Feed: Online Defensive Driving Tips - AggScore: 50.0

At least 2 out of every 5 drivers say that it is ok to break the speed limit of 30mph by about 10 mph more. Nearly 25% of these drivers are between the ages of 16 and 21. These same drivers also feel that there is nothing wrong with drinking about one and a half pints of beer or alcohol before getting behind the wheel.

These survey results were a part of a campaign launched by the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. A poll was taken for 500 people aged between 16 to 21 and showed that at least 9% of males in this age bracket thought it was ok to drink more than one and a half pints of beer or alcohol before driving. Also, nearly 60% of drivers though that young drivers tend to behave more dangerously when carrying other young passengers.

The 3 organizations that are launching this campaign are urging for a restriction as far as the time of the day that young drivers should drive in order to prevent late night accidents. Young drivers should also be prevented from carrying young passengers and be given a lower legal alcohol limit.

The campaign aims to bring attention to young drivers and crashes where needless casualties are the result.

As cautious as women drivers try to be, they tend to get as distracted, if not more, than their male counterparts. And this holds true if the female driver in question is a mom.

Gas prices in many parts of the United States, and across the world, have increased drastically, and many drivers are struggling to stretch their gas tanks as much as possible.

Apart from buying a fuel-efficient car, there are a few ways to help you save your money on fuel. Today, it is very important to watch how you drive instead of what you drive.

This means stop being aggressive on the roads! The U.S. Energy Department has announced that the biggest savings on fuel will come from avoiding aggressive driving. This can help lower your mileage by nearly 33 percent on highways and by about 5 percent around towns. Driving carefully is a great way to save on fuel. Gentle braking and gradual acceleration are great ways to save your fuel.

Statistics shown that car crashes and accidents kill more teens than suicide, homicide and cancer put together. And this is why it is very important to choose a reliable defensive driving school for your teen, as this could make all the difference between life or death. AAA or the Automobile Association of America has reported that teens only represent about 7% of the licensed population, but are involved in nearly 20% of all reported fatal accidents.

But in spite of these scary statistics, high gas prices and safety risks, there is no way you can curb the enthusiasm of a teen driver. Most teen drivers confess to being both nervous as well as excited about driving lessons, as it is new but something that they really want to do.

For teen aged 14 and 15 across the nation, AAA clubs have started offering free workshops and online tutorials. These courses are designed to give your teen that head start when looking for a good driving school, and they also provide the relevant tools and guidelines to help your teen learn how to drive.

The Comedy Guys Defensive Driving courses are one of the biggest in Texas. They are now starting their newest class in Arlington. The newest course is at Arlington’s Third Base Sports Bar & Grill in 821 Six Flags Drive. The Comedy Guys Traffic School provides classes for drivers who wish to attend these classes in order to get a speeding ticket dismissed or get reduced auto insurance rates. The classes will be held on Friday’s and Saturday’s in the morning.

Arlington is a central metroplex, which is why having the classes there is ideal. It makes these classes easily available to all Arlington drivers, drivers from Western Dallas and the Easter side of Fort Worth, Irving, Mansfield and Grand Prairie. Third Base provides a dining room for students to learn from. It is a pleasant place with a great atmosphere for people to feel at ease and relaxed. The restaurant also provides a free lunch with refreshments.

Comedy Guys has been offering defensive driving classes in Texas for over 15 years now. They infuse humor into their stat approved driving courses and use professional comedians to teach these classes. They also provide defensive driving classes online and have a blog that provides safety tips for drivers.

The Romeoville Police Department is coordinating with the Romeoville High School to conduct a “Driver Safety Week” from Monday till Friday. The aim of this program is to increase the safety driving habits of teenage drivers. It has been reported that teenage drivers are involved in three times more fatal crashes than any other driver.

The main focus will be on three main issues that are related to crashes. These are: speeding, driving under the influence and safety belt usage. Today’s course will involve the department issuing informational brochures about vehicles in the parking lot in related to high school students who have been killed in the past due to speed-related accidents.

Tuesday’s course will have various officers stationed at different exits when the school releases. The officers will observe the students driving habits, whether the student is wearing a seat belt, etc. Students will be rewarded for driving safely and will be given a written warning for not driving safely. The department will also recruit students to give traffic statistics. These students will be provided with t-shirts and the traffic statistics will be announced on the intercom. The T-shirts indicate various statistics.

Wednesday’s course will see the officers conducting safety belt inspections in the school area. The police will issue warning tickets to those not wearing seat belts.

Thursday’s course will see the police giving safety driving classes to students of the school.

Friday’s course will include the department conducting a safety program before the prom.

No matter how safe a driver you are or how all your family members practice the best defensive driving techniques, every time you hit the road, there will always be some other driver you need to watch out for. Irrespective of age, defensive driving is extremely important for drivers who are young as well as old. But how do you steer clear of dangerous drivers on the road?

• Watch out for drivers who use cell phones. It is illegal to use hand-held devices while driving in many states, but this hasn’t stopped many drivers from using their mobile phones while driving. Using cell phones while driving has resulted in 636,000 crashes, 12,000 serious injuries, 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths every year. If you see a driver using his mobile phone, then keep an eye on him and try to put as much distance between your vehicle and his.
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• Speeding, tailgating and drivers who change lanes too quickly can also cause accidents. Look out for speeding drivers so that you are not caught off-guard. If you are on a multi-lane highway, then shift to the right to let a speeding vehicle pass you by and get out of your way. Tailgaters can also cause crashes if you are forced to suddenly stop, so move to another lane or slow down to allow the vehicle to overtake.
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• Always pay attention to the road ahead of you, the road behind and to your sides. Look out for cars, bicycles, pedestrians and debris or for vehicles that are signaling a change in movement.

With gasoline prices on the rise (again!), drivers can benefit greatly from a few tips on how to reduce gasoline expenses said the U.S. Department of Energy. According to this agency, reckless driving includes speeding and rapid acceleration and braking, and this can result in lowering your gas mileage by nearly 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent in town.

In general, it is a known fact that every 5 miles that you drive over 60 mph is going to result in you paying an additional $24 cents per gallon of gas. Excessive engine idling also results in wastage of gasoline.

Using your car’s overdrive gears and cruise control appropriately also leads to better mileage. Try not to place unnecessary heavy items in your car, as adding an extra 100 pounds to your car will reduce the miles per gallon by nearly 2 percent.

Maintaining your car regularly can save you a lot of money on gasoline. Fixing any serious problems like a faulty oxygen sensor can result in nearly 40 percent improvement in mileage. Also, check if your tires are properly inflated and use proper grade oil.

Drivers should carefully plan their trips, and instead of going out on just one errand, they should handle multiple errands on one trip. Mass transit and carpooling are also better ways to save fuel.

If you’re in Cleveland, then you’ve probably noticed the increase in the number of traffic control cruisers along I-271 and I-90. And if you’re going to drive like a nutcase, the traffic cops are going to catch you for sure.

State troopers have been doing their rounds looking for aggressive drivers. 8 troopers are on duty in Cuyahoga County are on the lookout for tailgaters and other driving miscreants.

Some of the traffic violations that troopers will be on the lookout for are:

• Improper lane changing.
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• Tailgating.
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• Drinking and Driving.
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• Speeding.
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• Attempting to push other cars into the next lane.
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• Following too closely.
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  If any of these are observed, the drivers will be pulled over and may get a ticket.

Police offers across the country have warned drivers about the dangers of using Twitter and other social networking sites behind the wheel after studies were shown that more and more people have been using social networking sites while driving.

Research has shown that at least one in five drivers have admitted to checking Twitter and other social networking sites when driving. This makes social networking a great danger behind the wheels and is high up there amongst other driving dangers like speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and driving under the influence.

In spite of it being illegal to use mobile phones while driving, drivers are carelessly ignoring this law and still using mobile phones to tweet and check Facebook.

A lot of citizens are of the belief that the distracted driving laws carried out by the state government are going a wee bit too far. A lot of people feel that this is management at its worst! Where will it end? People with children feel that the biggest distraction when driving is their kid, so should their kids be outlawed? Should taking pickles off your burger be banned? Should texting while at a red light also be banned?

The law maintains that any motor vehicle driver should devote all of his time and attention to driving and should refrain from any kind of activity that could cause distractions. A lot of people have been complaining about these laws and want to know how to identify a specific distraction.

Many drivers are calling out for a little more common sense as far as legal restrictions are concerned. Yes drivers tend to eat, talk to passengers. Change CD’s and deal with misbehaving children. Laws should take this into consideration before coming up with restrictions.

What does the law have to say about this?

Of course, bicyclists too have every right to use our roads, except for those roads from which they are excluded legally. Many drivers today complain about sharing the roads with bicyclists, as they have to endure a few more seconds of delay. However, coexisting with your cyclist counterparts is just a basic driving skill. And those drivers who cannot do this should not be made to drive.

But every once in a while, we hear news of bicyclists wrecking havoc as well! There have been many incidents where cyclists were found to flaunt the traffic rules and were caught riding their cycles on the road for automobiles. When admonished for this, many cyclists have used expletives and other aggressive behavior to prove their point.

Running a signal, rude behavior and riding on the wrong side of the road can get many cyclists in trouble with the law. Bicyclists who are looking for protection of the 3-foot rule should always observe it themselves in the first place. People who operate 3 pound vehicles have no business losing their cool around far heavier vehicles.

Although is long gone, the traffic Police are still reminding drivers that roads are equally as busy, and it is important for motorists to not let their guards down as far as safety driving is concerned. Here are a few important tips to remember in all weather conditions:

• Keep those mobile phones aside: Many motorists repeatedly defy the law regarding the use of mobile phones will driving. Distracted driving is becoming one of the major reasons for motor vehicle crashes.

• Keep those Seatbelts Buckled: All passengers and drivers should wear their seatbelts in a securely fastened and properly adjusted manner. Ensure that children are also secured in a baby seat or a properly installed child restraint.
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• Obey the Speed Limit: Speed is one of the major causes for fatalities. Obeying the speed limits and slowing down can greatly reduce the chances of crashed and injuries from taking place.
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• Slow down or move over: If you find yourself passing an emergency vehicle with its emergency lights on, then it is important to slow down and let the vehicle pass. If the road has many lanes, then move over to another lane safely.
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• Never drink and drive: If you have been drinking heavily and your blood alcohol level registers above the legal limit, then you could lose your license for a few days. The penalties for drinking and driving could also include prison time!
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  Traffic safety helps everyone. Blatantly ignoring the law cannot be excused. So, follow these tips every time you are behind the wheel and you’ll help to keep the roadways the safest!

Having too much of a good thing is just not possible, and this applies to vehicle safety as well. More and more engineers are getting increasingly excited about developing new safety gadgets for vehicles. What with gadgets like the Brake Assist Plus system, the DISTRONIC proximity control systems and the Traffic Jam Vehicle Follow Assist systems, drivers now literally have very minimal control over their own vehicles. Systems are being engineered to self-steer vehicles and to keep vehicles at a safe distance from the one in front, as well as to follow various traffic safety procedures.

Companies have been boasting about developing vehicles that can park themselves, slow down if you get too close to another vehicle and check your blind spots for you. So, what’s next? Is there going to be a vehicle that can wipe your nose for you now?

The most concerning aspect about these electronic driver aids is that when a motorist gets into a vehicle and doesn’t have to do anything, because he’s used to these safety features driving home safely. But what if something goes wrong? What if a fuse blows and the aid doesn’t work?

Yes, automotive engineers are taking away the responsibility from the driver. They’re separating drivers away from the whole driving environment and placing them in a false safety cocoon. Motorists are concentrating less on driving and depending more on these safety aids.

With spring on its way in and the summer holidays just around the corner, high school students have been spending more time behind the wheel. And this can only mean that the potential for more accidents involving teens is at an all time high. This is why Hall County officials have been doing their rounds around the high school areas to educate kids on the dangers of impaired driving.

Lt. Gene Joy, Hall County’s Sheriff said that the team was at the Johnson High School on Thursday, educating the students through a realistic skit called “Fatal Vision” that uses actual vehicles that were present in actual crashes.

There are actual smoke grenades that go off to make it look like an actual car crash said Lt. Joy. The actors and actresses in the skit have fake “blood” on them to make it look more realistic. Also, emergency personnel respond to the scene of the accident to make it more realistic.

The goal behind this is to ensure that teen drivers make better driving decisions behind the wheel. Once they see this skit and then get behind the wheel, they are going to think about the skit and make better decisions.