Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Teen Teaching Tips

Tips for Teaching Your Teen How to Drive:

1) Safety should always be the main concern. When teaching your child how to drive, emphasize safe driving methods. Both good and bad driving habits develop their foundations at the beginning of a driver’s experience. Therefore, it’s important to start off on the right foot. Start each lesson by going over safe vehicle maintenance and rules needed for the day’s activities. Your teen will then learn by example and make this a part of daily driving practice.

You may also want to consider using some tools that help transform your car into a better training vehicle. The Parent-Teen Behind-the-Wheel Training Guide is specifically designed to help you, the parent, systematically teach your teen to drive safely and confidently with printable lessons that you can bring along when you teach practical skills in the car. This guide also includes a detachable rearview mirror. The mirror allows you to monitor the car's surroundings while driving and observe your child's driving techniques. You also will get our "Caution Student Driver" magnet. This notifies other drivers that a new driver is operating the vehicle.

2) Don’t get frustrated; remain calm. This may sound like an unreasonable request; teaching a nervous teen how to drive may one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. However, the tone of the driving lesson is set the minute you step into the car, perhaps even before. Let your teen learn at his or her own pace and take a deep breath if you find yourself becoming frustrated. The less stress your student experiences, the more space he or she will have to learn.Your teen will appreciate it and the lesson will progress more smoothly.

3) Go in with a gameplan. The more planning, the better. It may also be a good idea to practice driving to specific places your teen may drive to frequently (Movies, church, school). If he or she knows the route, driving will be less stressful.

4) Forget your own bad habits. There have probably been a few times in your own driving experience when you have gone above the speed limit, increased you speed for a yellow light, or forgotten to use your turn signal. Make sure you do not do any of this when your child is observing you. Your teens does not have any room to take short cuts.

5) Leave room for questions. If you have successfully accomplished all of the tips listed above, you teen should feel comfortable asking questions when he or she needs to. Remember to keep and open mind and be specific about your answers. Your teen will appreciate it.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Get New Desktop - Support the Cause

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Download them and support the campaign against drunk driving.

Currently representing on MySpace

If you haven't talked to our new spokeseperson Kelly yet, you can now meet her on MySpace.

She's pretty dang cute isn't she? Please add her if you have a profile.

Updated by Stephanie - Cooler than James Frey

Monday, January 16, 2006

Winter Driving Tips from the NHSTA

1. Get your car serviced as soon as possible to make sure that everything is in proper working order.
2. Check your battery.
3. Check your cooling system. Any car has the potential to overheat even in cold weather.
4. Fill the washer reservoir.
5. Check your windshield wipers and defrosters. They have to work overtime when conditions are icy.
6. Inspect your tires.
7. Know your car. Be able to handle it if you hit black ice or face another hazardous condition.
8. Plan your travel and route. Planning makes you better able to focus on driving.
9. Stock your vehicle.
10. Learn what to do in a winter emergency.

Consult the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for more details.

Teen Driving News: L.A. County

In 2002, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took a drastic step in attempting to reduce the amount of teen driving related fatalities. By enacting the STTOP program (Sheriff’s Teen Traffic Offender Program), L.A. has taken a step forward in reducing reckless teen driving by intervening when new drivers exhibit poor judgment or dangerous driving habits on the road.

Ideally, here’s how it works:
- A citizen spots a teen driving dangerously and dials a special 877 number to report the behavior. The caller should try to note a license number and vehicle or driver description.
- A law enforcement officer will run the plate number and visit the driver’s home to speak with the parents.
- Parents also take responsibility and suspend driving privileges until the teen driver once again proves responsibility.

The idea itself may seem rather simple and quaint, like something straight out of Leave It to Beaver. However, law enforcement officials claim that the program has been successful so far. More community involvement is just what STTOP needs to make it flourish.

If you want to report a dangerous teen driver, call the programs toll-free number 1 (877) 310-STOP (7867).

Friday, January 13, 2006

Car Free Days in Northern California

There can be no doubt that high gas prices, traffic jams, and bad-air days all cause increasing frustration for drivers. Many of these problems also cost city governments quite a bit of money. However, there is a simple solution: don’t drive. This may sound ridiculous, but know that some Northern California cities are trying new methods of reducing some of these problems.

On September 22, 2004, the city of Oakland participated in International Car Free Day. This awareness event has its origins in Europe and aims to have drivers spend one day without using a car and to watch what happens during that day. Hopefully, during the process residents will learn from the event and explore transportation alternatives. The neighboring city of Berkeley also participated in the day’s events. The event was considered a success and Oakland plans to continue its effort in 2006.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Teen Driving in Las Vegas

Recently, laws regarding teen driving in Las Vegas were updated. These regulations reflect the Nevada Legislature’s concern about the high rate of vehicle accidents and driving related fatalities among new drivers. In 1999, one fifth of all fatal driving accidents in Nevada involved teen drivers. Motor vehicle crashes are also the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds in America.

Las Vegas teens are subject to new curfew laws. Drivers under the age of 18 may not drive between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless traveling to or from a scheduled event (such as a planned event for work or a school). Law enforcement officers may ask drivers to show proof of the scheduled event. Although this law applies to drivers statewide, there are also local laws on the book that teens should be aware of. Las Vegas minors currently have a curfew of 9 p.m. (unless accompanied by an adult) on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown. In other areas of Las Vegas, the minor curfew is 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Another new law of concern to Las Vegas teens relates to the experience log that new drivers must keep during the training process. Drivers under the age of 18 who apply for a full license must submit a written log of dates and time conducted of their behind-the-wheel experience. Most Nevada teens are also required to a Certificate of Completion of drivers education. Teens can earn this by enrolling in and completing a drivers education course such as the one found at DriversEd.com.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Fort Collins, Colorado Fights Against Teen Drunk Driving

Many Ft. Collins students have benefited from a DriversEd.com course. However, these students still need community support to keep them on track:

Teen Drunk Driving in Fort Collins

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation's Safety and Traffic Branch and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 1998 nearly 1000 young people aged 14 to 20 in Fort Collins were cited for possession of alcohol and 23 young drivers were charged with driving under the influence. This is a significant number considering the jurisdiction is comprised of fewer than 24,000 teenaged residents.

Because of this, an organization was formed to combat teenage drinking and driving. The goal of team Fort Collins is to reduce the problem by 10 percent through a combination of retailer training (how to prevent underage sales), improved false ID scanning, recruiting of youths to participate in the process, and development of SADD (Students Against Dangerous Decisions) chapters in the four local high schools. Thus far, studies have shown that the program has worked at reducing underage drinking and DUIs significantly.

What can you do to help? The first step is always acknowledgement of the problem. Please consider joining DriversEd.com in the campaign to increase awareness about the problem of teen drinking and driving. Please visit our "I Am Not a Statistic" section for more information.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Save on gas!

How to Save Fuel

Gas prices are going up and various organizations around the US have started publishing tips about saving money on fuel. The American Petroleum Institute provides the following recommendations:

1. Keep your vehicle’s engine in good condition. A well-tuned engine allows you to travel one mile farther per gallon of fuel.
2. Maintain proper air pressure in your tires. Here, the amount of fuel savings is also about one extra mile per gallon.
3. The faster you travel, the greater your fuel consumption is. (You lose approximately two miles per gallon every time you raise your speed by ten miles/hour).
4. Try to speed up gradually after stopping for a traffic light.
5. Try to drive smoothly. Stopping, accelerating, or decreasing your speed leads to the loss of two miles per gallon of fuel.
6. Do not allow your engine to idle. Turn the ignition off whenever possible.
7. Use the air-conditioner sparingly as it requires a large amount of power.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following:

1. Observe speed limits.
2. Avoid aggressive driving.
Plan your trips. One long trip is better than a few short ones.
3. Do not overload the vehicle. A 200 pound weight increases fuel consumption by 2%.
4. Avoid placing things on top of your car. This can reduce the fuel economy by 5%.
5. Change oil and oil filters frequently.
6. Read your car manual and use the type of gas recommended by the manufacturer. Higher octane gas does not increase fuel efficiency and may not have any positive influence on the car engine.
7. Do not buy any devices from manufacturers who promise dramatic fuel economy. Research shows that in most cases, such devices are useless and sometimes even harmful.