Have you checked your Driving Record?

A survey of driving records conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) in 2002 showed that one in five convictions for traffic violations may be missing from motor vehicle records.

 The IRC looked at driving records in four states, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, and Washington. The study showed that convictions for driving infractions were either incorrectly entered or were missing from driving records. The error rate in the four states were as follows:

• Connecticut – 22% of convictions were missing 
• Florida - 21% of convictions were missing 
• Ohio - 14% of convictions were missing 
• Washington - 10% of convictions were missing 

According to the IRC, "The analysis was limited to those traffic citations that resulted in convictions, either from fines paid without contesting the charges or from guilty findings in court. It did not include any tickets dismissed through traffic school, court supervision, or any other legal methods that prevent traffic violations from appearing on MVRs." The article went on to say that "convictions for traffic violations issued to out-of-state drivers appeared even less frequently on motorists' driving histories."

What this means for motorists is that unsafe motorists, who would normally be charged higher premiums if their driving record were up to date, are getting away with paying lower insurance premiums. As a result, safe drivers have to pay higher premiums to make up the difference.

What the news release didn't really discuss was whether or not those records are being entered incorrectly into another driver's record. All it would take is the entry of one wrong number by a harried DMV employee to send the conviction off into another driver's record. All drivers should review their driving record periodically just to make sure that the record is correct and that there are no entries that shouldn't be there.

Labels: driving record, traffic citations, traffic violations

The latest preliminary construction zone fatality figures have come in for the year 2010 and while there is a little bit of good news, the overwhelming data about highway construction zones continues to be bad. Highway construction zone fatalities fell by 16 percent compared to 2009 but, in spite of that good news, a total of 576 people lost their lives in construction zones in 2010; an average of 1.6 deaths per day. Approximately four out of five of those deaths involve motorists, not construction workers.

A lot of the money in the jobs and economic stimulus plans passed by Congress over the past couple of years was directed toward infrastructure repair. That means that there are a lot of highway construction projects already in work, or scheduled to start soon. That also means that there will be a greater danger of collisions in highway construction zones. In order to make it safely through those construction zones drivers need to be aware of the hazards involved and how to avoid them.

All highway construction zones are marked with orange warning signs. These signs are normally posted well ahead of the construction zone to alert drivers to the dangers ahead and to give them time to slow. These signs will come in a variety of shapes and sizes based on their function. There are diamond shaped warning signs, speed limit signs, and channeling devices such as barrels, cones and barriers. Barriers will consist of orange and white diagonal strips that point downward in the direction in which traffic should flow; to the left or right of the sign. Some projects use people to direct the flow of traffic using flags or hand held slow and stop signs. The directions of these workers should be followed and carry the same weight as if a police officer was present to direct traffic.

Normally, a highway construction zone means that the road is going to be narrowed with barriers and in many cases, one or more lanes will be blocked off. A lot of collisions take place in these areas because drivers fail to properly merge into the remaining open lanes or fail to remain within their own narrowed, lane causing side swipe collisions. Rear end collisions are common because drivers fail to maintain a proper following distance between them and slowing traffic ahead. If a merge into another lane is required, drivers should merge as soon as possible after seeing the merge sign. Waiting until the last minute only adds to the slow traffic conditions and raises the risk of a collision. Drivers should also be on the lookout for construction trucks entering the roadway. Without the typical acceleration lanes, these trucks will be entering the road at a slow speed and it will take them time to get up to speed. These areas require extra caution and drivers should maintain an increased following distance of at least four seconds behind the vehicle ahead.

Many collisions in construction zones are caused by distracted drivers who aren't paying attention to the roadway ahead. While distractions such as using a cell phone, eating, or reading should be avoided at all times, they are especially dangerous in a construction zone. Texting should never be done behind the wheel of a car at any time.

A major problem in construction zones is speeding. Construction speed zones are set to allow the maximum safest speed under ideal conditions. There will be conditions where drivers need to slow below the posted speed limit. The danger in these zones come about when drivers become impatient and take risks; driving at speeds that are too high for conditions. Impatient, frustrated drivers tend to take chances that they might not otherwise take. Speeding means the driver has less control over the vehicle and prevents a driver from having enough time to react to conditions ahead resulting in rear end collisions and dead and injured construction workers by the side of the road. Speed control in construction zones is so critical that most states double the fines for a speeding ticket in a construction zone.

Many of the major road construction projects within or near major cities are conducted at night in order to reduce the effect on rush hour traffic. Night time requires extra patience and concentration. The lights used to illuminate the construction zone could blind drivers and prevent them from seeing workers in time. Slow and concentrate on the road ahead.

Many states now have a "Move Over" law requiring drivers to move over into the opposite lane or, if they can't move over, to slow when passing emergency vehicles by the side of the road. Construction vehicles with orange flashing lights should be given the same consideration as police and fire vehicles. Many construction workers are killed each year by drivers who fail to slow or to use extra caution in construction zones.

Patience is the key in construction zones. Hazards will come from all directions; from construction workers and vehicles entering the road and from impatient, speeding, or distracted drivers. You can't change conditions in these zones; you can only adapt to them. That is the temporary price you have to pay for a new and improved roadway in the future.

Labels: construction zone, Move Over Law, texas speeding ticket, work zone

Most drivers tend to think of the car seat in terms of comfort and appearance while ignoring the fact that the seat is a critical piece of safety equipment in a crash.

The most common type of crash on America's roadways is the rear- end crash and the most common injuries drivers experience from that type of crash are whiplash and spinal injuries. The reason for this is simple. One of the laws of motion says "an object at rest wants to remain at rest." While sitting in a car seat, your body wants to remain at rest. If you are struck from behind by another vehicle, your body will want to remain at rest while the car is rapidly pushed out underneath it. If your seat isn't properly positioned, your body will snap back, followed by your head. This rapid snapping back of the spine and neck is what causes all the back injuries. Those of you who may have experienced this type of injury know that you don't really start to feel the muscles tense up and the associated pain until the next day. If it goes untreated, the trauma can cause long term and sometimes permanent injury.

Learn more about proper car seat position and safety at: Car Seats Aren't Just A Place To Sit

Created by: CollegeAtHome.com

Distracted Driving Laws for the State of Texas

Labels: car seat, car seat safety, traffic collission, traffic crash, vehicle crash

We continue to read stories about teens being killed or injured when their car left the road and crashed into a tree or some other type of stationary object. In our weekly blogs we keep harping on this issue but teens still continue to die in single car crashes more than any other type of crash.

There are several factors that lead to a Single Vehicle Crash:

Two lane roads – Most of these crashes happen on two lane country or suburban roads. People fear the danger of high speed interstate highways but most crashes occur on two lane country roads. This type of road leads to a lot of crashes because they are narrow, with little room for escape; there are a lot of no-passing zones that lead impatient people to take chances and there are a lot of curves that a speeding drivers fail to negotiate.

Speed – Speed is primarily responsible in these types of crashes. Drivers drive too fast for conditions and, when there is a sharp curve or an obstacle in the road, they can't slow fast enough to stay on the road. High speed gives the driver less time to react and adds to the crash forces.

Distractions – There are too many driving distractions that tempt teens to pay less attention to the road ahead. In quite a few of these crashes there were three or more teen passengers in the car. The more teen passengers a teen driver has, the more distractions there are for the driver. Add cell phones, texting, and eating to the mix and it becomes too overwhelming for the driver to deal with.

Alcohol – In several of these crashes alcohol was a factor. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, 29 percent of the speeding drivers under age 21 who were involved in fatal crashes, also had a BAC of .08. That is almost one-third of all the fatal crashes.

Seat Belts – According to NHTSA data, in 2009, only 49 percent of speeding passenger vehicle drivers under age 21 who were involved in fatal crashes were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

Any one of these factors by themselves can lead to a deadly crash. Combined, the chances of a deadly crash increase exponentially.

Labels: alcohol impaired drivers, distracted driving, seat belt, single car crash, single vehicle crash, speeding

Most drivers are familiar with the concept of careless driving tickets, but few stop to think about what careless driving really is or how it causes crashes. Careless driving is an umbrella term for a number of violations, including lane drifting, which can lead to head-on or sideswipe crashes. About 10,000 deaths occur annually when vehicles leave the roadway.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drifting is defined as “when a vehicle is moving in a generally straight line, but at a slight angle to the lane. The driver might correct his or her course as the vehicle approaches a lane line or other boundary, or fail to correct until after a boundary has been crossed. In extreme cases, the driver fails to correct in time to avoid a collision.” Whether the collision that occurs is head-on or sideswipe depends on the position of the vehicles and the orientation of the road, among other factors.

Lane drifting occurs due to driver error. Specific causes of lane drifting include:

• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol


• Drowsiness or falling asleep


• Speeding, especially around a curve


• Lack of alertness, including daydreaming, reaching for something in the vehicle, or looking at something outside of the vehicle

For drivers, remaining sober and alert and maintaining a speed appropriate for conditions help prevent lane drifting. Roadway engineering and in-vehicle technology offer support to drivers who do drift and increased protection for all road users.

NHTSA says that about 90% of all rural crashes with fatalities occur on two-lane roads. Two-lane roads in rural areas usually do not have medians to separate two-way traffic; with vehicles in opposing directions traveling in such close proximity to one another, the margin of error is small and the potential for tragedy is enormous. According to a 2003 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) report, sideswipe or head-on crashes that occur when vehicles cross the centerline comprise approximately 20% of fatal crashes on rural two-lane roads and cause approximately 4,500 deaths every year. Many drivers are familiar with rumble strips along the right side of long stretches of highway; the rumble is both felt and heard when the vehicle's tires drift onto the shoulder of the road. The IIHS advocates the addition of rumble strips along the centerlines of undivided rural two-lane roads.

In 2009 NHTSA began studies comparing different crash avoidance systems, including lane departure warning systems, to determine whether or not they will be required on new vehicles. Lane-departure warning systems alert drivers when their vehicle is leaving the lane; in some instances, the system has the capability of moving the vehicle back into the lane. IIHS says lane-departure systems could impact up to 483,000 crashes annually by helping vehicles stay on the road.

Labels: careless driving tickets, driving under the influence, drowsy driving, DUI, lane drifting

Seat belts are the primary life saving device in a motor vehicle but, unfortunately, many people have still not gotten that word.

There are a lot of reasons people have for not wearing seat belts. One of the reasons commonly heard is "I had a "friend" who was told that he/she would have been killed if they had been wearing a seat belt". This is basically an urban legend; one of those stories you always hear from someone else but that can never be traced back to its origin. It would be difficult to find an auto safety expert who wouldn't recommend wearing a seat belt in all situations. Another problem with this excuse is that it requires that you be in a very specific type of crash with events leading up to and during the crash occurring in a specific order. That is highly unlikely. When we get into a car, there is no way to predict the type of collision in which we could possibly be involved. We have to be prepared for any type of collision.

Other excuses include; "it's too uncomfortable", "I'd rather be thrown clear in a crash" or “I have an airbag”. As far as comfort goes, consider the alternatives; what is more uncomfortable, a seat belt or crashing through a windshield? Being thrown clear means hitting the concrete at the same speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash. No matter how severe a crash, you are always safer remaining inside the vehicle. Safe operation of the airbag depends on the passenger being belted in and, remember, the airbag only works if the airbag sensors are directly hit.

There is no guarantee that wearing a seat belt will always save your life or prevent injury but your chances of surviving a crash increase by up to 55 percent if you do.

Labels: driver safety, seat belt safety, wear seat belt

Ask anywhere: traffic tickets, suspension and driver responsibility are some of the most searched items related to driving. Getting a driver's license in Texas is a big enough feat. An even bigger challenge then, is keeping your driving record clean.

The words above are commonly-searched for one reason: individuals want a clean driving record and need to figure out the steps to make that happen. Let's try and break down the processes for each in a more generic way that applies to most counties in Texas.

Traffic Tickets: what to do?

If you drive careful enough, you'll manage to avoid tickets. But once you've been issued a traffic ticket in Texas, you only have 10 days to respond to it. The two options are to either pay it, or you can request to have your traffic ticket dismissed by completing a Texas driving safety course.

Paying the fine is essentially admitting to the court that you are guilty, contact your local court to find out how you could settle the fine. They usually take personal checks, cash, debit cards or credit cards. It varies from county-to-county.

Depending on the reason for the ticket, sometimes, there's an option for taking a defensive driving course. This is a way of dismissing the ticket --- by taking the course, you effectively remove up to four points on your driving record and you may even get discounts on your insurance. If the driver has been going 25 MPH over the posted limit, a driver safety course option will not be available.

Suspended license: what to do?

If a driver has been caught driving irresponsibly multiple times, the driver's license can get suspended. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be informed of the suspension. If driving is essential for that driver’s education or livelihood, they should contact their local district court for the requirements on a restricted license.

Driver Responsibility Program: what is it?

Much like New York: life is harder for bad drivers in Texas. Their driver responsibility program helps enforce their safe driving policies. For a driver with over 6 points on their driving record, there will be an annual fee to be paid for up to 3 years. This could be an additional $100 a year or up to $2000 a year, depending on the number of points and severity of driving offense.

Okay, now that you know what tickets, suspensions and driving responsibility is about in Texas: what can you do to avoid them? Simple --- and this is easier said than done --- be a safe driver.

Labels: driving record, driving safety course, texas defensive driving course, texas drivers license, texas traffic ticket