Child Car Seat Safety - What should I know?

As a parent, your number one concern is the safety of your child especially in a moving vehicle. It is important to choose the right car seat for your child depending upon your type of vehicle and the size/age of your child. After you have chosen the car seat it is important to install it correctly. Many police departments have experts in car seat installation and would be a good resource in case the installation is challenging for you.

Infants should always ride rear-facing until they are atleast one year old AND atleast 20 pounds.

Toddlers, once they meet the requirements listed above, can be moved forward facing but must reamin in the backseat of the vehicle.

School-aged children will graduate to a booster seat. A child should remain in a booster seat until the safety belt fits them according to the safety manual. A child is usually between the ages of 8-12 (depending upon the child's size) when he/she can move out of a booster seat.

Once a child has outgrown their booster seat they should remain in the backseat of the vehicle until they are atleast 13 years old. Of course, they should always wear the lap and shoulder belt.

If you travel via airplane with your children it is important to check the carseat and make sure it it air travel compliant. Check with your airline if you are concerned about your car seat as regulations do exist.

Motorcycle Safety

It seems that a day doesn't go by without hearing about a motorcycle injury or death. Just in the past several days I have had a friend's husband crash in Alpine, California and another friend's husband die in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Neither accident involved another vehicle as the cause of the accident. Both were sober, experienced motorcycle operators, and trained in motorcycle safety.

What are the causes of most motorcycle crashes? (Motorcycle Safety Foundation, 1999)

1. Lack of basic riding skills

2. Failure to appreciate the inherent operating characteristics

3. Failure to appreciate the limitations of the motorcycle

4. Failure to use special precautions while driving

5. Failure to use defensive driving techniques

6. Lack of specific breaking and cornering skills

7. Failure to follow speed limit

Other things to consider:

Wearing the right clothing and footwear,

Selecting the appropriate motorcycle for your needs (physical needs and type of riding),

Reading the owner's manual,

Taking a Motorcycle Safety Training Class,

Practicing safe driving,

Obeying the laws of the road,

Being courteous,

and Driving Defensively!

Ready for your Trip to the DMV?

Is your anxiety level on the rise upon thinking about your trip to the local DMV? Alleviate that anxiety and stress by being prepared for your visit.

Here are some things most often forgot upon doing the specific transaction:

1. Drivers License: Bring original birth certificate/Legal Presence Document

2. Commercial Drivers License - Bring original Social Security Card

3. Drive Test: Bring Proof of Insurance

4. Registration Renewal: Bring Insurance documents and SMOG certification if required.

Check the website of your State DMV for additional information. Going in prepared in the #1 thing in making your visit less stressful and successful.

Did you know the Vehicle License Fee (VLF) is increasing as of May 19, 2009? Do you know how the VLF is calculated? The VLF is increasing from .65 percent to 1.15 percent for most vehicles. The increase is due to the $42 Billion California deficit. VHF is calculated based on the value of your car and the year in which it was acquired. An online calculator is available to figure out your VLF or you can wait for your bill in the mail and it will be updated with the new fee.

Tips for Driving Safely - It's Crazy Out There!

There are more distractions than ever on the roads today - with cell phones, texting, etc. on top of all the "usual" things such as drinking, smoking, kids, radio, etc. It's amazing anyone makes from point A to point B.

There are some things that you can do to make sure you make it to your destination safely.

1. Drive Defensively. This is the #1 rule in driver safety. You need to be in complete control and focused on driving so you can be ready for the unexpected. Make sure to allow sufficient distance between you and the car in front of you, give yourself plenty of response time, and respond to such risks appropriately.

2. Be Aware of Weather Conditions. Be aware of the road conditions, your vehicle and your vision at all times. Changes in weather conditions can occur very quickly and you need to be prepared. The bottom line is to SLOW DOWN and make sure you have extra space between you and the car in front of you.

3. Wear your Safety Belt. In 2009, only 80% of drivers consistently wear there seat belt. Thousands of lives could be saved by taking that few extra seconds to put on your safety belt. BUCKLE UP!

4. Avoid Distractions. Before you put your car in drive think about the needs of your trip and do them BEFORE you move forward. Make the phone call before - get your CD before, put a movie in before...doing these things before you depart can make your trip safer.

5. Don't Drink Alcohol. When are people going to figure out that alcohol, drugs and DRIVING don't mix. Don't take a chance by drinking and driving. Be smart and plan on a designated driver. Haven't we had enough lives taken because of this?

Two reasons that you should take a Texas defensive driving course:

For insurance discount:
Some insurance companies will give a discount (usually 10%) for three years on the liability portion of your auto insurance premiums if you provide proof of completion of one of the approved driving safety courses. You can check with your insurance agent to see if you can get discount by taking the defensive driving course.

To dismiss a ticket:
Texas state law allows you to dismiss one traffic ticket every 12 months by taking a TEA-approved driving safety course.

Most municipal court judges and justices of the peace require you to contact the court before you take the driving safety course for purposes of ticket dismissal
To prevent delays, added expenses, or a requirement that you repeat the course, you should always obtain permission to take the course from the court first.

In addition to the price that you will pay for the driving safety course, some courts will charge a court fee for you to take a driving safety course and also require you to obtain a copy of your driving record from the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

A certificate of driving safety course completion cannot be saved and used for a later traffic violation. You must complete the driving safety course AFTER the traffic violation, and the court may dismiss only one charge for each completion of a course. [Code of Criminal Procedure, Art. 45.0511].

If you have a driver license from another state and receive a traffic ticket in Texas, you may (with the Texas judge's permission) be allowed to take a Texas driving safety course to dismiss that ticket - it's up to the judge. If the judge approves you to complete a Texas driving safety course for that purpose, you can take it outside of Texas via one of the approved online courses at www.tea.state.tx.us/drive/online.html

Oh, No - I've Had A Car Accident - What To Do?

It's inevitable - you're bound to be involved in some type of car accident during your driving lifetime. Many people don't know what to do and how to handle it. Here are some suggestions...

1. STOP - no matter what stop your vehicle. (Even if you hit an animal, STOP and make a common sense decision on what to do next....i.e. find the owner of the dog, call Humane Society, etc.)

2. Exchange necessary information with the other driver. (Driver License, Current address/phone, Insurance information) Leave this information in a note if you hit a parked car.

3. Call 911 if there are injuries.

4. Cooperate with police, EMT's, etc.

Of course, AVOIDING accidents is in your best interest...remember that the following are the most common causes of accidents. Do your best to AVOID doing these things. STAY ALERT and FOCUSED on DRIVING while driving.

Unsafe Speed - Driving Too Fast
Inattentive Driving - Talking on a cell phone, texting, eating, etc.
Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road
Improper Turns
Violation of right-away rules
Violation of stop signs

No Time to sit in the classroom for 6 hours??

No Time to sit in the classroom for 6 hours??
By Texas state law, all driving safety courses are 6 hours in length, and students must attend all six hours of the course in order to receive a certificate.

If you don’t like to sit 6 hours straight in a classroom, Texas Education Agency has approved the delivery of specific driving safety courses via alternative delivery methods (ADM) such as the Internet, CD, DVD, Cable TV, and Videotapes.
If you take an ADM course (that is, other than a classroom course), no instructor will be present. Every so often during the course, personal questions such as "Is the vehicle you normally drive a 2-door, 4-door, pickup, or other?”, will be asked to verify if you are the person who’s taking the course. These questions, which often use third-party databases to verify your answers, are designed to ensure the identity of the person who is completing the ADM, and you will also be asked course content questions to ensure that you are reading and learning the material.

At your own convenience, you may break up an ADM's online, CD-ROM, DVD, Cable TV, or Videotaped course into segments of almost any length. You may also take the course via those means at any time of day or night, and there will be a 24 hour-a-day help line available. You will be given that toll free number to call if you need technical assistance or have a question about the course content.

Cell Phones and Driver Safety - What Works?

Did you know that 90% of Americans own a cell phone? Did you know that about 11% of the population at any moment during the day used a phone while driving? (USA Today 3.31.09)

On July 1, 2009, California law banned cell phone and texting while driving. Hands-free devices are permitted. Data is still forthcoming if this law has affected death and/or crash statistics. "Nationally, more than 2,600 people die and an additional 12,000 are seriously injured each year due to the phenomenon, according to an estimate prepared by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and reported by the safety council. Other studies indicate that a driver talking even via a hands-free device is four times more likely to get into a crash. Safety experts believe any reported numbers are probably low, since, after a wreck, many drivers won't admit to talking or texting while driving." (Yahoo Home Page, 4.14.09)

A patent is pending on an item called "Try Safety First" a device that blocks signals to and from cellphones for a 5-foot radius, effectively the space around a driver's seat. It also can be set to be effective only on a secondary key, such as one a parent gives a teen. Insurance companies are even becoming interested in these types of devices as well - some even offering discounts to policyholders if these types of devices are installed in vehicles with teens at the wheel.

These are state laws and each state has pursued issues with driving and cell phones, etc. at a different pace. "Four states — Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina and Texas — are considering banning all types of cellphone usage behind the wheel, including hands-free devices. Six states plus the District of Columbia currently ban handheld cellphone use while driving." (USA Today 3.31.09)

Auto Dealer Comeback?

Could the market be bottoming out in the auto industry? As the article in the San Diego Union Times (4.2.09) states "New-vehicle sales fell in March for a 17th consecutive month, but automakers said proposed federal incentives and reports from dealers of increased sales in the last week of the month could mean the market is bottoming out." Let's hope so.

Interesting - as the economy slides, states look for increased revenue and probably look to write more traffic tickets to generate additional dollars. In San Diego County, I see more and more police pulling over speeders, etc. This is, of course, great for the companies like Safe2Drive when the majority of violators will take traffic school or defensive driving classes...pending they qualify.

More and more people are turning to online traffic school for the ease of accomplishing this necessary evil when getting a traffic ticket OR in some states taking a class will decrease your insurance premiums up front. States like Minnesota have legislation in place that requires insurance companies to give a specific percentage discount to people (of a certain age) who have taken and passed a traffic safety class. This is a classic example of prevention versus reaction of our government system.

I found an article on Yahoo News (4.2.09) about one of many issues causing accidents on the road...drowsy driving. "It is one of the most vexing problems involving traffic safety. It is a factor in more than 100,000 crashes, resulting in 1,550 deaths and 40,000 injuries annually, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." The article goes on to say that this is probably a conservative estimate. "Sleep deprivation has the same impact (as alcohol). Your judgment becomes impaired, whether you realize it or not. We're starting to understand that drowsy driving is the same as driving intoxicated." says Carol Ash, medical director of a sleep program at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, N.J.