Confessions of a Driving Instructor

Jiffy Lube Teen Driver Scholarship Program

via www.yourturn2apply.com

A 500 word essay could win you a $2,000.00 scholarship. The contest is open to students in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah.

If you are interested in Driver Education, why not check out an at-home option like National Driver Training's program.  NDT's course is available in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and many other states.

Teen Passengers Distract Teen Drivers

Teen Passengers: "The Other Distraction" for Teen Drivers

A pair of studies by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm® identify factors that may lead teens to drive with multiple peer passengers and, then, how those passengers may affect their driver’s behavior just before a serious crash. The studies were published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Experts have long known that peer passengers increase teen driver crash risk. What hasn’t been well understood was how they increase crash risk. “These studies help us understand the factors that may predispose teens to drive with multiple friends and how those passengers may contribute to crashes by distracting the driver and promoting risky driving behaviors, such as speeding, tailgating, or weaving,” said study author Allison Curry, PhD, director of epidemiology at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention. “Knowing this, we can develop programs that work in tandem with current Graduated Driver Licensing laws that limit the number of passengers for teens during their first year of driving.”

Read the press release.

Read more about peer passengers and teen drivers.

via www.teendriversource.org

Flooded Roadways

Last night, we experienced a lot rainfall; so much that a large part of the city was under flash flood warnings in the morning. Flash floods can be deadly. If you drive in an area that can be flooded, you need to take precautions to protect yourself and your passengers.  Here is how National Driver Training addresses driving when roads are flooded:

 

When approaching water, avoid splashing water into the engine compartment by proceeding slowly. Do not proceed if the water level reaches your vehicle or you are unsure how deep the water is. Most vehicles, including trucks and SUVs can be swept away in as little as two feet of water. The best thing to do is to simply not drive through any standing or moving water is to, as the National Weather Service Puts it, "Turn Around Don't Drown."

Here is a list of safety rules from the National Weather Service's Turn Around Don't Drown website:

• Monitor the NOAA Weather Radio, or your favorite news source for vital weather related information.
• If flooding occurs, get to higher ground. Get out of areas subject to flooding. This includes dips, low spots, canyons, washes etc.
• Avoid areas already flooded, especially if the water is flowing fast. Do not attempt to cross flowing streams. Turn Around Don't Drown.
• Road beds may be washed out under flood waters. NEVER drive through flooded roadways. Turn Around Don't Drown.
• Do not camp or park your vehicle along streams and washes, particularly during threatening conditions.
• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.

 

 

New Permit Test App

My friends over at National Driver Training have created an app to allow Texas students to practice for thier permit test.  For the time being, the app is only available on iTunes, but they are working on an Android version.  If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, check it out: NDT Texas Permit Test.

Screenshots:

 

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Buying a Car that Fits your Budget

Don't let your car drive you to the poorhouse

The same logic used to determine your mortgage also applies to your car. Most people can comfortably afford a car that costs one-third of their annual income. If you make $60,000, you can comfortably afford a car that costs $20,000. If that seems low, you now know why so many Americans are in financial trouble: They are driving it. A car has many other costs beyond just the monthly payment. There's insurance, gas, parking and maintenance, for example. If you follow the one-third rule of thumb, your total transportation costs should be 10% or less of your gross income.

• Calculator: How much car can you afford?

• More on Forbes.com: 10 ways a bad credit score can hurt you

via finances.msn.com

I saw a great article today on msn.com that addresses the 5 expenses that eat half of your income. Not surprisingly, car payment was number two on the list. Forbes magazine gives a clever formula to determine just how much car you can afford. Click the link above to read the entire article.

Physics and Collisions

Consider two scenarios:

1. Two identical vehicles (same size and mass) travel at the same speed, let's say 50 km/h, in opposite directions, and they collide with each other head-on.
2. One of those vehicles hits a rock wall (which doesn't break nor budge in any significant way) head-on at 50 km/h.

From the point of view of one of the vehicles, which collision is more severe?

via warp.povusers.org

The answer may surprise you. Click the link above to read the article.

Click N' Drive

Click N' Drive is the world's only seatbelt activated gear release system on the market.
     Once Click N' Drive is installed in your vehicle, depending on your preference, your horn will sound or your vehicle will not shift from Park unless the seatbelt is connected. With Click N' Drive systems, connection of the seatbelt becomes the first and last thing that is done. We also have other installation methods for unique applications as well (ie; fleet services, company vehicles, manual transmissions, industrial equipment, etc). The Click N' Drive system has the capability of being applied to any vehicle that has a seat belt. 
     Click N'Drive provides SAFETY, SECURITY and PEACE of MIND knowing that our loved ones, family, friends and employees will be buckled up EVERY TIME, before entering our nation’s roadways.

via www.clickndrivesafely.com

Lessons on how to properly insure your teen driver

Who’s liable?

Moore says many parents believe that if they go for low liability limits ($100,000 for injuries or $50,000 for property damage, for example) for their high school students, the household won’t be harmed if a teen driver is involved in an accident that seriously injures someone. It’s not uncommon for parents to be held responsible for damage and injuries caused by a high school student, even if the student has his or her own auto insurance policy.

“It has happened where the parent’s wages are part of a structured settlement or are garnished to pay for the accident damages,” Moore says. “Parents shouldn’t believe that they won’t be held responsible for the actions of their son or daughter, even if they have their own insurance policy.”

As far as responsibility goes, remind your teen that his or her grades could translate into cost savings. Discounts are available for young drivers, including price breaks for maintaining a B average in school. At Nationwide, the good-student discount is up to 15 percent; at Allstate, it’s up to 20 percent. Some companies also provide savings for students who pledge to drive safely or who participate in driver training courses.

via www.insurancequotes.com

Sam Puri of Insurancequotes.com sent me a link to the above article. Click the link to read the whole thing.

ThaiHealth Promotion Foundation PSA

via adsoftheworld.com

Auckland Transport: Kids see roads differently PSA

via adsoftheworld.com