Tag Archives: speeding

General Safety Issues

SEVEN COMMANDMENTS OF SAFE DRIVING FOR TEENAGERS (GUEST POST)

Calling the lawyer at 3 in the morning every other week because your teenager got involved in a car accident (yet again), is not an admirable scenario. This can be fatal in the long run. 

You may have probably lost more sleep than any people worrying about car accidents that your teenagers might get into. You should not blame yourself for paying for the license and the car. 

When you give them the car keys, do not bid farewell to control. They must understand the responsibilities that go with that new kind of freedom. Create a teenage driving contract with defined rules. 

These seven commandments for teenage safe driving will instill the sense of responsibility that comes with the privilege of having a car (and might also improve your sleeping habits). 

Commandment #1: If you can’t resist texting, turn your cellphone off. Minimize distractions when driving as much as possible. Teenagers could not keep their hands off their smartphones. Have them turn off their phones and gadgets while on the road. 

If they are expecting important an important message, provide them with a wireless headset so they could still make or take a call without taking their hands off the steering wheel and eyes on the traffic. 

Commandment #2: No after-party driving. No drunk driving.  Aside from setting a curfew, teenagers should not be allowed to drive whenever they go to late-night parties. Drop them off and pick them up after. Drunk driving, even for adults, is not safe. 

Tiredness and fatigue can also be a contributor too poor driving judgment, especially for inexperienced teenagers. You must also watch out for signs of alcohol and drugs whenever they come home. 

Commandment #3: Practice defensive driving.  Staying one car distance behind the car in front of you is a good practice for neophyte teenage drivers. They must also drive in slower speeds. If they want to pick up the rate, they must maintain a fairly large buffer zone. 

Commandment #4: Obey speed limits.  Nearly half of car accidents that teenager get into nowadays are linked to beating speed limits. The youngsters tend to be carefree and go beyond what is just necessary.  Every ticket for speed limit violations should be equivalent to one month of going back to public commuting. 

Commandment #5: Drive solo.  After building up certain months of guided driving experience, teenagers can now be independent. However, this does not necessarily mean that they can already have passengers, even dogs.  Until such time that they become responsible of their own lives, teenagers should drive solo.  This rule is also tantamount to saying “no carpool” yet. 

Commandment #6: Get to know thy car.  Teenagers will not pass the licensing evaluation if they don’t know the basics of driving. But, they must also get acquainted to the car that they will be using in the next two to three years.  Teenagers won’t have any problem getting accustomed to using a smart or connected car. They must learn the capacity of the vehicle, what to do when tires blow up or engines fail them in the middle of the road, what kind of fuel the car is compatible with and more.  

 Commandment #7: Pay proper dues.  Inculcate sense of responsibility and accountability early in the game. Make them pay for car damages or insurance costs whenever they get involved  in minor accidents or sanctioned for violating traffic rules. Deduct the entire cost from their regular allowance.

Parents will play the biggest part in ensuring that their teens will turn out to be safe drivers in the near future. What to do? 

  •        Provide a safe car for teens – easy to maneuver, good tires and with air bags
  •        Determine which car/s are allowed for your teens to drive
  •        Provide “passenger seat” supervision even if they don’t want to
  •        Give your teens gentle critique of their driving
  •        Set a good example – this is the most important of all 

Picking up from the last bullet, parents will have to make sure that they practice what they preach. If you beat the red signal, run 75 MPH, weave in and out of traffic, scream at other drivers, tailgate and show signs of road rage – do not expect the young fellas to be safe drivers. Avoid showing them the rules that don’t count. 

Your Thoughts Matter

Have you been involved in car accidents when you were a teenager? What driving lessons have you imparted to your kids so far?  Let’s create a safer driving environment for the young ones. Share with us your experience and stories. 

About the Author: 

A seasoned blogger and educator, Adam Prattler shares anything and everything that matter at the moment. He makes the public aware of local current events, prevalence of automobile accident in St. Petersburg, political milestones and latest technological innovations.  

Photos from State Farm Insurance

 

 

General Safety Issues

CAN YOU GET YOUR TRAFFIC TICKET REDUCED? (GUEST POST)

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 When driving a vehicle, it is vital that you follow the traffic rules and regulations. There are specific traffic laws in every state and every driver has to abide by these laws when driving their vehicles. Failing to do so is illegal and will be considered as a violation of traffic laws. A traffic ticket is issued when you do not follow these traffic laws. 

There are mainly two types of traffic violations – moving violations and non-moving violations. Example of moving violation includes driving too fast and over the speed limit. Non-moving violation refers to parking violations and tickets issued for such violations are known as parking ticket, parking citation, or notice of illegal parking. Traffic tickets may be issued for both these types of violations. 

If you have received a traffic ticket, you may have a difficult time accepting it, especially if you think you have not done anything to deserve it. A traffic violation puts a bad impression on your driving record and a marred record can have several consequences. However, there are ways that can help you get the ticket reduced. 

In order to get a reduction on the traffic ticket, you would first need to do a thorough evaluation of your situation. If you decide to fight the ticket, there would be additional costs for court time and other legal proceedings. Experts believe your chances of beating the ticket gets slimmer with the number of violations you commit. Therefore, if this is your first time traffic violation, you will be more likely to get the ticket reduced and sometimes even dismissed than those who have multiple violations on their record. 

You would need to hire a competent attorney who would carry out the legal proceedings for you. For example, if the violation occurred in Las Vegas, you may hire an attorney who fights traffic tickets in Las Vegas. Once you have hired the lawyer, you would need to prepare a concrete plan regarding how the matter should be approached. According experts, the common type of reduction that you may get is getting a moving violation reduced into a non-moving violation. For example if you were issued the ticket for speeding, your lawyer may be able to get it reduced to not wearing a seatbelt. 

However, in order to get a good reduction, you would first need to have a clean driving record. Your chances of getting the ticket reduced gets dim if you have had received such tickets in the past.  

Author Bio: Rob Baptist is a personal injury lawyer and he shares his experiences by writing on line blogs and article. In this article he discusses about the traffic tickets in Las Vegas.

Uncategorized

SPEEDING CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

Is compromising your safety and the safety of others worth the minutes you’ll save by speeding to arrive at your destination?  Exceeding the posted speed limit (or driving too fast for conditions) is a factor in almost one-third of all fatal crashes.  Speeding-related fatalities are not always related to interstate travel.  Only 14 per cent of speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways.  While speeding, the driver is unable to have enough response time to avoid a crash, has an increased likelihood of crashing, and an increased severity of the crash once it occurs.  Other distractions while driving that play a roll in accidents are:

  • Talking on cell phone
  • Reading
  • Texting
  • Emotional agitation
  • Alcohol, Drugs

Neighborhood speeding is another problem that often has to be controlled by interested citizens who get their local law enforcement agencies to establish stricter speed enforcement to protect children, pedestrians, bicyclers and other motorists.  Speed bumps have been found to be a good way to slow drivers down in neighborhoods, as well as a friendly cop parked close by with his radar gun!

Speed Awareness Radar Trailers are another way to alert drivers if they are going too fast, as their speed is displayed on a board as they pass by.  Another theory is that driving too slowly on higher speed limit highways can be as dangerous as driving too fast.  We all need to be aware and alert of what is going around us at all times.

You have probably been traveling down the road, to be passed by someone in a great hurry to get wherever he’s going, darting in and out of traffic, but when you arrive in the next town, there he is, sitting at the first traffic light!  Most of the time, if we just observe the speed limit, we will get there safely.  What was that story about the tortoise and hare?  Slow down, save a life!

Sources:
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
State Farm Insurance