Traffic School Teacher

According to California Highway Patrol, on road accidents are the leading cause of death for majority of teenage drivers. California has been ranked on top in terms of fatality rates of drivers between the ages 15 and 20.

The report is highly upsetting for parents, especially when their teenager has just received a license and started dreaming to beat Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso. Parents are expected to spend some minutes before and after their teenager goes for driving.
Here are a couple of points you should discuss with your teenage drivers:

1.Warn them of using cell phone while driving since it increases the risk of crash by 300%. In unavoidable circumstances, they should stop the car aside or use hands free but never on highways.

2.Advise them to refrain listening to the radio in high volume. It helps them stay alert about surroundings.

3.Tell your teenage driver to avoid eating while driving

4.Don’t let your son or daughter to drive in a group of friends as gossiping inside the car increases the chances of accident by 158%. It’s always better to supervise them prior to allowing friends inside while driving.

5. Warn them of speeding as it’s another major cause of road accidents. Besides, they will be stopped by traffic police and receive points on their license.

6.Initially, at least for 9 months to a year, don’t let them drive at night. Teenagers are three times more likely to die in a crash at night than during the day.

7.Advise them to join a traffic school to learn road safety rules as well as defensive driving. In case of busy schedules, they can join online traffic schools and take training lessons at home.

After receiving Learner’s license, you must be thinking of getting Florida Operator’s license. The process is more or less same, and can be briefly understood in the following points:

•You must be 16 years old and possess a Learner’s License for at least a year. You must not have any traffic convictions and successfully completed 50 or more hours of driving including 10 hours of driving experience at night.

•Once you fulfill the age and experience criteria, you can make a call and schedule an appointment at DMV office.

•The following documents should be brought at the DMV office:

1.Florida Learner’s License or a similar one from other jurisdiction

2.You need to bring any of your parents (or legal guardian) if you are below 18, the person needs to sign a consent form in front of the notary officer or the examiner.

3.Valid vehicle registration number for the driving test.

•Thorough revision of Florida Driver’s Handbook. If possible, ask your parent to take your mock test. It will boost up your confidence prior to appearing for the test.

•Attempt the Driving Test with positive mind.
Now that you have managed to secure your Operator’s License, your task hasn’t ended; you need to be careful and obedient while driving. You have to follow all traffic rules especially driving below speed limit and respecting other drivers.

At first, you need to receive Learner’s permit, for you have to attend the Drug Alcohol Traffic Awareness (D.A.T.A) course. You should be at least 14 ½ years old in order to be considered for the course, and spend minimum four hours taking it. Once you complete this course, you can apply for the DMV exam. The minimum age limit to take up the exam is 15. A thorough go through of Florida’s Driver Handbook is highly recommended before appearing for the exam. The best part, you can take the exam online.

The documents to bring to the DMV:

•D.A.T.A course completion certificate

•Identification and age proof: you can bring any of these—Florida State ID card, Original
Birth Certificate, or Valid U.S. Passport,

•Original Social Security Card

•You need to bring any of your parents (or legal guardian) if you are below 18, the person needs to sign a consent form in front of the notary officer or the examiner.

Things to do at the DMV:

•You have to pass the vision test. You must have 20/40 (with or without glass) or better vision in both of your eyes.

•You have to pass the hearing test and give your finger print.

•In certain cases you might be asked a couple of general questions. And, Congratulations!! You receive your Learner’s License.

“Traffic schools help reduce Insurance Rates” – how does it sound?

If recent surveys are to be believed, a rapidly increasing number of drivers are now rushing back to traffic schools to bring down their insurance rates. In an understanding, most of insurance companies encourage drivers and vehicle owners to enroll themselves at traffic schools and get trained. Upon training, not only can they avail the current discounts but also prevent future increases. So, if you want to reduce traffic insurance rates, you need to do it in a systematic way.

First of all, you need to make sure if your insurance company allows traffic school attendance to reduce your insurance rates. At present, most of such companies have given a ‘yes’ to such plans, and they have different requirements regarding the type of course and whether they allow online schools.

Enrolling in a traffic school at the earliest is recommended once you received a citation or ticket. There is no point in delaying even if you have 18 months to go for it. Enrolling at the earliest shows your faith and may motivate your insurance company to think of larger rate reduction.

Next important task is to find a traffic school that offers “point and insurance reduction program.” The school’s experience and reputation plays a key role.

Last but the most important part, the reduction facility applies only if you don’t commit another offense in 2 to 3 years time. So, careful driving is always the best option.

When the traffic is bumper-to-bumper and the plastic bag blowing on the freeway shoulder is moving faster than your car, what is a driver to do to amuse oneself?

I asked a few drivers what they do in rush hour traffic to keep themselves sane without breaking the law and having to end up participating in traffic school.

Some ideas were good, some were bad and some were just plain ugly.

The Good: These folks amused themselves with harmless mind fodder that would in no way send them on the path to traffic school.

Diane F. of Covina reads license plate frames and tries to figure out what the abbreviations on personalized vanity plates mean. VRECUL, Diane.

Of course, there are the singers- Kevin H. of Aliso Viejo belts out Switchfoot tunes; and the thinkers- Andy N., a hockey coach from San Jacinto keeps his mind occupied in rush hour traffic by thinking about - what else? Hockey.

Mona G. of Hemet talks to herself. When asked if she also answers herself she replied, "Of course!"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be very concerned for her children.

Talk radio keeps John W. of Riverside alert and Comedy Central and ESPN on XM radio provide mental stimulation for Jon R. of Corona.

And then there is Tate C. of Banning who says that he does nothing to keep himself amused during rush hour traffic since he enjoys driving in rush hour traffic.

Tate C. is either really well adjusted or very confused.

The jury is still out.

The Bad: While nothing these folks choose to do for entertainment behind the wheel will get them the traffic ticket / traffic school consequence, their answers could still be perceived as dancing delicately on the border between right and wrong.

Since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the risk of being involved in a collision is four times higher when using a cellular telephone, we are going to put this activity under the "bad things to do while driving" category.

If this is the case, then Cristina C. of Chino is bad.

Really, really bad. "Rush hour traffic makes me nuts, so I always have to talk on my phone the entire time I'm driving to relax," Cristina says.

In California, this is now illegal unless she uses a hands-free device. While a citation for this offense will not land her in traffic school, she can get a pain-in-the wallet fine.

If Cristina looked in her rearview mirror, she may have noticed Bob K. of Norco watching her. His rush hour amusement comes in the form of snickering at people talking on their cell phones as they drive.

Please note that when I asked him if he ever talks on a cell phone while driving, he looked down at the ground coyly and smiled as he said, "Of course not."

As everyone else sits in the parking lot of freeway gridlock, Dave E. of Aliso Viejo enjoys waving to people from his motorcycle as he whizzes by in between the lanes. OK, he's not doing anything illegal, so he is not actually 'bad'; but waving at people standing dead-still mired in gridlock?

He's just evil.

And the Ugly: I must admit, even the 'ugly' answers would not land the people who gave them in traffic school. Their answers simply caused me to shake my head and raise my eyebrows.

Ray L. of Sun City unabashedly and with all sincerity admitted that to calm his nerves during rush hour traffic he cleans his nose with his index finger.

I think I've been next to Ray at a stoplight or two.

Then there are "the swearers". Judgmental folks that spend their freeway time venting their irritation in colorful colloquialisms.

Extra credit points go to Dean D. of Redlands, however, who admits that he uses a foreign language to express his frustrations. Somehow swearing at other drivers in Croatian doesn't seem quite as wrong.

I saved my favorite answer for last; though it deserves its own category as it's not good, bad or ugly, and it sure as heck won't land you in traffic school, it's just, for the lack of a better adjective- schmoozy.

Rick K. of Alta Loma's answer for what he does to keep himself amused during rush hour traffic was, "I think about how sweet and lovely my wife is".

Good answer, Rick.

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