am ...

It is that time of the year when you start thinking about winterizing your car. Bill Hume, Vice President of Hankook Tire Canada says, “With unpredictable weather conditions, Canadian winters are challenging for even the most seasoned motorists”. He believes that every driver should create a checklist in order to ensure safety. Here are a few basic things that should be done to get your car safely through the winters: Changing the oil: A thinner viscosity engine oil is required to lubricate engine parts in the colder conditions. The car's user manual can be consulted for the fluid recommendations. Winter tires: There are these special tires that have an added groove capacity. This helps in dispelling all the extra snow which is stuck to the tire. Also, these winter tires are made of a softer compound which helps in providing additional traction. Battery check: The change in temperature leads to an increase in power demand. The use of defrosters, windshield wipers and the heating sy...

According to the reports of the Mercury newspaper, Josue Martinez died on the spot after his car crashed against a power pole on Easter Monday, last year. He was driving at more than double the speed limit. Josue Martinez, aged 22, was a resident of Launceton. Reports showed that he was not wearing a seat belt and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.205. To top it all, his car was unregistered and uninsured. The officer was a member of the former Road Safety Taskforce. He had been drinking at the police station bar after his shift ended at midnight. It has been estimated that the car was moving at a speed of 128 km per hour on High Street Launceton before it hit the pole. John Gledhill, chairman of the Road Safety Advisory Council, finds it difficult to believe that something like this could happen in the taskforce. “It is highly unacceptable that anyone, regardless of who they are behaves in that manner.”, says he. He believes that Martinez's death is a reminder of the impact alcohol...

In Lower Makefield Township, the Citizens Traffic Commission has set up a program on Interactive Safe Driving at the William Penn Middle School, 1524 Derbyshire Road, Yardley, PA from 10 am to 12.30 pm on the 23rd of October. The main focus of this program would be on the dangers related to distracted driving and driving while impaired. Special emphasis would be on teen driving. Knowledgeable and interesting speakers have been invited to speak for this program. The session will begin with Jeff Sawyer who is the first speaker. He is a Lower Makefield resident and a State Farm Insurance agent. Jeff Sawyer has spoken to various school groups on the hazards of drunk driving and other dangerous driving practices. This would be followed by a healthy discussion with William Hogan who has been appointed as the second speaker. He is the president of the Advantage Driving Academy and also a resident of Lower Makefield. William Hogan hopes to enlighten parents with different ways in which they ca...

Distracted driving has been the major cause for vehicular accidents in recent times. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, distracted driving deaths have increased to 5,870 per annum. If the concept of texting had not existed, the number of distracted driving accidents would have decreased from 4,611 to 1,925 per year from 2001 to 2007. The use of cell phones is not restricted to only the teens. For many adults, their cars become their offices and the cell phone is like a professional lifeline. Drivers keep texting at stoplights or check their emails while keeping one hand on the wheel. The dangers of distracted driving are listed below: Cellphones are important but they should be used in a legal manner. Talking on a cellphone while driving is a lot more dangerous than anyone realizes. The reaction of a driver on a cellphone is similar to the one who is intoxicated. The ones talking on the cellphone while driving are four times as likely to crash. Texting while driving is...

The AARP Driver Safety Program is scheduled for 8 am to noon on Wednesday, Oct 13 at the Alvin Police Department, 1500 S. Gordon St. This upcoming session is sponsored by the Alvin Police Department and the American Association of Retired Persons(AARP). This driver refresher course was first initiated in 1979 by the AARP. It is specially constructed to help out older drivers. This Driver Safety Program tries to cover issues and health problems like physical changes related to age, declining perceptual skills, license renewal requirements and other local driving problems. The instructor appointed by AARP, Ken Moore, will be teaching this course. He says he is looking forward to “reminding seniors of the skills and techniques that they must have once learned” and to “give them an update on the rules of the road”. Only the first 18 seniors, aged 50 or older, who register will be admitted into the class. The members of the AARP will be charged $12 person, whereas those who are non-members ...

In May 2009, Lora Hunt of Morris banged into a motorcyclist, Anita Zaffke, while the former was busy painting her fingernails. This accident illustrated a fact: dangerous driving accidents go way beyond cell phone usage and texting. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only a fraction of the 5,474 people killed and 448,000 people injured were involved in distracted driving crashes last year. Even then, more attention is payed to drivers talking or texting on their cell phones. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says only 18% of the fatalities were cell phone related. Similarly, only 5% of the injuries were related to the use of cell phones. People enjoy doing different things while driving their cars. They eat, fiddle with the sound system, play with their pets or even turn around to get at their kids in the back seat, while speeding down the expressway. Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety says, “I don't...

New products and grants are being developed with a view of keeping young drivers safe. As per the reports, 44% of all the teen deaths in the U.S are caused due to traffic crashes. For the newly licensed teenage driver, the first year may be the most dangerous. It is claimed that more than 1 in 5 teenage drivers are involved in vehicle crashes within the first year. Parents should always teach their kids to drive safely. This can be done by pointing out good driving behavior. Also parents can enforce role modeling techniques like not using the cell phone while driving. This will help kids understand the risks of distracted driving. Keeping in mind the risk factor faced by teen drivers, Insurance Companies and other organizations are offering various programs for parents and PTA groups. Listed below are a few of the programs that have been made available: ALIVE AT 25: This is a National Program that is being offered by the local police departments. This program is specifically designed f...

A 22 year old woman was held for driving under the influence. She allegedly drove her car into a man riding a scooter and didn't stop. She was arrested on Friday night in St. Petersburg. The lady, Jessica J. Eddy, of 6424 Emerson Ave S, will now have to face charges for drunk driving and causing serious injuries to the man she hit into. It is alleged that she was driving on a suspended license. Bruce W. Barber Jr., the victim she is accused of hitting, is from St. Petersburg. Barber was immediately rushed to the Bayfront Medical Center. His condition is critical but stable. The Police says that Eddy was driving a 1997 BMW east on Third Avenue South. The incident happened at 11:30 pm when she tried to navigate a right turn towards 64th Street South. Unfortunately, she made the turn too wide and came into the lane where Barber was riding his scooter, which was in the northbound lane of 64th Street. According to the police, Barber tried to avoid the collision by trying to lay the scoo...

October 4th to the 8th is recognized as the Drive Safely Work Week, which is an annual campaign that has been presented by a collaboration of employers in an attempt to enhance traffic safety. The Drive Safely Week is supported by the NAFA Fleet Management Association, and its main aim is to lay emphasis on the problem areas of distracted driving. It helps by offering a number of ways for businesses across the country to educate and remind their drivers about the dangers they may face through distracted driving. This year, the Drive Safely Work Week has an interesting campaign, that pushes businesses all over to set up stringent call phone policies that ban or restrict the usage of cell phones while driving. This campaign will help encourage businesses to spare time and to stress on certain safety driving messages through communication, facts and an assortment of meaningful activities. It also lays emphasis on several methods, like using the call blocking technology and encouraging the...