Texas Driver Safety and Training

Over the past year there have been several instances of drivers losing control of their vehicle and crashing into a pond or stream. Knowing how to deal with such a situation beforehand can help you survive. Of course, the first step in this process is to watch both your speed and the road ahead. Losing control of one's vehicle usually means that the driver is driving too fast for conditions and not paying attention to the road ahead. Prevention is the best defense against a crash of this type. However, should you find yourself driving into a body of water and your vehicle is submerged, here are the things you should know and do.

If your vehicle is thrown into the water:

• Stay CALM. Focusing on the situation is a necessary part of surviving a water crash.
• Unlock doors, roll down all windows and open any doors before you submerge. As the vehicle descends the option to open the door is unavailable.
• Turn your headlights on to help you see in the water and rescuers to locate the vehicle.

In most water crashes, a vehicle will float for a period of 3 or 4 minutes before the weight of the engine pulls the vehicle under. This precious time may allow you to unbuckle your seat belt, roll down your window and get out. Escaping through the trunk is another option. Make sure your vehicle has access from the back seat and you know the location of the trunk release.

If the vehicle is immediately pulled under water, you will need to wait until the water level inside the vehicle completely fills the vehicle. This will equalize the pressure and you will be able to open the door.

Many experts recommend that if you cannot immediately get out of the vehicle before it sinks; keep your seatbelt in the locked position.

• Break the driver or passenger's side windows. Apply force to the corner of the glass not the center.

The front and rear windshields are made of tempered glass and are very difficult to break. Have something in your vehicle that can break the window, an escape hammer or pointed tool available in the car. A spring-loaded center punch tool works above and below water. Whichever you decide, it must be attached securely to the dashboard or driver's side door where you can easily reach it.

After the window is broken the water will rush in. Keeping your seatbelt in the locked position will protect from the rush of water pushing against you and trapping you underneath the dashboard.

• Remove any heavy clothing or shoes.
• Unlock your seatbelt and that of any others.
• Take a deep breath and get yourself and any others out of the vehicle.
• Avoid kicking your feet and injuring others.
• Swim up to the surface in the direction of your air bubbles.

Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for any currents. Look for obstacles in the water that you may hold on to as you gather strength. Only go back down to the vehicle if there is someone else still trapped inside. Make sure you have the physical ability and swimming skills to do so.

Preparation of what to do in advance and using the time wisely during the situation are critical to a successful recovery!

Here are some tips for Dealing with Flooded Roads from the National Safety Commission.

Labels: flooded roads, road hazards, vehicle crash, vehicle safety

Many teens are so excited to get their driver's licenses that much of the training they received prior to licensure is quickly forgotten. But it's important for new drivers to follow the fundamental rules of the road, and adapting speed to conditions is one rule that's frequently broken.

Driving too fast for conditions is considered speeding and can result in a traffic ticket. But that's not the only reason to slow down - driving too fast for conditions is a contributing cause of many motor vehicle crashes. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds (based on 2005 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics).

A 2009 analysis of speeding-related crashes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that following the speed limit is not enough to prevent a crash when conditions warrant a reduction in speed. The study showed that in speeding-related crashes that caused one or more injuries, 26% of the crashes were contributed to be exceeding the posted speed limit, while 74% were due to driving too fast for conditions. In property-damage-only crashes where speed was a contributing factor, 18% of the crashes were due to exceeding the posted speed limit and 82% of the crashes were contributed to by driving too fast for conditions. Drivers should reduce their speed:

• immediately when it begins to rain
• when roads are slippery due to snow or ice
• in foggy or smoky conditions
• before a curve
• in construction zones
• around school zones and playgrounds
• at night

It's also important to monitor your speed carefully on rural roadways with higher speed limits.

Passengers may encourage the driver to travel at or above the speed limit. Resisting this pressure is an important exercise in maturity for teen drivers and is an integral part of keeping their driver's licenses. Unfortunately, it could even be a life-and-death matter.

Labels: dismiss traffic ticket, drivers license, speed limit, speeding ticket

Though teens cannot legally drink alcohol, teen drivers still have to contend with intoxicated drivers on the road. Summer or holiday breaks are a dangerous time for teen drivers because they spend more time on the road, where they may encounter impaired drivers.

Risk factors for teens on the road in summer include:

• Due to their limited driving experience, teens often have difficulty handling emergency situations; for example, they might try to pass a driver who keeps drifting into their lane.
• Teens may have trouble recognizing when other drivers might be impaired and neglect to allow an adequate space cushion between their vehicle and the vehicles of those drivers.
• Teens often have poor impulse control, which could lead them into playing traffic games with aggressive or impaired drivers, such as racing from one traffic light to another.

Here are some tips on how to recognize an impaired driver:

• their vehicle is straddling two lanes
• they have a close call, such as nearly hitting a parked car
• they make wide, clumsy turns
• they are traveling well below the speed limit (10 mph or more)
• they are following too closely
• they are braking erratically or stopping at inappropriate places (such as at an intersection with a green traffic light)
• their headlights aren't on at night, or they leave their turn signal on for a prolonged time

Teens can use defensive driving techniques for safe driving:

• Always wear your safety belt. This is your best defense against impaired drivers.
• Obey the speed limit. Driving too fast means drivers have less space to respond to hazards.
• Avoid being distracted from watching the road by noisy passengers, loud music, or using a cell phone.
• Maintain an adequate space cushion on all sides between your vehicle and other vehicles. If you notice someone driving erratically, increase your space cushion.
• Observe the behavior of other drivers, but keep your eyes moving; don't get so distracted that you miss another hazard.

Labels: driver safety, driving hazards, driving while intoxicated, impaired driver, seat belt safety

The one part of our first driving test we all dreaded most was the parallel parking portion and even drivers with years of experience still have a problem with it. It really isn’t all that difficult; all it takes is a little practice.

Parallel parking is a situation that is full of potential for collisions, both major and minor. The first step to avoid a collision is to let other drivers know your intentions. When approaching a parking spot, check your rear view mirrors for traffic behind. Drivers behind probably aren't expecting you to slow and stop. Stopping quickly without warning is an invitation to a rear end collision. If a car behind is following too closely, look for another parking spot. Warn drivers behind you by lightly tapping your brakes two or three times. Turn on your right turn signal and slow down gently.

Once you have warned other drivers, slowed to a stop, and determined that the parking space is large enough for your car, follow these steps to park:

• Pull up within two to three feet next to the car in the space ahead. Your rear bumper should be even with the rear bumper of the other car.
• Shift into reverse, turn your steering wheel sharply to the right and slowly start to back up.
• Start straightening the wheel when your passenger seat is even with the rear bumper of the other car.
• Continue backing and turn your wheel sharply to the left once the front of your car has cleared the car ahead.
• Once you feel you are parallel with the curb, turn your wheel sharply to the right to straighten the wheels.
• Stop your car before you hit the car behind.
• Shift into drive and straighten up your car in the space. You should be no more than 12 to 18 inches away from the curb.

If you live in a location where you have to parallel park a lot, you may want to consider getting a backup warning sensor as an option on your next car purchase. Just remember that they can be unreliable sometimes and don't rely on them too heavily. Backup video cameras are also available at around $100 at some of the major big box stores.

For a video demonstration of parallel parking:



For more information on driving safety, visit our website at http://www.nationalsafetycommission.com/

Labels: backup cameras, collision, driver safety, drivers license, driving test, parallel parking

Blind spots are a big problem for drivers and forgetting to check them as you change lanes can have disastrous consequences. You can never totally eliminate your blind spots but, by adjusting your mirrors properly, you can reduce them to a very small level. Following this procedure may seem a little strange at first but, as you get used to it, you will find that you have virtually eliminated your blind spots.

(Note: If you don't have electric mirrors that you can adjust from within the car, you will need a friend to help you adjust your outside mirrors.)

To adjust your mirrors, follow these steps:

Center Mirror - Sit upright in the center of the driver's seat and adjust your center mirror so that it gives you the widest possible view of the road behind.

Left side mirror – From your center position in the driver’s seat, lean to the left until your head is touching the window; now adjust your left side mirror outward until you just barely see the rear of your car in the far right side of the mirror.

Right side mirror – From your center position in the driver's seat now lean your head approximately the same distance that you did when you adjusted your left mirror. From this position, adjust your right outside mirror outward until you can just barely see the rear of the car in the far left side of the mirror.

Adjusting your mirrors so far outward may seem strange and will take some getting used to but you will find that, as a car to your rear moves to change lanes and come alongside you, you will see half of the car in both mirrors. Once that vehicle moves to your left or your right, you will see it in your side mirror until it appears in your peripheral (side) vision.

This procedure won't completely eliminate your blind spot and it may have the benefit of getting you to check your blind spot more frequently as you become used to positioning the mirrors this way.

Are you getting ready for your drivers license test? Complete a prep course for the Behind the Wheel Road Test and be over-prepared. With practice we guarantee you'll pass your driving test!

Labels: behind the wheel, blind spots, driver safety, driving test, road test

Police officers and driving school instructors hear it all the time; "But I had the right-of-way!" In today's frenetic driving environment, drivers seem reluctant to give up the right-of-way, even when someone else is trying to take it. This attitude can result in instances of road rage and car crashes. The truth is, on America's roads, no one has the right-of-way.

It can be a hard concept to understand, especially since, when we were learning the rules of the road to get our driver's license, we had to learn who had the right-of-way in certain circumstances. Actually, state laws do not give any driver the right-of-way nor do police try to determine who had the right-of-way. The laws only state who should have given up the right-of-way to another driver.

No driver can take the right-of-way; they can only give up the right-of-way to another driver. When entering the interstate from an on-ramp, we were all taught that traffic on the main thoroughfare has the right-of-way. At a four-way stop, we all learned that the driver who arrived first has the right-of-way. What that actually means is that we should give the right-of-way to the traffic on the interstate or to the driver who arrived first at the intersection. The driver on the interstate can't "take the right-of-way" if the driver on the on-ramp doesn't want to give it to him. The driver at the four-way stop can't claim the right-of-way if the other driver tries to take it first.

Every state has a law that says a driver has the responsibility to do everything possible to avoid a collision. If a collision results because a driver insists on taking what they believe to be their legal right-of-way, in spite of the fact that the other driver is also trying to claim it, both drivers will be held equally responsible. Doing everything possible to avoid a collision means that the responsible driver will give up the right-of-way to another driver who insists on taking it.

Recognizing that the traffic on the interstate or the driver who arrived first at the stop sign has the right-of-way and giving it to them is the key to being a safe driver. Another key to safe driving is watching for aggressive drivers and staying out of their way; even if that means you have to delay your trip for a moment or so.

A driver who has to give up the right-of-way to an inconsiderate aggressive driver has every reason to be upset and angry but at least they won't have to deal with a car crash. Remember the concept of F.I.D.O; Forget It and Drive On.

Labels: aggressive driving, driver safety, Highway Safety, interstate, right-of-way, traffic safety

When it comes to driving laws, there are a lot of laws that are easy to break and, indeed, are broken by millions of drivers each day. However, there are some laws that can’t be broken, no matter how hard one tries, and these are the laws that a lot of drivers tend to forget about or ignore. These unbreakable laws are, of course, the laws of physics; specifically, Newton's laws of motion. These laws play an important part in our driving experience and, when people forget about them, the results can be tragic.

How do these laws impact our driving? Newton's first law of motion says "An object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." What that means is that, when a car hits a solid object such as a tree or another car and comes to a sudden halt, the occupants inside the car will keep traveling at whatever speed the car was traveling until they come in contact with the steering wheel, dash, or crash through the windshield. This law can't be broken but it can be overcome - by the simple use of a seat belt.

There are actually three separate crashes in a vehicle collision; all obeying Newton's laws of motion:

1. When the car strikes another object – The faster the car was traveling at the point of impact, the greater the collision forces.
2. When the unbelted bodies inside the car fly forward – The unbelted bodies inside the car will fly forward and, once they strike a solid object, will rebound or bounce off in another direction resulting in more than one impact point until all the energy is expended.
3. When the brain and the internal organs fly forward and strike the skull or rib cage – This final crash is where brain concussions and internal injuries occur.

The seatbelt is the primary lifesaving device in a motor vehicle but lots of people have excuses for not wearing seat belts:

• "They're uncomfortable." – So is flying through the windshield!
• "I'd rather be thrown clear in a crash." – This means you are flying out the window onto the concrete at 30 - 40 - 50 mph. No matter how bad the crash, you are always safer restrained within your vehicle.
• "I'm afraid of being trapped by the seatbelt." – This event is incredibly rare. The seatbelt latch mechanism is so simple that it is almost impossible for it to fail.
• "I don't need it because I have airbags." – Airbags are considered to be a secondary or supplemental restraint system (that "SRS" you see on your steering wheel) and they depend on the occupant being restrained by the seat belt to work properly. Also, airbags only deploy in a head-on collision so they won't deploy in every crash.
• "I can just brace myself." – Imagine a 150 lb man trying to stick out his arms to stop himself as he flies into a brick wall at 40 mph. His arms will just snap as they hit. The collision forces are tremendous. In fact, in just a 25 mph crash, an unbelted 100 lb girl will hit the dashboard with a force of 2,090 lbs.

Actually there is no good excuse for not wearing a seat belt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that, in 2009, 12, 713 lives were saved by seat belts. An additional 3,688 lives could have been saved had the occupants been wearing seat belts. Seat belts won't always save you from injury or death (some crashes are just too horrendous) but they will increase your chances of surviving a collision by up to 55%.

The good news is that, according to NHTSA, seat belt use has increased up to 85%. The greater use of seatbelts is one of the primary reasons credited for the steady decline of traffic deaths on America's roads over the past several years. Remember, it's not just smart to wear a seat belt, it's the law.

Labels: air bags, airbags, driver safety, seat belt safety, seat belts, supplemental restraint system, vehicle crash, vehicle safety