A SAFE CAR FOR TEEN DRIVERS

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Daun Thompson

Teen and Driver…now there are two words that scare the heck out of most people. And, when the two words are combined, that’s when it’s the scariest. My daughter turned 16 last October. She has had her provisional driver’s license since then, but I have been too “busy” to take her to the DPS to get her actual driver’s license. I must admit, I am worried about releasing her into the cruel, speeding, red light-blowing World.
But it is inevitable. She has made an appointment for her final test. It’s going to happen. And, when it does, until she gets her own car, should I hand over the keys to my car and hope it’s returned in one piece? I have owned that car for 8 years without a scratch. I park it in a garage and wash it regularly. It looks like I just drove it off the lot. Plus, there will be times where we both will need wheels. So I will have to invest in a car of her own. And that day will come soon. How will I decide which car to buy when she wants a sports car or a gas-guzzling SUV?  I want a car I know she’ll be safe in. A sports car is out of the question. It would be too tempting in a sports car to drive aggressively, not to mention the insurance rates.  An SUV is more difficult to handle and is more prone to rollover in an extreme situation. I can see that she already has difficulty driving my SUV.

Apparently the safest car for a new driver would be a midsized car with a four-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, ABS, and high crash test scores. The logic is that a midsized car is big enough to protect occupants in a crash, but small enough for a novice driver to easily handle. The four-cylinder engine limits acceleration capabilities of the car, and generally provides better fuel economy (and thus improves the car’s “carbon footprint”). My little hippie chick will be concerned about that aspect, for certain. And automatic transmissions are easier to drive. ABS also makes braking easier, especially for a novice driver. Oh, these teen drivers…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publication, “Buying a Safer Car” has a selection that meet the above criteria, as well as pricing issues. It was very helpful for me. And, here’s the great part, since their website has issues from previous model years available, it is helpful for comparing used cars (which is all I can afford right now). Plus, I truly believe that the first car should be a practice car. There will surely be some scratches and dings (hopefully minor ones).  My first car was like a boat…and when it went to the junk yard, crushed on all four sides, it was about the size of a Mini Cooper. The NHTSA selects vehicles that scored the maximum five stars for frontal collisions and front side impacts, and had at least four stars for rear side impact. All cars also scored at least four stars in the rollover evaluation. In viewing the recommended list, there is no doubt that none of these cars listed are vehicles my daughter wants to own. But I will remind her that she is getting a car and with that comes independence!

And a few more suggestions to add to your list when searching for that teen machine, AWD (all wheel drive), if available, is desirable to improve traction in poor weather conditions. Try to stay away from too many optional electronic gadgets in the car, as teens can be easily distracted and need to focus on the important task of …driving! … duh!

Until next week…keep your teen safe…and do your research when choosing their ride.

Daun Thompson

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Where’s Baby? Look Before You Lock!

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Daun Thompson

When I was a kid, safety was an option. Sure, we had seat belts in the car, but they were conveniently tucked down into the seat. My mom’s arm was our seat belt. And she could knock the wind out of you. My dad used to call her the seat belt. Now he calls her the air bag. She’d also go into the grocery store for hours and leave us in the hot car. That big Oldsmobile was an awesome babysitter and it didn’t charge ten dollars an hour to do it. Today, if you left your kids in a hot car, mommy would go to prison for a long, long time. And maybe she’d get out just in time for your college graduation.
It’s only the beginning of May and temperatures are already crazy hot. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced its first ever national campaign to prevent child heatstroke deaths in cars, urging parents and caregivers to think “Where’s baby? Look before you lock.” Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle related deaths for children under the age of 14, with at least 33 fatalities reported in 2011 alone.
This campaign will not only help prevent parents to avoid unnecessary heartache, but it will also hopefully reach babysitters, nannies, school carpool drivers, grandparents and relatives that may be transporting small children.
Not only did 33 children die last year due to heatstroke (medically termed “hyperthermia”), there were 49 deaths in 2010. And, an unknown number of children are injured each year due to heatstroke in hot cars, suffering ailments including permanent brain injury, blindness, and the loss of hearing, among others.
Here are a few safety tips to follow. Additional tips can be found at www.safercar.gov/heatstroke.
• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on.
• Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away
• Ask the childcare provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected.
• Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidently left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver’s view to indicate a child is in the car seat. I have a friend who attached a pacifier to her key ring as a reminder.
• Teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child’s reach.

In addition, should you see a child left unattended in a hot vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If the child is already suffering heat stroke, they should be removed from the car and attempts made to cool them down.

Until next week…don’t put baby in a corner and don’t leave baby in a hot car.

Daun Thompson

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Online Florida Traffic School Can Save You Problems!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by nationalpositions

Attending an Online Florida traffic school may not seem like the best way to spend your Saturday, but the truth is that if you do not take it, you may find that the consequences of not doing so may be even less pleasant. Getting too many tickets can cause you a lot of problems and may eventually even lead to losing your license. It is much easier to attend a traffic school to get your latest ticket dismissed and give you a bit of breathing room.

Online Florida Traffic School Could Be The Answer To Your Problems

Online Florida traffic school online lets you take your traffic class when you have time in your schedule, no need to take time off work or to take a day you need to be doing other things and spend the whole day in a class room. Online classes offer easy to take classes that can be taken any time of the day or night and allow you to split the class into sessions that will work with your schedule.

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A Defensive Driving Course Online lets You Take A Course Whenever You Need it

Posted on April 30, 2012 by nationalpositions

Life is not as simple as carving out time to take a class anymore. Most of us have complex schedules that make it hard for us to fit anything in that takes more than an hour of our day, and usually that hour is during lunch or late at night. Taking a defensive driving course may have been something that you would have liked to do in the past but could not, but now you can take a defensive driving course online and fit it into your current schedule.

Take Your Defensive Driving Course Online When it Fits in Your Schedule

Only have an hour or even a half of an hour? You can take a defensive driving course online in just short sessions when you have time, no having to sit through a 5 hour class or take time off work. Simply work on the course as you have time, and when you are done we send your certificate through the mail.

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Happy Mothers Day, Mom … Am I Adopted?

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Daun Thompson

With late Spring comes rain, beautiful wildflowers and Mothers Day. What a wonderful Mothers Day gift it would be to take pictures of your children in a field of Bluebonnets. This is what was going through my head as I was driving down I-45 in Texas. And then I saw it! There it was! An absolutely picturesque backdrop. A bright blue Texas sky, fluffy green Mesquite trees and a foreground of a virtual blanket of Bluebonnets that extended as far as the eye could see. And right smack dab in the middle of those Bluebonnets was big, white rolled-up diaper.

I must admit, at first I laughed out loud. Clearly in shock at the contrast of the bright white ball of man-made plastic amidst the beautiful, natural setting. And later, when recalling the image, it made me mad. Someone snapped that family photo, and left their calling card. A loaded diaper. The calling card of a trash hound!
In hind-sight, I should have taken a picture of it with my smart phone and sent the image to the Don’t Mess With Texas.org website. They could have featured it on their home page. And, yes, I do have a smart phone. I don’t know how to use it. A chimp can probably work  a smart phone, but not me. It should be against the law to own one if you don’t know how to work it. Well, at least I don’t use it while I’m driving…just because I don’t know how. I saw a guy yesterday who was talking on his smart phone, while driving in his smart car. And I was thinking that guy’s probably a smart a$$.
I didn’t take a picture. But this experience did encourage me to research the Adopt a Highway Program. Did you know this program actually started in the Lone Star State? I didn’t. In fact, the first adopted highway was in Tyler, Texas back in 1984. The Tyler Civitan Club was the first group to volunteer, adopting a two-mile stretch of Highway 69.
Within months more than 50 groups in the region had joined the program, which quickly spread nationwide. March 9 is National Adopt-A-Highway day. And we just celebrated our 25th Anniversary. Now, more than 4,500 groups across the state are keeping Texas beautiful. The program saves taxpayers money as well as keeping right of ways clear of debris. With volunteers doing the work, the state is able to use more tax dollars on highway beautification rather than on trash pickup.
It’s a free, easy way for groups to help their communities. The way the program works, you adopt a two-mile stretch of highway for a minimum of two years. You agree to pick up litter four times a year (more in high traffic areas). Adopt-a-Highway signs will be posted with your group’s name at your adopted section. Adopt-a-Highway provides your volunteers with safety vests, litter bags and safety training.
Who should adopt? Individuals, families, youth organizations, businesses, schools … oh, yes, and that lazy mother who likes to leave her kid’s loaded diapers on the side of the road. Trash hound!
Until next week…get involved…and make it pretty.
Daun Thompson

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Florida Traffic School Online lets You Fit Traffic School into your Schedule

Posted on April 26, 2012 by nationalpositions

If you like most of us have a very busy schedule, then fitting something else into it; especially something that is going to take up an entire day is very hard to do. This is why most people do not opt to take a traffic school when they are given a chance to dismiss a ticket. What most of those people do not know is that they can take a Florida traffic school online, take as long as you need to take it and still get the ticket dismissed.

Florida Traffic School Online Offers you the Ability to Take The Class Whenever You want

With Florida traffic school online you can take your courses in small sessions when you have time for them. You can log into them anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about making time for them just take the class whenever you have a few spare moments.

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Can Taking A Driving Class Online Really Get a Ticket Dismissed?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by nationalpositions

Getting a ticket dismissed can be more important these days than ever before, the penalties that have been leveled against those that have too many tickets are more than ever and can even result in the loss of a driver’s license. While you can only get one ticket dismissed a year for taking a driving class online, often times that single ticket can mean all the difference in keeping your driving record intact.

A Driving Class Online Offers You More Options

Taking an online driving class is just as good as taking a class in your town, provided the course is approved by your state and most of them are. An online class allows you to take the class when and where it is convenient for you and lets you take it in a way that works best for your schedule.

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Can An Online Driving Course Really Save you Money?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by nationalpositions

You may have heard that taking an online driving course would save you money and want to know how taking a course like that can cut your expenses. How much money it will save you will depend a lot on your situation, if you have a ticket you want to get dismissed you will be able to save yourself the cost of the ticket for sure. If you have had too many tickets in the past 3 years you will be able to save yourself the cost of fines and a potential hike in your insurance.

Even If You Do Not Have a Ticket an Online Driving Course Could Save You Money

Even if you do not want to dismiss a ticket you can still save money by taking an online driving course, you will be able to send your certificate to your insurance company and they will offer you a 3 year discount on your insurance. The amount of discount is something you should check with your insurance company about but most insurance companies offer 10% off of your premium for taking this course.

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Hot Days Mean Pricey Gas

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Daun Thompson

Gas prices are incredibly high right now and only getting worse. I always shop around for the best gas prices. Driving around searching on empty, of course. Who can afford to actually fill the tank anymore? Consumer groups say there is a summertime secret that is cheating you at the pump out of billions of dollars.
When it’s hot outside and the gasoline is warm, consumer advocates say you’re not getting what you pay for. Every time you stick that nozzle into your tank on a hot day, you’re getting cheated. I live in Texas where we reach triple digits throughout the summer…yikes!
Here’s the issue…when gas gets hot, it loses energy. Meaning your car gets fewer miles per gallon. Filling up at 60 degrees, and a typical car can get 500 miles. But fill it up when it’s 90 degrees and you get 10 miles less out of that same tank. But, guess what? You’re still paying the same amount at the pump. There’s no way you can tell what kind of value you’re getting when you pull into the gas station. In fact, according to a 2007 congressional report, Americans were paying an estimated 1.5 billion dollars extra…just for that one summer. And gas prices have skyrocketed since.
But it is fixable. There’s technology in the market that would fix it today. Gas pumps with special meters would give you the right amount of gas for your money, based on the heat. Those pumps are available today but the gas stations won’t install them. In fact, they are apparently fighting it. They say installing the new pumps would be too expensive. It would cost 2.4 million dollars…a cost the gas stations would just pass on to the consumer. So, all-in-all, we would have to pay for it.
In Canada, they’ve been doing it for nearly two decades. Now, 90% of gas stations in Canada use these pumps that measure and adjust for temperature. So, on a hot day, you actually get more gas for your money. Consumer advocates say in Canada, no matter the weather, you’re actually getting what you’re paying for. Now, some angry Americans have apparently filed class action lawsuits against gas station chains in 21 states. Calling it fraud. They are hoping to force gas stations to install the high tech pumps. They say it’s an easy fix. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all afford to purchase electric cars? Better for the economy. Better for the environment. The IRS will give you a tax break. And no more worrying about gas prices.

Until next week…you may want to re-consider that car pool to work.
Daun Thompson

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Texas Defensive Driving Classes May Be Required By the Court

Posted on April 23, 2012 by nationalpositions

Taking a Texas defensive driving class may not always be something you do because you choose to, in some cases the courts may decide that this is going to be a part of your penalty for whatever ticket you have been issued. This does not mean that you  do not have at least some control over how you take your defensive driving class however, you will be able to still take a class online, so that you are not forced to miss work or to travel too many miles to a class in another town.

Texas Defensive Driving Classes Are Not as Bad as You Think

Most of us would cringe at the thought of spending hours in a hot room with a number of other class mates, taking a Texas defensive driving class with an instructor that is about as bored as you are. Instead you can take an online class from Comedy Defensive Driving, we offer not only a more flexible class that allows you to sit in the comfort of your own home, but our classes are funny enough to keep you entertained and awake for the whole time.

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