Defensive Driving School

Driving Deaf

2012-02-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Do Deaf People Drive?

Of course they do. You don't need to pass a hearing test to get a driver's license. But there are some special considerations to be aware of. We asked our professional driving instructor Verla Douge to help us better understand how some of her deaf students learned to drive.

Ask an Instructor: Verla Douge

Question: What was your first driving experience like with a deaf student?

Answer: As a teacher of driver's education, I am not usually nervous about driving with a student for the first time. The first time that I was asked to drive with a hearing impaired/deaf student I was nervous, not because of their driving skills, but because of my signing skills.

However, I have found the students to be very patient. They love to teach me new signs as they try to decipher my "monkey signs" as I call them. They are very happy whenever someone makes an effort to understand them. If a concept is too difficult for me to convey with my limited signing abilities there is always pen and paper available. We do this while the car is parked, in case you were wondering.

Question: Does it make a difference whether or not the student has been hearing-impaired since birth?

Answer: It does help if they have had some hearing and can speak or at least read lips. Communication is easier. I had one young man whom I did not realize at first was just learning ASL himself. That was a challenge since in his native language he used a different set of signs. In his case, we communicated with a lot of drawings.

Question: What specific challenges does hearing-impairment pose on both learning to drive and driving in general?

Answer: I believe that there is more multi-tasking than normal involved when you have to take your eyes off the road to see what the instructor wants you to do. I usually sign in their peripheral vision or a couple of times I have had proficient signers along in the backseat signing in the rearview mirror. Either way there is more risk involved. The upside is that they do not get bothered by rude people who honk because they are impatient (or maybe illiterate if they cannot read all over the vehicle that we are an instruction car) because the student does not hear their disapproval. Also, I work in an area near a hospital and we frequently have emergency vehicles on the road with us with full sirens and lights activated. They will not get the advanced warning from the sirens but are usually quicker to be aware of them visually.

Question: What would you suggest to other students with learning and/or physical disabilities when learning to drive?

Answer: Take it slow, step by step. Practice frequently. Be patient with yourself and others. Listen to what your parents/instructor tells you and practice it. As parents and instructors we try to use every tool in our bag until we find one that will help the student. This is true for all new drivers and those teaching them.

A little sign that saves some time

2012-02-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Have you ever pulled into the gas station and gotten out of your car only to realize that your gas tank is on the other side?? Maybe I'm the only one, but I used to constantly do this.

I've learned something new that has kept me from making this silly little mistake for the past few months. Did you know that on most cars there is a little arrow pointing to the side of your car where the gas tank is?

It's genious and yet so simple.

You probably already knew about this, but if you're like me and you just upgraded from an older car, then maybe you've just learned something new too.

10 Minutes Early - Week 4 "Finale"

2012-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

Where Does Happiness Come From?
Happiness comes from being early. I've discovered a subtle difference in attitude between those that cram as many things as they can into a day and those who accomplish the most important things in each day. This difference can be almost imperceptible. But it's there just the same.

Not me. I've got way more children and don't look nearly as calm driving. Ha ha ha.

Success Defined.
My goal of being ten minutes early to at least one appointment per day was a success. Not because I was 100% perfect with it. I wasn't. But mainly because we went an entire month with no fighting in the car. And I didn't look like the mom in this photo even once.

The Usual Pre-Car Ride Shuffle:
I'm hurrying around the house to get everything ready to leave. Snacks? Check. Extra diapers? Check. Everyone has shoes on? Check. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry," I call to my children as I prod them out the door. They just don't move fast enough. "I need a drink! I need to pee! He hit me," echos in response. Frustrated Mom (definitely me) raises her voice. JUST GET IN THE CAR! We're going to be late! What's that smell? Oh crap. Baby just messed her pants!

Fake Cry
There's always at least one kid crying by the time we get out the door. The shrill of fake crying grates on me. Please. Be. Quiet. My ears are ringing. I crank up the radio to drown out the other. Can't think. Must escape. Must get there. Keep driving. Hating life. And when we arrive, I'll put on my mask. It's a warm and happy face. It helps me pretend like I've got everything under control.

Enter in 10 minute early plan.
This turned out to be more like an intervention. I actually had to prepare to leave 20 minutes earlier than usual since it takes ten minutes to get out the door. There's no yelling. Just calm talking. We're not late. And if we are running behind, it doesn't matter. We've got wiggle room.

Leave Stress At Home.
I am in control of my mood. My kids pick up on the positive vibe. When they buckle up before me, they earn the right to choose our in-car entertainment. (Would you believe a 7 year old sometimes wants to listen to the news? Yeah. Pretty interesting kid.) My vision increases when I'm not focused on the slow car in front of me. I have time to make positive decisions on the road. I see the mistakes of other drivers sooner and am more willing to forgive them.

Model Driving
I've discovered a better way. Perfecting my driving habits now plays a major roll in how my children will drive in the future. They will emulate me. Cool, calm and collected.

Goals
Every driver has room to improve. Ten minutes early has been good for me. And my family. Definitely a keeper.

10 Minutes Early - Week Three

2012-01-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

Week Three: Rain, freezing temps, ice, snow, rain, ice, snow. You get the pattern. When we finally did venture out for our one and only car ride, we found that so did the rest of the county. And they all wanted to go where we wanted to be: Costco. To stock up on everything we'd been missing all week.

Essentially, there's nothing to report on for week three. Except that we didn't have any issues with our children buckling up or sitting correctly in their seats. Somehow the sensation of sliding on the slushy roads taught them the importance of seatbelts and safety. That and a YouTube video of some car crashes due to snow and ice.

Snowpocalypse 2012

2012-01-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

I have never been so excited for rain before. Despite living in Washington, I am not a fan of rain. But, if it means no more snow, then I'm all for it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a "snow day" here or there, but I've had enough of this "snow week." That being said, I loved taking my 18 month old out into the snow and watching him enjoy it, and I loved having my husband work from home for the past couple of days.

I'm with Bridget. When it snows, I avoid driving. I don't have a car with 4-wheel drive and I'd rather not take my chances with the inexperienced and over-confident drivers our there. In fact, I haven't driven anywhere myself in almost a week. Cabin fever set in a while ago. I cannot wait for the roads to clear so I can get out!

Apparantly, many people do not share my view of driving in the snow or they simply have to be somewhere. As of yesterday at 1:10 PM, the WSP had responded to 2317 incidents in a 24 hour period. In the same 24 hour period the year before, they responded to 626 incidents. The snow and poor weather conditions seem to have increased the amount of incidents this year by 4 times! Not surprising.

I think Trooper Guy Gill had it right when he tweeted (with a picture to go along):

"Another example of my proven equation...Snow+Ice+Speed=Crash."

I'm sure he's seen too much of this over the past few days.

I hope you were all safe and enjoyed the snow while it lasted!

10 Minutes Early - Week Two

2012-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Good news! Being ten minutes early to just one appointment each day has been much more manageable for me and I've been successful with it. If I miss getting to Point A on time then I work harder to get to Point B early. I will admit though that I got to Point C one evening ten minutes early and there were only 4 cars in the parking lot. I didn't go in at first because I thought I might have gotten the meeting place wrong. Turns out it was the right place...just a crazy night for the many who came late.

I'm now halfway through Week Three of my challenge. This month is going by quite fast, but I'm not sure how effective it's been for me to make this smal change in my life permanent. I haven't had any practice this week getting anywhere, let alone being punctual. It's been snowing and roads have been lousy for the past 4 days. We haven't driven anywhere. On the bright side, this photo is the view from my back yard. I love it.

Some of you may want to make a comment about Seattlites being afraid to drive in the snow. Don't. Remember that where you come from the snow is fluffy and powdery. Not wet. Not icy. And most importantly, your a city or state probably wisely invested in snow plows, road de-icer and sand.

There. I said it. We don't invest in snow removal like other places. And no, I don't want to drive next to inexperienced snow drivers who don't have four wheel drive and leave their cars at the bottom of hills they can't get up. These are the drivers that slide into traffic and wreak havoc. No way do I want to drive with them. We're staying home. It's a snow day.

Teach Your Teen - Effective Coaching

2012-01-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

I've never been a parent to my own teenager, but am lucky enough to be a teacher to many of them. Once, I even borrowed a teen for the school year. Please meet Jovana, my exchange student.

Like most teens, Jovana wanted to be able to give her parents a surprise when she returned home. When that something turned out to be a positive life skill, I happily turned into an accomplice. It's difficult for exchange students to get their driver's license. Not only are there legal document signing dilemmas that need to be worked out for those under 18, but most programs also prohibit driving with host families. The only exception is driving with a licensed driving instructor. Enter in me. A licensed driving instructor.

I decided to help Jovana get a license because she's a good kid and turned 18 while living with us. She earns straight "A"s, is active in extra-curricular activities and very helpful at home. Best of all, she loves to play with my children.

Usually, we went out driving on the weekends. Sometimes, we ran errands and other times we specifically worked on skills. The atmosphere in the car was relaxed for the most part. And a little tense other times. Jovana has high expectations for herself. She wants to know everything all at once. But we don't learn like that. Skills must build on one another. We must drive in a straight line before learning to turn a corner.

With regular driving students, I have a finite amount of time to teach as many things as they can handle. Teaching Jovana, I had all the time I wanted. Just like you do with your children. Shorter segments of time turned out to be more effective than longer ones. Learning a new skill can be high stress. An hour is a long time to have your brain engaged in a new task. Three twenty-minute driving sessions reduce stress and give a better opportunity to build consistent defensive driving habits.

Remember that there is a place for every coaching style, even within the same driving session. There are times when you want to observe and not say a word...like when your spouse is driving. And other times when you may want to give very detailed instructions. Make each driving experience an effective learning opportunity by incorporating a handful of different coaching styles. It is also effective to teach your student how to judge their skills so that they can effectively provide their own feedback and turn into a lifelong learner.

Coaching Styles:
Our Defensive Driving School teachers employ the following while working with thousands of students each year.

Focus: Instructor works with just a few concepts at a time.
Discovery: Instructor questions student to help student recognize their driving know-how.
Goal Oriented: Instructor gives student something to correct or improve upon in the next few minutes.
Controlled: Instructor gives the student precise instructions as they are doing the maneuvers
Example: Instructor trades places with the student for a minute or two to demonstrate a concept.
In the future: Instructor prepares the student for situations in advance.
Criticism: Instructor focuses on what not to do or tells them when they do something wrong.
Fine Tuning: Instructor helps student with more independent driving and decision making.
Observation: Instructor watches student drive but gives no feedback or instruction on how they are doing or how to improve.
Job is Completed: Instructor believes student is the best driver and offers no instruction or improvement strategies.

Jovana is back home now and driving on her own. It's been a few years and we continue to keep in contact every few days via email and Facebook. The best part that brings a smile to my face is that she still hears my voice in her mind as she drives. An effective coach stays in a student's heart and mind forever.

10 Minutes Early - Week One

2012-01-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

It's time to re-evaluate my goal to be ten minutes early everywhere I go. I'm hit and miss and though I thought it was SMART, it turns out that it should be smartER.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relavant
Timely
Evaluate
Re-evaluate

EVALUATION:
I didn't realize what ten minutes actually meant when I made the goal. It means an entire attitude shift. The second day in and I was up and ready 30 minutes earlier than usual. So I decided to get a few things done because I had plenty of time. I ended up getting my daughter to school about the same time I usually get her there...half hour late. It's like my time clock is pulling me back to where I was. The next time I took her to school, it was similar, but not as bad. Ten minutes ahead of our usual schedule (read "only 20 minutes late" here).

I don't want to get too down on myself. I mean I have been ten minutes early to a few things. Okay twice. On day one, we were early to church and day five I was early picking up my daughter from school. Twice in a week is better than the previous week. Or month. Or year. See, I'm making progress!

GOAL REVISION:
There are two things that I think I can do to make my goal easier to attain. First, I think going to bed a little earlier will help me with getting out of bed in the morning. And second, I need to shrink my goal down to size. Being ten minutes early to everything is too big for me. I need to revise it to just once per day. Once I've made the goal each day then I can relax and be late to everything else...until the morrow.

My real goal though was to curb the fighting in my car by reducing the "we're going to be late" tension. I add to this stress when I try to get my kids to hurry and get ready and get in the car. So in this regard, we've been doing fantastic. I haven't been stressed and we haven't had any sibling squabbles while I was driving this week. Yes!

Would you drive with a skeleton to save a few minutes?

2012-01-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

A Washington driver was recently busted for driving in the HOV lane with a plastic skeleton sitting in the passenger seat. The police officer found the boney passenger dressed in a hooded sweatshirt after pulling the car over for speeding and making unsafe lane changes.

The driver was slapped with a $454 ticket for the HOV lane violation, speeding, and unsafe lane changes. At least the skeleton was wearing his seatbelt, so there was no seatbelt violation.

Really? I enjoy driving in the HOV lanes, but driving next to a skeleton seems pretty creepy to me. I'm shocked at the lengths that this man went to drive in the HOV lanes. Is it really worth it to save a few minutes?

You can read the whole story here.

Image source: Washington State Patrol

10 Minutes Early - Day One

2012-01-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

I got a good chuckle today when reading what Angus and Phil have to say about New Year resolutions.

Angus & Phil by Annie Taylor Lebel

Day one of arriving ten minutes was a success. Arriving ten minutes early and leaving ten minutes earlier are not the same thing. No, they definitely are not. I believe I was trying to leave 20 minutes earlier in order to actually do it.

So, just before we left for church this morning, when I discovered that I hadn't put our dinner in the crock pot, I actually had a few minutes extra to do it. Phew. That saved me from having to alter dinner prep later.

We did indeed arrive ten minutes early to church this morning and were by no means the first family to arrive. Would you believe that there were lots of other people there that early, too? Whoa. We didn't have to sneak in during the invocation or find a large enough pew in the back. Nope. Ten minutes early was stress-free. And a happy car ride with no arguing in the back seat. Love it.

New Year New Goal

2011-12-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2011 and HELLO 2012!

I'd like to make a New Year's Resolution about driving...but I can't seem to think of a good one. I stopped eating in the car for a month this past February, so I won't use that as blog material this year. I already don't drink and drive. Well, I don't drink alcohol ever, so that's not tough to do. I use my blinker and make complete stops. My phone operates in the speaker position when I'm driving. I can't resolve for my children to behave better in the car since I don't control them. When I have so many good driving habits, it's difficult to find and fine tune the little deficiencies.

But perhaps there is something I can do to influence the atmosphere in my vehicle. I can change my stress level which has the potential to positively affect their behavior.

I think fighting is the worst out of them. And they don't do it every time I drive. Only when we're late. So I guess that's a lot of times.

In January, I will get out the door with enough time so that we arrive at our destination ten minutes early. We will experience what life is like when we're not in a rush. When there isn't pressure to get somewhere quick. Leaving early will build in extra time for the last minute emergencies that invariably pop up before we get out the door (read diaper blow outs or searching for missing shoes).

This challenge will be bigger and more grandiose than the last one. Pretty much because it's ten percent longer...aka three days since January is longer than February. Ha ha.

Wish me luck. I'm going to need it.

My new resolution: Arrive at destinations 10 minutes early.

Start date: January 1, 2012
End date: January 31, 2012

Steps to accomplish the goal:
1. Keep shoe shelf organized.

2. Figure out how much time it will take to drive somewhere and add 10 minutes.
3. Get out the door early.

What do you do when you see texting while driving?

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been driving down the road and looked to the person driving next to you only to notice that instead of paying an ounce of attention to the road, he is looking down at his phone while texting? This has happened to me too many times to count.

I'm determined not to write, send, or read text messages while driving. For my safety, because it's the law, and because I'm usually driving with this extremely precious cargo...

Distracted driving to me is looking in the rear view mirror at this cute little face while I'm driving, and occasionally paying too much attention to my navigation when I'm going some place I've never been before. Don't get me wrong, I'm tempted to grab my phone when I hear the little text message or email notification, but it's not worth looking. Nothing is as urgent as getting to my destination safely.

Despite the texting ban in Washington, I constantly see people texting/looking at their phones while driving. I usually get a little upset, but don't do anything. Occasionally, I have honked my horn to shift the driver's attention. Not only are these people putting their lives in danger, but as a driver sharing the road with them, they are also putting me and my family in danger.

I have been wondering lately what the proper etiquette is when I see somebody clearly paying more attention to his/her phone than the road. Do I simply ignore it? Do I honk at them to let them know that I noticed? Should I report it? I'm not sure that anything would come of reporting it. Plus, if I got the license plate number and made a phone call while driving, I would likely be more distracted than the distracted driver I am reporting.

What do you think? Do you do anything when you witness drivers texting while driving?

Teach Your Teen: Set The Example

2011-12-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

My eight year old son sits next to his infant sister in our car. He likes to play with her and he's pretty good about putting her pacifier in when she cries. Recently, she was crying and the binkie wasn't calming her down. He got frustrated. And he yelled, "Come on! Mom, it's not working!"

Our binkie loving baby.

Seriously?! He just raised his voice? To a baby? Two realizations hit me. First, my son doesn't understand the difference between an infant's mental abilities and those of an older child. She's not trying to make him angry. He's just not meeting her needs. She wants her diaper changed or she's hungry, so giving her a binkie isn't going to calm her. Second, it's obvious that I've been frustrated and raised my voice too many times. He's mimicking me. This isn't exactly the lesson I meant to teach my son.

I'm teaching him the same lessons each time I drive. He will pick up on all of my habits. For better or worse. Remember earlier this year when I stopped eating in the car? Well, my kids also stopped eating in the car, too. And driving down the big hill near our house...well he's learning that riding the brake isn't the best thing in the world to do. He's also learning that we stop at red lights. That we look before changing lanes. And mom talks on speaker phone while driving. In addition to the basics, there is so much more.

This time of year is usually tragic for many families. There are tons of parties and holiday celebrations and many people drinking alcohol. That makes for some dangerous roads. And yes, there are more patrols out trying to get drunk drivers off the road and keep us safe. But stories of fatal collisions continue to pile up every year. I don't want one of those stories to be about my family.

Whether your kids are with you at the party or not, it's important to teach them how to behave. Tell them how much they mean to you. Let them see you plan ahead for how you're getting home. They will learn from your example. Let them see you arrange for a designated driver. Or call for a taxi ride home. If you are staying home, open a line of communication with them about alcohol, parties, and driving. It' is safer to stay home than to be on the roads with drunks.

Set the example. The example of defensive driving habits. The example of planning ahead. The example that your actions speak so much louder than words.

Gift Card Winner

2011-12-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

Not only am I celebrating my birthday today, but I'm also celebrating because Ashley can use the $25 gift card to Advance Auto Parts that has been patiently waiting for over a year to be spent. Congratulations Ashley!

The Backing-In Project

2011-12-06T13:18:00.001-08:00

My husband has been lecturing me on the virtues of backing cars into the driveway for years. It's safer, it's easier to drive away, yada, yada, yada. I guess I've always agreed that it's a good idea, but not worth my time or energy.

Last week, I witnessed a near miss that scared me into having a change of heart. It all happened in a matter of seconds. I had parked across the street from my house to get the mail. I got out of my car and noticed my neighbor backing out of his driveway. Normally this wouldn't cause any alarm, but I also happened to notice that three children were approaching his car. Because of a hedge on my neighbor's yard, neither the kids, nor the driver saw each other. The kids were talking and laughing while walking home from school, completely oblivious to the car that was about to him them. The driver was minding his own business, backing out of his driveway, completely oblivious to the children that would appear behind his car in mere seconds. It wasn't until I screamed at the kids to stop, that they stopped in their tracks and noticed that they were about a foot away from being hit by an approaching car. The incident nearly gave me a heart attack.

Since that day, I have backed my car into the driveway every time I have come home. I have been convinced that it's just much safer. I'm not going to lie, it is more of a pain than simply pulling in and parking, but I'm getting used to it and getting better at it.

I also must add that I have noticed that my neighbor has also been backing his car in since that day.

(This isn't my car or my house, but this guy also thinks backing his car in is pretty awesome).

$25 Gift Card Giveaway

2011-12-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

Tyler: Hello! How may I help you today?

You: I have a gift card. How do I complete the online order? There doesn't seem to be a place to enter in the information.

Tyler: Gift cards are in store only

You: I live near Seattle. How can I use the gift card?

Tyler: Sorry but thats a in store item only you can only use it in a local advance store

You: Ridiculous.

Tyler: I am sorry you feel that way but it says when you buy it in store only

You: It was a gift to me...hence the name: gift card.

Tyler: Well people buy them because they think they are accepted online and never read the details

You: Perhaps you should instigate a change in the company. Every other store on the planet with gift cards accepts them for online purchases.

Tyler: Every other store just not us at this time sorry

You: Does the value of the card ever expire?

Tyler: I dont think so it should say in the front if it does but I dont see why

You: Okay. What states are you in?

Tyler: Sorry but there is not store in Washington at this time. At this time only in the east coast and Texas

You: Thanks.

Tyler: Thank you for chatting with Advance Auto Parts. Join us on FaceBook!

I want you to know that I had to work for the card in question. I got it last year at the Driving School Association of the Americas conference after I participated in a focus group for Advance Auto Parts. I was cleaning my desk today, found it and decided to go online and finally use it. How was I supposed to know its limitations?

This is what I wanted. It's only $14.99. But with $8.66 for shipping, it quickly ate up the card's value. Hmph. I didn't really want to organize my car anyway.

Give Away Rules:

1. You must live on the United States' East Coast or in Texas.

2. Leave a comment with your name and email/contact info.

3. Winner will be chosen using random.org.

Extra Entries given to those who share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site. You must come back and leave a separate comment for each time you share.

And one more thing...the deadline will be next Thursday. I will announce the winner on Friday, December 9, 2011.

Dear Local Memorials Company,

2011-11-29T16:40:00.001-08:00

The other day when I drove by your store front, your sign caught my eye. It read,

TXT N DRIVE

WE CANT WAIT

Seeing as you are in the business of making grave markers and monuments, I actually got a good laugh after reading your sign. Was it a little tacky? Yes. But, was it still funny? Absolutely. I have probably driven past your business hundreds of times and never even noticed that you were there until I read that sign.

I thought that a picture of your sign would make a great blog post, so I drove over to your business the other day to get a picture. I was slightly disappointed to see that you had changed your sign to this:

It seems that you have decided to drop the sarcasm and be a little more genuine and sensitive. I already know not to text and drive. I like the old sign better.

Sincerely,

Ammused by your old sign, not so much by your new one

Public Transportation Will Never Replace My Car

2011-11-14T14:11:00.001-08:00

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend a traffic safety conference in San Francisco with my brother and a colleague. I've always loved the Bay Area but had somewhat of a sticker shock when I found out it would cost $45 a day to park a car at our hotel on Fisherman's Wharf. Adding that to the cost of a rental car equated to us choosing to make our own adventure experience. Enter in Bay Area Rapid Transit. I actually like figuring out how I can get from point A to point B in a new city. It's like a game to me. I win if we arrive when we're supposed to. I won big on our first day when my plan to get us from the airport to the Alcatraz tour worked seamlessly.

BART is a fantastic system of trains that took us directly from the airport into downtown San Francisco. All for the low low price of $6.80. The trains and stations were clean (no food or drink allowed), schedules were convenient and no one looked scary. I brought my infant with me and each time we rode there was at least one person offered me a seat when it was crowded. Being a visitor, BART was a tremendous asset to me. But if I lived there, I know I'd never give up my car.

Top 5 Reasons Why Public Transportation

Will Never Replace My Car

1. Family Un-Friendly. Public transportation is innately not family-friendly. My baby was the one of 5 children I saw during my five train, three bus and one trolley rides. From the crowds of people to the hurry up and get on "I don't have time to wait for you" departures, keeping my brood together is extremely difficult at the grocery store. I'm pretty sure I'd end up leaving one at a station somewhere if I didn't have them strapped to me.

2. Passenger Safety. Why is it that taxis, school and city busses and other modes of public transportation don't require seat belts? It just doesn't make sense. Especially with cab drivers. Those guys drive crazy. And no, we didn't tell them why we were in town.

3. Transfers. It seems like there are very few places that you can go that are on only one line. We usually had to transfer at least once (sometimes twice) to get to where we wanted to go...and we were centrally located. It would have been so much worse if we'd been off the beaten track.

4. Time. It takes a lot of time to get somewhere when there are multiple stops before arriving at a destination. For trolleys and busses, our route time was doubled. I have to mentally put myself into a slower mindset to be okay with this. I told myself I was sightseeing as I watched the Occupy San Francisco group march down the street.

5. Convenience. I like having stuff with me. Just in case I need it. In my pockets. In my car. Where ever I am. While traveling I had to make several down-sizing adjustments to effectively manage my travel. It's okay to do once in a while. But for the majority of the time, I feel way more comfortable surrounded by my stuff.

Video Contest Winner

2011-11-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the winning video for our Summer 2011 Video Contest? If not, you need to check it out! Congrats again to our winner, Tim Harding!

Teach Your Teen: Where To Start

2011-11-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

The Look
So, your teen just got their learner's permit and they are so excited to finally be able to drive. For real this time and not just sitting in your lap as a child or backing out of the garage. You on the other hand are experiencing some trepidation and possibly are even breathing into a paper bag. I mean, your life is on the line. You've already had this conversation. So what's next?

Three Great Practice Areas
Finding the right practice area keeps your nerves calm and anxiety in check. Choose a place where there aren't too many cars are things to hit. Good practice areas act as a protection. Students learning to drive need to be shielded somewhat from the consequences of missing a stop sign and other common mistakes. Three recommendations:

1. A quiet neighborhood.
2. A large parking lot that doesn't have too many cars in it (a church on a weekday).
3. A cemetery (they have lots of little roads and you have no worries about hitting anyone since most occupants are already dead).

Each area should have very few cars or people, straight stretches of road and several intersections. The goal is to make these first sessions as comfortable as possible for both the parent and driver. Basic skills need to be perfected before moving into busier traffic situations.

First Train Your Eyes
When I first started playing basketball, I looked at the ball each time I dribbled. I got to be pretty good at it, but in games I'd dribble myself into a corner and then look up to see who was open for a pass. Most drivers start out by trying to do the same thing in the driver's seat. They look just over the hood and then wonder why they can't drive in a straight line. Or perhaps, they missed seeing a stop sign or even worse, a pedestrian. The first training item must be the driver's eyes. Just like I never made a basket by looking at my hand dribbling, a driver will never make it down the road without a collision if they are looking right over the fender. Teach your teen to raise their eyes. They must see what is 100 feet in front of the car. Vision should then be expanded to a block ahead and then several blocks ahead. Training eyes to see potential hazards well in advance improves the odds that good decisions will be made when problems arise. In addition, looking well ahead or aiming high will cure lane weaving problems, wide turns, cutting turns, parking difficulties, timing issues and more. It's pretty much the cure-all for lousy driving.

Smooth Starts and Stops
Vision cannot be improved without addressing basic driving tasks. On a straight stretch of road, new drivers can practice smooth starts and stops. Knowing how a car behaves with varying degrees of pressure on the gas and brake must be experimented with to be perfected. To stop smoothly, direct your teen to press down on the brake gently and steadily until it's about 85-90% depressed. Then lift up 5% (creating a slight hesitation) and press the brake down to the floor. It will feel smooth and keep the jolt to a minimum. When starting, hesitate when moving your foot from the brake to the gas. Let the vehicle idle a moment before gently pressing the gas. This will prevent any sudden change in movement and you won't feel so queasy.

Turning
The art of turning includes two basic parts. Hand positioning and speed. When steering, your hands should be in a balanced position (at 9 and 3 o'clock) with the thumbs up for optimal control. Whether you choose hand-over-hand or push/pull turning techniques is up to you. The wheel rotates about 3/4 of a turn to go around a 90 degree corner. Be careful to resist putting extra spin in the wheel. It will require increased effort to recover and drive straight in your new path of travel. For speed, slow down about halfway into a turn and then accelerate out. Steady pressure on the gas will help the wheel glide back to its straight position.

Skill Mastery
Keep practicing in your practice area until driving straight, stops, starts and turns are mastered. Having confidence in your teens abilities to perform basic maneuvers will help you keep you at ease when you progress to busier driving.

Trouble Shooting
If you are unsure of a good practice area near your home, call your local driving school and ask them where they practice with their students. Drive your teen to that area and then practice the basics above.

Traffic Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treating

2011-10-28T16:07:00.001-07:00

Traffic safety on Halloween hits especially close to home for me. A couple of years ago, my niece and some of her friends were hit by a passing car while trick-or-treating. Luckily, everybody is okay now, but there were quite a few injuries, some of which were very serious.

Trick-or-treating is fun, but can be dangerous if we don't take the proper precautions. This is especially the case here in Washington where many neighborhoods don't have sidewalks.

The CDC has come up with this list of safety tips for trick-or-treaters.

While, they're all important, I'd like to focus on the one relevant to traffic safety:

* Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.

*Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.

*Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.

*Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!!

Drivers' Ed Is Dead

2011-10-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was hooked at first sight! "Drivers' Ed Is Dead" by Pat Delgado immediately piqued my curiosity when I happened upon it while on Amazon one afternoon. I had to buy it.

It's a short and fun read about two boys who signed up to take driver's ed in high school but the class was cancelled and replaced by a business course. For them, what started out as a class project ended up as a real life business when they opened their own driving school.

My review: I enjoyed this tale on a few different levels.
1. Teenage boys learning how to be responsible always nets a positive review.
2. Building interpersonal relationships with those in different generations brings blessings to all involved.
3. Imagining a teen teaching another teen how to drive makes me chuckle. Out loud.

My only complaint may not be an issue for you. As a driving instructor and school owner, I find it hard to believe that Ms. Delgado, a school teacher, doesn't address any State regulations regarding driving schools. Specifically, licensed instructors and an approved curriculum as well as school records. They only had to get a business license. What makes it better is that with their grand opening money, they had to account for their expenses before taking home any money. And that's a good business practice that many failed businesses never learn.

I did have one more problem. The target audience for the book is teenage boys yet the graphics on the cover and inside illustrations would appeal to my grandmother.

Traffic Law Myth Busted

2011-10-12T22:24:00.001-07:00

Did you know that it's against the law to eat a lollipop or paint polka dots on the American flag in Washington? Oh, and you can forget about buying any more meat on Sunday. Supposedly, anyway.

We've all heard rumours about these types of "crazy laws" that are still somehow on "the books." While I think these laws are comical, ridiculous, and entertaining to hear about, I find myself wondering if they're really still in existence, or if they ever were.

I recently saw this ridiculous Washington law cited all over the internet:

All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.

Really? So, we're all supposed to be driving 2 miles per hour everywhere? Yikes.

Well, if this law happens to actually still be in existence, it's obviously not enforced. I don't recall ever being pulled over for not having a man carrying a red flag in front of me. But, as far as I can tell, it's not still in existence. Not one of the internet sources citing this supposed law cites a corresponding RCW (Revised Code of Washington) to support it.

RCW Title 46 deals with Motor Vehicles. Only one law (RCW 46.37.440) mentions flags and lanterns, but is there any mention of any man preceding any vehicle? Nope. This particular law only says that flags and lanterns must be carried in trucks in case of emergencies.

You can sleep easy now. I'm fairly certain that you won't be pulled over for not having a man fifty feet in front of you with a red flag/lantern. Phew.

Teach Your Teen: You Have Control

2011-10-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

I like driving with teens. I like teaching them a skill and working on it for a bit and seeing them improve. It's amazing what an hour of concentrated practice can do.

My friend Diane expressed concern not too many months back about her daughter learning to drive. It's the worst part of having a teen. We're in different stages of life. Her children are in their teens and 20s. Mine are young (the oldest is almost 8). I asked her if she'd like to trade kids with me. Just for a few days. A week, tops. She's got a good memory, though, and didn't want to step back into the world of potty training and coloring on the walls.

One thing that I've only done on a couple occasions, is to ride with a new driver without my passenger-side foot brake. With it, I'm calm and assured. Without it, I get really nervous. Teens are notorious for doing random and unexpected maneuvers while driving. Gas/brake confusion is really distressing. Turning left in front of on-coming cars or lane changing into another vehicle are just as bad. And as I remember these situations, I begin to understand Diane's less than enthusiastic attitude about teen drivers. Aside from about 6-8 formal driving lessons, parents provide most of the practice time with their new drivers. And that can be terrifying.

Before driving with your teen, have the following conversation:

You: When I say stop, you stop. Do not ask questions. Just do it. We'll talk about the why when it's safe.
Teen: Okay (Or something in the affirmative. If the response is less than 100% obedience, your teen may lack the maturity to learn to drive right now. A little time and a lot of walking usually cure this.)

Do not fear. You have a lot of control when your son or daughter is driving. Or at least more than you realize. In addition to this initial warning, you may want to discuss the following so that your child knows what to expect out of you.

You will be calm and give instructions well in advance.
You will be sitting in a ready position to take control of the vehicle if necessary.
The steering wheel is not sacred ground. You may be guiding it if there needs to be a minor course adjustment.
If there are gas/brake issues, they may feel you grab their knee to lift their foot off the gas or brake.
In an emergency, you may pull up on the parking brake.
In an emergency, you may shift into neutral.
In an emergency, you may turn off the car.

Use this list of controls wisely and in moderation. You can avoid most of them by not putting your child in a driving situation beyond their abilities. Excessive stimulation from the radio, traffic, siblings in the car or new places usually translates into potential danger. You can do this. The more effort you put into practicing specific skills with your child, the better driver they will become.

Think before you drink and drive

2011-09-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

I went with my little family and some friends to the Puyallup Fair last week. We had a great time. We took our kids on rides,visited the petting zoo, ate corn-on-the-cob, bbq, and cotton candy, and enoyed the atmosphere you only experience at a fair.

On our way out, we saw this car (or what's left of it) by the exit:

As you can tell from the picture, the car hardly even looks like a car anymore. When I looked up close, I couldn't believe how compact the inside had become.

The remains of the car were next to a giant poster board detailing the life of Sam Stephens, a young man who was killed by a drunk driver in a head-on collision. The poster detailed aspects of Sam's life. He was engaged to be married just two weeks after the collision. My heart aches for his fiance, his family, and his friends.

More Effective

2011-09-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to do a presentation yesterday at the Department of Licensing's annual Fall Conference for traffic safety instructors. It was pretty nerve-racking for me. Even though I have had little to no trouble standing in front of a group and speaking since I was a kid, this time was different for me. The auditorium was filled with 150 of my peers and DOL staff over traffic safety. I had my newborn daughter with me and we sat in the back before it was my turn to present. Half the people I saw in back had their phones out and were playing games.

I'm usually not a high-stress teacher. I don't have a lot of expectations for my audiences. Just that I like them to be awake. All of them. Including the one who only got a few hours of sleep the night before. I am relieved to report that although the first couple of minutes were awkward for me, the remainder of the presentation was fantastic...and even fun.

Humorous videos are more effective in getting a message across than lecture.

Having teams build a case and debate against each other in traffic court is more effective than lecture.

Getting out your phone to see how fast you can text, figuring out how far your car travels during that time and then watching this movie is far more effective than the best lecture in the world.

Even if you think you're the best speaker in the world, with the best subject ever, you will be cutting your sphere of influence short if you rely on lecture instead of engaging your listener.

Move it or lose it

2011-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, while on my way to work, I had one of the scariest driving experiences I've ever had. I was driving down I-5, going about 64 MPH, when I noticed that the car in the lane to the right of me was approaching me from behind, and getting dangerously close to the dividing line. I wasn't in the car's blind spot, so I assumed that the driver was simply getting too close to the line, would realize his mistake, and move back over. I honked my horn (over and over) to let the driver know that I was directly next to him in the lane he was trying to get into. Instead of getting back into his own lane, he continued to just move on over. Out of pure instinct, I moved over into the HOV lane to avoid an accident (screaming in fear all the while), barely missing the car and barely missing another car driving in the HOV lane.

Once the near-accident was over, I looked over at the car to see a very elderly man driving. A man who obviously should not still be allowed to drive. He didn't appear shaken up or apologetic in the least. In fact, I don't even think he realized what he had just done. I'm pretty sure he was completely oblivious of every other car on the road. I was really shaken up. It was the closest I have ever been to a serious accident and I can't explain how angry I was with this driver. I got his license plate and seriously considered reporting him to the police for reckless driving.

After this experience, I was curious to find out what procedures we have here in Washington to ensure that senior drivers are still qualified and capable of driving. I was surprised to discover that Washington does not require more frequent renewals or have any special requirements for senior drivers. This means that seniors only need to renew their licenses every 5 years without taking any additional tests unless somebody at the DOL deems it necessary. Really?? I respect my elders and don't think their privilege to drive should be taken away unnecessarily, but we all know that older drivers cause a disproportionate amount of accidents. Shouldn't we be making sure that they are still capable of driving before renewing their licenses? Shouldn't we consider the safety of not only the older drivers, but also all the other drivers out there?

I did read online that after age 65, a person must renew his license in person and pass a vision test. (Phew, at least we're doing something). However, I could not find any regulation to back that up and could not get through to the DOL to have them confirm it. (I waited on hold for 35 minutes and finally gave up.) Do any of you know if that's really the case?

Some state require an accelerated renewal (more frequent renewals than the standard), additional tests, physician's certification, etc. What do you think is appropriate?

School Busses: Should I Stop and Wait?

2011-09-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

For the past two years Jett has dreamed of riding a school bus with his older brothers. Some days the chatter has been non-stop.

Luckily, dreams really do come true. If only my dreams of teleportation were so easily fulfilled!

But since I won't just be appearing wherever I need to go, it looks like transportation is in my life for the long haul. And as convenient as school busses are for me to get my kids to school, I still don't like it when I'm stuck behind one in traffic. Then my mind starts to twist what I know about right of way laws and school busses. Looking for ways to justify me getting around the bus and on my way.

Look at this next photo. I came across a scene very similar to this (with a real bus) not too long ago. I stopped at the stop sign.

Question: Should I wait? Or turn since the students won't cross my path?

The Washington State Driver Guide states:

You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road or at an intersection you are approaching. You are not required to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing when the stopped school bus is traveling in the opposite direction and the roadway:

- has three or more marked traffic lanes,
- is separated by a median, or
- is separated by a physical barrier.

After the school bus red lights have stopped flashing, watch for children along the side of the road and do not proceed until they have completely left the roadway. (Page 42)

Answer: Yup, I gotta wait, even though I'm pretty sure that a school bus shouldn't be stopping in the middle of an intersection. Ugh!

Your Future Car

2011-08-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing we're not too close to having the technology to be travelling around in Jetson-mobiles in the near future, but according to MSN Autos, our cars are going to come a very long way in the upcoming years. By 2020, MSN Autos predicts that our cars will have the following features:

1. Warnings Galore, including collision-mitigation systems that warn you when you are getting too close to other objects/cars. I could have used that ten years ago when I backed my dad's car into a pole. Ooops.

2. Eyes All Around, meaning rear view cameras in every car. I can see how this could be helpful, but I don't think I could rely on a camera instead of my own two eyes when backing up.

3. Pedestrian Detection and Night Vision. A pedestrian detection system apparently brings your car to a full stop if it detects a pedestrian in your path. I just hope that cars don't think they're smarter than us. I don't want to be stopping every time there's a pedestrian walking along the sidewalk or waiting on the corner to cross the street.

4. Easy Cruising, including adaptive cruise control that prevents you from getting too close to the vehicle in front of you. Good bye, tailgating!

5. Vehicle-to-vehicle Communication. Isn't this what cell phones are for? Apparently, not. This type of communication allows vehicles to talk to each other to avoid collisions.

6. A better way to connect. Easier blue tooth options could be very helpful. I always opt for speaker phone while in the car instead of trying to figure out how to use my blue tooth earpiece while on the road.

7. App central. Really? Talk about distracted driving. People have enough distractions. Adding the availability of apps, including Facebook and Twitter, to a car's dash sounds disastrously dangerous to me.

8. Fuel-sipper tech. Sounds great and all, except the part about adding $10,000 to the price of a new car. Yikes!

9. Advanced engines. No surprise there.

10. Exotic materials, to reduce weight and meet higher mileage standards.

All in all, the new, advanced features sound exciting and helpful, but I think I'd like to pass on a few of them.

Original MSN Autos article: 10 Things Your Car Will Have By 2020

Stupid or Not? Driving With Your Foot Out the Window

2011-08-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

My friend called me up the other day and asked me a question I've never heard before. "Is it legal to drive with your foot out the window?' I didn't know what to say to her. "Uh. Um. Well, I don't think it's illegal," I replied.

My gut reaction paralleled my friend's assessment that it's dangerous to drive with a foot out the window. It seems like it would limit vehicle control. Especially in an emergency. And it looks stupid. Only idiots drive this way, as referenced by the YouTube clip above (as well as numerous other videos posted online),

And after the manner of said idiot, I tried it out this afternoon. I live in the county with very few cars around...the perfect place for such an experiment. I drove to the grocery store, about ten minutes in each direction. Now that I'm in the know (20 minutes worth), I'd like to share my experience with you.

Driving with my foot out the window.

Is it comfortable? The best part was having the breeze go through my toes. It was a fantastic feeling that I really like. Another plus is that feels nice to use your leg as an arm rest. There's a little notch for my elbow below my knee. Arriving at my destination, it was obvious that my leg had been in a new position since my muscles were slightly sore. I walked it off though in the produce section at the market. Bottom line, it's comfortable. However, I think having two feet on the floor is more comfortable.

Is it physically awkward? Pick your vehicle carefully. I'm 5'7" and flexible. My foot just wasn't going to go out the window of my SUV. However, I was successful with our small car. It's surprisingly not that awkward...though I need my hands to pull my leg to the window once I'm seated in the car. So that part is a little awkward.

How do others look at you? As far as I noticed, no other driver I encountered looked twice at me with my foot out the window. But I was certainly self-conscious! Traffic was mostly all on-coming but had I been on the freeway, I'm sure I would have gotten more looks. Also, as you can see in the photo above, my leg isn't nearly long enough to rest along the full length of the window. So I'm not sure how visible my foot actually was.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I didn't drive in my neighborhood with my foot out the window. Nor did I when I got into town and in the store parking lot. If someone I know saw me, I'd be thoroughly embarrassed and would understand if they had second thoughts about bringing their kids to our driving school.

How's vehicle control? Surprisingly, it's pretty good. I didn't have any issues driving around curves, making right or left turns, and lane changing. The only issue I had was checking my blind spots. I didn't have my usual full range of motion on head checks. Although I adjusted for that easily enough.

Is it dangerous? I didn't test handling or control during any emergency procedures or evasive actions, but will have my brother do that the next time he does skid training. For now, I think if you have long legs, are flexible, and are an experienced driver. you will probably be fine driving with your foot out the window. I still prefer both of my feet on the floor, though.

What do you think? Is it dangerous or not? I want to know if you've driven with a foot out the window before. If so, please weigh in with your thoughts on the questions above.

Is your child safely secured?

2011-08-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

As a mother of a 14-month-old, I understand the difficulty of wading through all the information, instructions, reviews, and opinions about child car seats. My husband and I kept our son in an infant seat until a couple of weeks ago simply because it seemed like too much of a hassle to figure out how to install the new one we had gotten for him. I resolved to make the switch after realizing that he was more than two inches taller than the height maximum on the infant seat. Not to mention that his legs were looking more than a little cramped. I had assumed that he still "fit" the infant seat because he weighed much less than the maximum weight allowed. As I pulled the new car seat out, I was immediately overwhelmed by the number of straps and contraptions attached to it. I finally got it installed, thankfully.

With child car seats on my mind, I was quite alarmed to learn recently that according to a study performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 70% of children are in seats that are either inappropriate for the child or are incorrectly installed, while 95% of parents think their child is safely secured. That being said, and in light of the upcoming Child Passenger Safety Week (September 18-24), maybe we should all be asking if our children are in the right seats and whether those seats have been installed correctly.

The NHTSA provides a wealth of information to help us keep our children safe, including car seat recommendations for children of all ages, current child seat laws for every state, and information about Child Passenger Safety Week. Visit their website by clicking here.

As part of Child Safety Passenger Week, on Saturday, September 24, certified child passenger safety technicians will be available to inspect car seats and provide advice free of charge. Click here to find your nearest inspection station.

Summer 2011 Video Contest

2011-08-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Fresh squeeze your creative juices in the last month of our summer video contest. Whether you film the "I just got my license" happy dance or the "oh no, ____ is on the road" jitters, we want to see your license celebration! Complete the following entry form and submit it with your video for a chance to win an iPad or a pocket full of money.

"Teen Body Bag" PSA

2011-08-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Anti-texting while driving public service announcements usually focus on the gore of a collision or the emotional factor of killing someone. But these two are different. They are clean despite their titles. There are no tugs on your heart strings. No lectures. No blood. And most importantly, they have me smiling every time I watch them. "I knew she liked me." See for yourself. And don't text and drive. Ever.

Wired's Feedback Loop

2011-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Wired Magazine captivates me every month with some of the most random articles about various technologies that I never knew I was so interested in. As I was reading the July 2011 issue, I found myself fascinated with an article about feedback loops and how our brains work (by Thomas Goetz) . . . and the coolest part was that it linked itself to drivers and Your Speed signs.

In the portion about drivers, the basic premise is that drivers slow down an average of 10% when they compare their speed to the speed limit. Ten percent may not seem like a lot but in some problem areas that makes the difference between a crash being injury-only or having fatalities.

The following diagram was presented in the article (which I highly recommend that you read) as a way of positive reinforcement for driving the speed limit.

1 EvidenceThe radar-equipped sign flashes a car’s current speed.First comes the data—quantifying a behavior and presenting that data back to the individual so they know where they stand. After all, you can’t change what you don’t measure.

2 RelevanceThe sign also displays the legal speed limit—most people don’t want to be seen as bad drivers.Data is just digits unless it hits home. Through information design, social context, or some other proxy for meaning, the right incentive will transform rational information into an emotional imperative.

3 ConsequencesPeople are reminded of the downside of speeding, including traffic tickets and the risk of accidents.Even compelling information is useless unless it ties into some larger goal or purpose. People must have a sense of what to do with the information and any opportunities they will have to act on it.

4 ActionDrivers slow an average of 10 percent—usually for several miles.The individual has to engage with all of the above and act—thus closing the loop and allowing that new action to be measured.

It got me thinking about the Your Speed signs in my area and how pure my motivation for seeing my speed match the sign really is. I'm always relieved when I'm out of the radar's view. I don't feel watched and analyzed anymore. And when I see that the the car behind me is going faster than me, a smile forms on my face. I'm safe. If a police officer were around then he'd pull over the other guy. I'm not sure that's exactly the point Mr. Goetz was trying to make, but I think that's my motivation for compliance.

I drive at speeds that are safe and reasonable. Most of the time, I agree with the speed limits that have been set. That said, sometimes I disagree. And what I consider safe is not always what the speed limit setter thinks is safe.

For example, there is a stretch of county road near my house that I drive almost every day with the posted limit as 25 miles per hour. There are only a handful of homes on it and a few businesses, which are all set back at 50+ feet from the road and there are no sidewalks. Visibility is high and very open. As such, I believe the speed limit should be set at 35 mph. Because of a strong inclination to go faster, it takes major concentration on my part to cap my speed at 25 mph. My discomfort increases as tailgaters (everyone in back of me) pile up. And the pressure gets more intense to increase speed. I don't want to be that driver who holds everyone up.

So, now I'm wondering, just like Your Speed signs help slow down drivers, would they also have the ability to help me feel justified for obeying the limit when seemingly no one else is?

Small Town Signage

2011-05-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day weekend, we went camping in Winthrop, a small town in Eastern Washington. I found three signs there that amuse me. Two because they are cute (Dear Xing and Whoa). One because it's oddly phrased (Hill Blocks View). My husband looked at the sign and commented about it. I laughed because the technical term for the warning sign is "limited sight distance". Unfortunately, it's not a sign we see often enough...especially living in an area with so many hills and curves and natural blind spots.

"One Of Those Times"

2011-05-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to go to a conference for women at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. One of the speakers, Dean Hughes, told fantastic stories about about driving, how we perceive our own driving skills with those of others, and deciding now how we will respond when someone does something to upset us (like driving 25mph in a 25mph zone). His main points are in bold.

Everyone drives lousy sometimes. I am reminded of a time my husband and I were in Southern California visiting a friend at Lake Arrowhead. We were trying to get on the right freeway to San Diego and that particular stretch of roadway seemed to have half a dozen different freeways crossing paths. It was confusing to say the least. We were two or three miles away from where our exit was supposed to be when we started noticing cars in the right lane slowing down. We of course went right on by. No need to get caught up in whatever that slow down was.

Unfortunately, we realized too late that the queue was for our exit. Fortunately, we'd rented a car (which happened to have Georgia plates on it) and a kind soul took pity on us out-of-towners and let us in...after several unkind ones had made it clear we were not going to cut in front of them.

We felt dumb. We should have anticipated the line up was for our exit. We didn't. And we weren't trying to cut. But we did. And the truth of Dean's statement that we all cut off someone sometimes rang true to me.

Most drivers (76%) think their driving skills are above average. If we were really all that good then we wouldn't have near the number of collisions and mishaps that we do. Research has shown that this false optimism about our own driving skills increases the likelihood that we'll make risky driving decisions...because after all, our skills can handle it. Ha ha. The truth is that the vast majority of us are average drivers.

Our response is important to our thoughts and sense of self. Sometimes, I call other drivers names relating to their lack of intelligence because they did something dangerous. And occasionally if the offense was particularly bone-headed, I ask them (as if they can hear me) what driving school they went to (gasp!) or if they'd like my card. - ha ha. Except I'm usually not joking. When I judge others harshly, I am elevating my driving skills above theirs...which may not be an accurate portrayal of our regular driving behaviors. It's healthier, both mentally and physically, to be truthful to myself. I should abstain from making a personal attack (name calling) and instead feel grateful that I had enough time and space to appropriately handle the situation.

When a driver does something wrong, it's important to remember that perhaps "this is one of those times". One of those times when the other guy may be rushing to the hospital to say goodbye to a dying brother. Or one of those times when someone needs to get to their wife who's in labor. Or one of those times when someone's alarm didn't go off and they are rushing to catch a plane.

Dean Hughes also asked us the question if we'd ever berated someone's driving and later realize that we personally know that person. Ha ha. Yes, that's happened to me. More than once. At that point, thoughts leave the offense and move to what may actually be going on with the driver (like a new baby may be screaming or their daughter is getting married in the afternoon and they are probably rushing to get the preparations in order).

There are plenty of reasons why someone may temporarily drive poorly. When we give people the benefit of the doubt, we defuse a potentially volatile situation and keep our emotions in check. We don't have to let someone's bad driving ruin our day. Our positive and forgiving response can be emotionally liberating.

So next time we're upset at the way someone drives, let's calm ourselves down by verbalizing that this may be one of those times.

Humor

2011-04-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

I came across this joke today and laughed then sighed. Mainly because it's so true. I am reminded of the time I took my grandmother to renew her license. It wasn't until she told the licensing officer that she'd never lost consciousness (she'd had a couple of strokes) that I began to comprehend how much the ability to drive is linked to an elderly person's sense of self and independence.

A group of retirees were discussing their medical problems at the Senior Center over coffee one morning.

"Do you realize," said one, "My arm is so weak I can hardly hold this coffee cup."

"Yes, I know." replied the second, "My cataracts are so bad I can't see to pour the coffee."

"I can't turn my head," rejoined the third, "because of the arthritis in my neck."

"My blood pressure pills make my dizzy," commented the fourth, adding, "I guess that's the price we pay for getting old."

"Let's look at the bright side," piped up the first, "We should be thankful that we can still drive." -submitted to Guy-Sports.com.

And unrelated to the first, this one made me laugh on a few different levels:

I tell you, women drivers are a hazard to traffic. Driving to work this morning on the freeway, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a red Mustang doing 85 miles per hour with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner!

I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane.

It scared me so bad I dropped my electric shaver in my coffee, and it spilled all over my cell phone! - submitted to Bulterwebs.com.

I'd love to hear your driving jokes. Please share!

Traffic Calming Device

2011-04-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this sign yesterday and my curiosity got the best of me. I had to know what a traffic calming device was and made a little detour on my route just to go down this road. Imagine my surprise when I didn't find classical music being broadcast for all to hear, but instead it was just a warning sign for some speed bumps ahead. Ha ha ha. Funny sign.

Traffic calming device sign.

"Concerned Motorist"

2011-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Concerned Motorist,

Thank you for notifying the authorities about my alleged HOV infraction. I'm not even upset. I'm impressed. I imagine you thought of me as the type of person who throws caution to the wind and drives on the wild side. It's nice to be thought of that way, even if misguided. Ahhh, to be so young again!

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/

I do have a question though, how did you miss my four children in the back? Or did you think that they were part of my cover? It's a good idea, really. I should invest in blow up dolls to sit in my kids' car seats. I'd even turn on the rear entertainment system to complete the effect. Then I'd get all the benefits of the carpool lane without any of the back seat bickering that usually accompanies it.

WSP HOV Infraction Notice

I wonder if the Washington State Patrol would facilitate mailing you a "not a ticket infraction"? Like you, I am a concerned motorist. I believe it's time for you to have your eyes checked. The WSP probably also has a brochure they could send you about the 20/40 vision requirement to drive legally...but I'm sure you already knew that. Maybe they also have a brochure on tattling that they could throw in...

~~Maybe~~ I'm being judgmental. I'm sure you thought you were doing the right thing.

Sincerely,
Bridget
(The lady with lots of kids and tinted windows.)

From Rain to Hydroplane

2011-03-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Though it rains in Western Washington a lot, there isn't usually a problem with hydroplaning...probably because it's usually just drizzle. We've had a few exceptions to the norm this year, though. It's just after 5pm and it's been raining all day today. It was raining when I went to bed last night and has been going non-stop all day. As a result, there is standing water on the roadways. I'd like to think that modern engineering would have solved this problem and the rain would naturally run off, and to a large degree it works, but it hasn't eliminated the problem and hydroplaning still occurs.

So what should you do when your vehicle turns into a pair of water skis and rides up on top of the water? Follow these three points:

Have both hands on the wheel in a balanced hand position. That means the hands are in the 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 o'clock positions. Not so much 10 and 4. This will allow you maximum control of steering.
Let off the gas. Slow down without braking. This will help your wheels sink to the pavement and gain traction without getting water in the brakes. It's just like slowing a ski boat will help a skier sink into the water.
Increase your following distance and keep a large space cushion around your vehicle.

Be Safe and Happy Driving!

A New View

2011-03-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

When I was seven I got glasses. It was a life changing experience for me as the world opened up right in front of me. My first impression was, "wow, I can see the leaves on the trees." They had been green blobs before. Now they were crystal clear and precise. My parents never had to remind me to wear my glasses. I wanted to.

Yesterday, I took my Pilot into the dealership for an oil change and to check on a couple of items. I thought they were simple fixes...it turns out only one of them was. My rear wiper hasn't been working for a few months. Since I wasn't raised with vehicles that had rear wipers, I didn't think it was a big deal not to have one. But I did notice things were a bit hazy checking my rear view mirror. We've had a lot of rain, spray, snow, slush, etc. on the roads this winter and it gets so discouraging to wash the car only to drive it once and the dirt mounds up again. So, most often I just live with the dirt. For a month at a time. Or two. Sometimes three.

When a not-so-easy, pull out the seats and dash problem made it impossible to take my car home, the dealer gave me a rental car until they could isolate the problem and then fix it. My first impression driving a new car? I could see clearly out that back window. Like going from an impressionistic painting to a sharp photographic image clear. A whole new traffic scene emerged and I was vividly reminded of my childhood experience getting glasses.

I'm going back to the dealer this afternoon to get my car back. Tightening one bolt fixed the wiper. So simple. And I have a renewed sense of importance for keeping that back window clean.

Safe Driving Fine Arts Contest WINNERS!

2011-03-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that we have winners for our fine arts contest that was announced last fall. Thank you so much to all those who entered. I loved seeing the creativity. WELL DONE! About the the winning entries ... I'm a little surprised that they all happen to be photographs. I was pulling for a great limerick but alas, none entered. Maybe next time we will have to specifically hold a limerick contest if that's what I really want. Ha ha.

The winning entries had on average double the number of peer votes on Facebook as the others. I think these guys waged a massive campaign with their buddies to get the vote out. Of course, it also helps that they are still in high school and have a large social network.

In THIRD place,

Anthony Bermudez with "Check One"

and a $75 prize:

In SECOND place,

Daniel Lam with "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Unsafe"

and a $125 prize:

In FIRST place,

Barjinder Singh with "Safe Driving State of Mind"

and a $250 prize:

The Forever Clause Week 4

2011-02-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

Before it slips my mind. I must tell you that today is important! It's the deadline to get your Safe Driving Fine Art Contest submission sent in. I've seen a few of the entries and am looking forward to seeing the rest before they appear on Facebook for peer voting.

Now, back to the Forever Clause...I thought I was doing well this past week. But if I break it down, I see that it wasn't that great. We live on a huge hill. Super steep. It snowed this past week and my husband took the vehicle that I normally drive to work and school since it has 4 wheel drive and I was home with the kids for snow days. So I was actually only driving on 4 days. I found myself excited with yellow lights and downing trail mix while waiting for the red to change. Oh the justification! It's terrible. I was admitting to myself that I didn't even like this goal. I reasoned that I'd throw up if I didn't eat something soon. For the first time EVER, I was disappointed when intersections had green lights. And there were a lot of them. Usually, I seem to always get the red ones.

Yesterday, I embarked on a 15 minute drive home with some trail mix next to me. I drove to the highway, got on, got off and was on another road 7 minutes into my trip before I realized that I was even snacking on that mix. This goal, which has been on the forefront of my mind lately, was totally forgotten. Wow.

There is a big part of me that is grateful that today is the end of this clause. Then I will eat again guilt-free. It won't be like before, though. I like eating meals at home. I like arriving places early because I planned on NOT eating in my car. I just want my snacks back. To keep me alert for long drives...and short ones.

Off Road Adventure

2011-02-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Don't be like one of my neighbors. Snow and ice can be super slick and it can be hard to make a turn sometimes. Thankfully they didn't go over the side of the hill and hopefully their car has minimal damage.

Slush Sounds

2011-02-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

Gently falling snow
Bathes the world in white
With the sunlight shining through
Everything is bright.

Cars on the road
Make dingy melting snow
Temporary streams
Flow everywhere I go.

Crunch crunch split splat
Rat-a-tat-tat
Driving on slush
Sounds cool like that.

Now it's your turn: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=460963437822&set=o.128770697179029&theater.
.

It's Doodle Time!

2011-02-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Our Fine Arts Contest is ending. In one week. I've seen several of your doodles and drawings and cartoons over the years. They're pretty good. You made them while listening to your teacher. They started out simple and then got complex. The ones on your workbook cover turned ornate. Submit them today! Your chance of winning a prize is ~~good~~ really good. I believe in you. In your creativity. In the quality of your work. All you need to do is submit your stuff. Seriously. Do it. Today.

Artsy Smartsy Regards,
Bridget

The Forever Clause Week Three

2011-02-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

Justifications have set in this week. If I'm waiting for a train, it's okay to have a snack...right? I mean the car isn't moving. In fact it's in park. The problem is that the same thoughts were entertained at stop lights. I can see the downward spiral now.

The biggest benefit from not eating while driving this week has definitely been that I am on time (or even early-gasp!) for my appointments. Usually, I try to put too many things in my schedule with the notion that I can eat on the road. Well since that is no longer an option for me, I'm a little less busy and have cut down on rushing around. I haven't cut out any necessary activities, though. I like that. My time has become a little more valuable to me.

The Forever Clause Week Two

2011-02-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

This week was really hard for me. And by really, I mean completely. Every time I got in the car I needed to put something in my mouth. I've been doing well getting ready to leave the house and getting meals prepared an hour before it's time to leave. But I still want to snack in the car. Like a lot. For the most part I was true to my goal and didn't eat anything. I did drink water. And that was helpful. The one time I did eat I was coming from a doctor's appointment to pick up my kids from school. The appointment was supposed to be one hour. It ended up being three and a half. I had to get my kids and I couldn't drive without eating because I was nauseas from waiting a couple of extra hours already.

What I am noticing is that I look at driving as dead or wasted time. I don't need to concentrate to drive. It's not a stressful activity like it is for many new drivers. I gather more information in a shorter amount of time than a new driver. As a consequence, good or bad, I need to fill the void in my mental alertness while driving with something to keep me engaged. Many times I do that through listening to the news and radio talk shows. Sometimes, I listen to books on tape. Often I turn everything off and have silent time and meditate. When my kids are in the car and ask me to go when stopped at a red lights, we talk about rules of the road and why I shouldn't rear-end the car in front of me just so we can "go" or why I can't pass the school bus we happen to be following and stopping for every 6 houses. I also teach my children where my eyes are looking and what kind of potential hazards they are searching for. Teaching my children is the most valuable way I can use my time while driving. However, their attention span is short and I often only get in one mini-lesson before the moment is gone.

Bar none, my favorite ways to engage my mind and make use of driving time are making phone calls I didn't have time to do at home/work and eating. I think that's why this challenge is so hard for me. It cuts to the core and has me wondering whether or not it's worth turning off all distractions in order to drive. Has the driving task become so automatic that my mind would just check out?

The Forever Clause Week One

2011-02-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

This past week I have been 100% successful about not eating while driving. I should also tell you that I did not drive more than about 50 miles all week. My toddler is learning to use the toilet and it was better for us to be home. The few times I was driving, it was hard to not munch on something. I found myself getting bored with the driving process. Luckily, my trips were 10 to 15 minutes long and so they weren't long enough for me to get sleepy and mentally check out. It is something that concerns me however and something that I will need to watch. Especially with my 45 minute commute to work this morning. Hopefully, NPR will keep me mentally engaged...but that means I've got to get out of the house quickly since there is only a half hour left of their morning edition show.

The Forever Clause

2011-01-31T12:41:00.000-08:00

The idea of what resolutions are just hit me. Beyond goal-setting, they are trying out solutions to problems again. The again part is what sticks out the most to me. Deep down (and sometimes on a more surface level) I know what my issues are. I've been determined to change my habitual behaviors before. I give a little bit of thought to changing X and a couple of days later I've forgotten all about my goal.

Recently, I attended a class that discussed goal setting. An idea that was discussed was that each goal should have a beginning and an ending date. A siren in my head went off. Ding ding ding! Yes, I get it! Most of my goals have this unwritten but well understood forever clause in them. And forever is a long time to change a behavior. It's so long that subconsciously knowing that I want to change X permanently sets me up for failure. Having an end point however gives me something to build upon. If I can do (or not do) something for 3 days or a week then the next time I resolve to do it then I can increase my time up to one month. And then one year. And then it's a habit and no need to set a goal again. It's a part of me.

Last year, I took the challenge to not use my phone while driving for one month. It was painful. And I think that month was the slowest of my life. I was largely successful with only a couple of mess-ups. Now, several months later, I use my phone occasionally while driving but in the speaker setting rather than to my ear. But what has really changed is the overall number of times I feel I actually need to talk to people. In general I've curbed the behavior tremendously.

But somehow I missed the entire point of my goal. It wasn't to stop using my phone. It was to stop distracted driving. And though I can't curb every distraction (a backseat full of kids adds quite a bit), there is still much I can do.

My new resolution: Eat at home.

Start date: February 1, 2011

End date: February 28, 2011

Steps to accomplish the goal:
1. Have meals prepared one hour prior to needing to walk out the door.
2. Start loading in the car (finding everyone's shoes) 15 minutes before leaving.

Now, you may be thinking, "what's this got to do with driving?" Well, if I make time to eat at home then I won't eat in the car. My kids will also eat at home. And I won't need to pass them snacks. (Tossing a sandwich or an apple into the 3rd row usually equates to rumble strip vibrations.) I think there will be a side benefit, too. If we made time to eat at home, then we also made plans to get to wherever we're going on time and won't be in a hurry to get anywhere. And rushing around leads to all sorts of bad driving behaviors.

It's a simple plan. Only two steps. Lots of benefits - driving and otherwise. I hope I'm not in for another longest-month-of-my-life.

Snow Glorious Snow

2010-11-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning when the snowflakes started falling, I decided that it was time to go out and get all of the food I needed to be prepared for the influx of family that are coming to our house for Thanksgiving. The lines for gas were a little long, but not terrible. I checked in with my office in the afternoon and reported on the weather in my area. About an hour later as I was leaving another store, the weather had turned and it seemed to me like this wasn't a snow is pretty much the same as rain situation. It was sticking and the traffic reports in the entire region were discouraging. Entire freeways and highways were blocked from collisions and spin outs. And the roads in my area were quickly deteriorating.

When we moved to our current home up a huge hill (at least a half mile of incline and then some leveling and then a little more incline), we didn't realize that 4 wheel drive was a prerequisite for living here. We were lucky to have such a vehicle and ended up shuttling many of our Christmas guests up our hill so they could spend the day with us. So, when we were in the market for another vehicle last year having 4x4 capabilities was high on our needs list.

Coming home on Monday, I gave the little car in front of me ample space and time to get up our hill. Sadly, he wasn't going to make it and joined about a dozen other cars parked at the bottom of the hill. My rowdy kids were fighting in the back and I threatened them to be quiet. We talked about these other vehicles. And that I needed to concentrate. I couldn't be thinking about them and the backseat drama. I passed that car and made it safely and easily up the hill and home.

Ah, the joys of having the right equipment at the right time! And the joys of being forced to take a snow break and slowing down. I haven't left the house in two days. I kind of want to get out. But then when I see the ill-equipped drivers and vehicles on the news who are sliding into each other I am grateful that I don't have to go out. Why is it that we can't drive in the snow? The Seattle Times has a great article that sums up several of the reasons. I think reasons 1 through 4 are valid. And number 5 is spot on. Our worst problems aren't lousy tires or traction control, it's the drivers who start sliding and instead of looking at where they want to go, they focus on what not to hit and that big ditch. And where do we end up? Sliding into other cars on an otherwise empty street and going right off the road. If you are in a skid, look where you want to go and get both hands on the wheel and work to get there. Do not give up! You can still positively affect your outcome.

Law Enforcement Rant

2010-11-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

This morning started out innocent enough checking my Facebook homepage. One of my old jr. high friends posted about getting a ticket in the mail for making an incomplete stop 2 months prior. Knowing that one city in our area is notorious for red light tickets I made a little joke about it. Come to find out I had the right city. And then a few more posts later another old friend chimes in that he accidentally ran that same red light in that same intersection and is now nervous about getting a ticket in the mail, too.

So this afternoon when I found that I needed to drive in this city, I was pretty nervous. I mean really. I'm NOT a red light runner. I have personally never gotten a ticket in the mail (though some of our driving students have). I should have nothing to worry about. So then why am I paranoid? On the freeway going to this city I saw a trooper on the side of the road. It didn't look like he had a radar, but he must have. I was driving with the flow of traffic with a nice space cushion on 3 sides of me. I checked my speed 63 in a 60. I tapped my brakes. Then I see the trooper's finger motion someone to the side of the road. Is it me? Really? For 3 over? Maybe it wasn't me. I kept driving. So did the car in the next lane. Then the trooper got in his car and actually pulled over the other car. Phew! Is that bad to be thankful it wasn't me? I was really careful after that as I was driving in the infamous traffic ticket city and the afternoon proceeded without incident.

Going home there was a lot of traffic. It would have been hard to speed...except in the carpool lane where I was. I got nervous again when I spotted a County Sheriff pull out around the car in back of me and come speeding up along side me. Again I checked my speed. This time 60 in a 60. And this guy raced by me (no lights or sirens) and weaved in and out of any cars that got in his way.

Is this for real? Our law enforcement should set a good example by also following the law. Certainly this speeding Sheriff writes traffic tickets. Yet how can he throw stones when he lives in a glass house? It reminds me of the time I literally slammed on my brakes and left tire marks on the road to keep from T-boning a city policeman who pulled out in front of me. He was turning left in front of me from a two way stop. I didn't have a stop sign was going 30 miles per hour. And the officer? It didn't phase him. I honestly don't think he even saw me. I called the police chief about that one. Though didn't offer them my services as a driving instructor, I probably should have.

Law enforcement should be pulling over reckless drivers. Not ones that go with the flow of traffic. And if NO ONE is around at a red light and you've been waiting for at least several minutes to go, is it really so bad to just go? It is if there's a red light camera.

Safe Driving Fine Arts Contest

2010-10-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

I took this photo the other day and it reminded me of how slick roads covered with wet leaves can be. If you find yourself in this situation, reduce your speed and accelerate slowly from stopped positions. That will make it easier for your tires to grip the road.

A Fall Driving Haiku

And it is now my pleasure
to introduce the first annual

Safe Driving Fine Arts Contest

I've got the contest just for you

Fine art goodness and lyrics, too.

Take a photo, draw a cartoon,

Write a poem and submit it soon.

There are two rules for you to know,

Original work's the way to go,

And also have a safe driving theme.

Be artistic alone or in a team.

Contest Rules:

1. You must submit your own original work. Entries include any fine art category such as poetry, riddles, tongue twisters, drawings, paintings, cartoons, sculpture or models, photography, collages and mosaics.

2. Each entry must focus on a safe driving topic.

What's in it for you?

Grand prize = $250

Second place = $125

Third place = $75

Other Info:

1. Email your entries to Brett @ driving-school. com.

2. Include your name, address, phone number and teacher's name in your entry.

3. Submission Deadline: February 28, 2011

4. By entering your piece, you grant Defensive Driving School permission to transmit or reproduce it in any form it chooses (website, printed materials, Facebook, etc).

5. Judging based on content (inclusion of facts), creativity, humor and peer votes.

6. Eligibility is open to everyone.

Traffic Court 101: What's a Motion? And Other Speaking Helps

2010-10-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, listening to regular people (without any knowledge of courtroom language) trying to talk to a judge can be a bit comical. I loved watching Judge Lyon amicably prompt the people into saying the "right" things. She listens well and then makes a comment like,
"so you would like to make a motion to ...." and then the person would have to fill in the blank as she couldn't put words in their mouths or tell them exactly what to say.

The following helped me prepare for how to speak in court.

A. Pay attention to the judge's demeanor and vocabulary with others in the court room.

B. Incorporate that knowledge when you speak with the judge.

C. Be polite and ask permission to show photos or other evidence.

D. Use court room vocabulary.

VOCABULARY

Amend - Change the ticket from what the officer wrote down to something else. In my case, it was from a moving to non-moving infraction. If you have a perfect driving record and it looks like the evidence against you could be shaky, the prosecutor may offer this option. For my ticket going too fast down a hill, I had the option of amending it. Since I don't want my insurance premium to increase or have a mark on my record, this seemed attractive to me at first. In the end though, I couldn't say I "committed" a seat belt infraction or cell phone infraction when I hadn't.
Contest - You appear before a judge and explain the circumstances around the ticket. You may chose to bring in photos of the area. You may present evidence. You may subpoena expert witnesses. The judge will determine that you "more likely than not" did or did not commit the infraction.
Defer - Depending on your driving record, you may be able to pay a fine and not have a ticket appear on your record. In my area, this can be done once every 7 years, but not all judges will defer tickets. Keep in mind that if you have your CDL you cannot defer a ticket.
Discovery - Documents that the prosecutor has compiled against you. They may include a copy of the infraction report, the officer's sworn statement, SMD certification forms, speedometer certification forms, list of witnesses the State plans to call, copy of your driving record, filing date for your ticket and any other information in your file. Requesting and not receiving the discovery documents is grounds for dismissal of the ticket.
Dismiss - Finding the infraction "not committed".
Evidence - Anything that helps prove a case. The State will have evidence from an officer (sworn statement, SMD, etc.). You may bring in photos, newspaper articles, weather reports or other items that help prove what the traffic conditions were surrounding your citation.
Mitigate - You appear before the judge and explain what was going on when you were cited. Perhaps, the judge will reduce the penalty.
Motion - An action that you'd like the court to do. For example: "I'd like to make a motion for continuance to seek legal counsel/take photos" or "I move to suppress the evidence."
Speed Measuring Device (SMD) - A radar, LIDAR or other device used to detect how fast a vehicle was going.
Suppress Evidence - Asking the judge to not consider the evidence against you. You may want to do this if the SMD had radio interference, if it was operating in the wrong speed mode or if the certification of the device is not current. You may also want to do this if there is another reason why the evidence against you is not accurate.

New Friends

2010-10-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome new friends to my blog that explores my relationship to defensive driving habits and reconciling my shortcomings as a driver. As the judge said in my traffic court experience this past spring, "you have a perfect driving record!" Thats not entirely true. But it'd be cool if it was. Read on to join the driving discussion and to see some cool things our students have done.

Back Up Camera Blues

2010-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Back up cameras are fabulous tools if you use them. They should be used in conjunction with your other tools - like your sense of sight, motion, vibration, sound, etc.

Exhibit A: Check out this photo pair. The toy is behind the car and the back up camera sees it. If you look at the mirror then you see it, too. And when I say "you", I mean me. ~~You~~ I then get out of the car, move the toy and continue on ~~your~~ my way. End of story. Except it's not.

Exhibit B:

One of these pedals is not like the other.

One of these pedals is not the same...

I have been using a back up camera for just over a year. And for the record, I mean "using" in a loose sense of the term. Meaning it's available for my use if I choose to look at it. I actually prefer to rely on what I can see by looking out the rear window rather than what the camera sees. In reality, I need to be combining what I see with what the camera sees...and since I have children and live in a neighborhood with other children then I need to also do a walk before moving the car. It's the only way to ensure clear passage. The first trike I hit last year had to be trashed. This time I only hit a pedal. Now that it's skewed, it's difficult to pedal without your foot falling off, which equates into some very interesting rides.

Exhibit C: Rip Rider clearly behind the wheel of the car and totally invisible to the back up camera.

Lesson learned: Use all tools available. Camera + eyes/senses + proper event sequence = success backing.

Proper Event Sequence:

1. Load kids into car.

2. Open garage door.

3. Driver walks around rear of car and gets in.

Improper sequence:

1. Load kids into car.

2. Driver gets in.

3. Open garage door.

4. Hit toy hiding from camera.

Summer 2010 Video Contest Winners

2010-09-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Summer Video Contest!! We had a lot of great submissions. Congratulations to our Top Three Videos....

#3 Ashleigh Cote from Las Vegas with "Driving Safety" (with awesome claymation and farding in the car), wins $100.

#2 Jeremy Reeves from Kent in "Law and Driving" (with original music and a great crash scene), wins an iPod or $200.

#1 Walker Linna and friends from Brier with "Boxes" (with tiny briefcases and a story that grooves), wins an iPad or $500.

Thank you again everyone that participated!

Traffic Court 101: What To Do With The Discovery Letter

2010-09-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

The discovery letter is full of information that can be of use to you when contesting a ticket. The first thing you should do is READ it. Carefully. Read the officer's sworn statement. Completely. You may find that there are errors in the report. Errors like
where you were pulled over. I watched a lady get her ticket dismissed because the officer wrote down the wrong road. Documenting the correct place that someone committed an infraction is imperative. If it's wrong then it alters other factors in the ticket. And truly gives you reasonable cause to suspect other mistakes are present.

The discovery letter will tell you what type of speed measuring device was used for a speeding ticket. The court has a record of each device and the date it was last calibrated. Go there and look it up. In Washington, they must be tested every 2 years. I watched one guy start his hearing and say that he never got to see the calibration records. The judge told him to go out to the reception area and look it up. When he came back 10 minutes later, he was able to prove that the device that measured his speed was overdue for a test by 4 or 5 months. Thus his ticket was dismissed.

The discovery letter will also let you know who the expert witnesses are. If you make a timely request from one and get no response then your ticket should be dismissed.

You must bear in mind that it is up to the State to bear the burden of proof that you "more likely than not" committed the infraction. So look over the paperwork. Make sure it's accurate. Unfortunately, equipment can fail, distracted police make mistakes and you may have been wrongfully accused. An important step to standing up for yourself is knowing the details behind the infraction.

"Like" Your Favorite Video

2010-09-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Our summer video contest has come to a close. And we need your help in choosing a winner. Please visit our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DefensiveDrivingSchool and vote for your favorite. Then tell your friends to vote, too!

Unrefined = Sad

2010-08-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to the phone call that asked if I could fill in for a couple of lessons for another instructor, who was sick. I had 20 minutes before needing to leave the house. I pulled myself together and got there at exactly 8 am. Yes! I wasn't sure I could get there in time and ate a great breakfast of Cheetos in the car.

Both of my students had driving tests. Both had some unrefined driving skills. Both deserved to have someone work with them on perfecting their habits. Both need to come again and retest.

So why do I feel so bad? I really liked both students. I wanted them to do well. And I can't stop thinking about them. Their disappointment. But it wasn't me. I didn't "fail" them. I just judged their skills. Everyone else on the road is happy that these two will be improving their defensive driving habits. I just didn't want to be the bad guy or bearer of bad news today.

Young people, please practice your driving skills. A lot. Like at least 30 minutes a day for many months. It helps me to sleep better at night...knowing that our roads are safe and so are you.

Traffic Court 101: Discovery

2010-07-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

I don't have very much experience with traffic tickets. I've only gotten 3 in the nearly 20 years that I have been driving. The first was when I was 19. I went to court with my dad and explained what had happened (mitigate). The judge cut the ticket in half and we went on our way. The second was a few years ago. If I knew then what I know now, I would have contested it. But I didn't and the easiest thing for me to do at the time was to just pay the fine. The third was just a few months ago. My What To Do When You Get A Ticket Helper taught me a little something about discovery. I think everyone should have a Helper.

Discovery is a magical concept to me: the formerly un-informed. And in Washington State, it works like this:
If you receive a traffic infraction, it is your right to ask for a copy of the officer's sworn statement and the names of any witnesses not identified in it. If you were pulled over for speeding and don't know how fast you were going (like most of us who drive with the flow of traffic), how do you know that you can trust the speed measuring device? How do you know that law enforcement isn't having trouble with their finances and need to boost revenue by issuing citations?

Sounds simple, right? It is. From what I understand, half of the time the prosecutor never mails it to you. If they don't respond then you are not able to get information on why you were pulled over and what speed measuring device (SMD) was used or what specific laws were being broken. Thus, if you never receive the discovery then the officer's statement cannot be entered into the equation for judgement. The evidence is suppressed and the ticket dismissed. What?! Yes, you read that correctly. They have to send it. So what did I do? I made my request and hoped they wouldn't respond.

Unfortunately for me, they did respond. I received not only the officer's statement but also the speed measuring device expert witness information from the County Prosecuting Attorney. What I didn't know about (or do) was subpoena anyone. There are rules to that have to be followed for subpoenas pertaining to advance notice and serving, so if you are in this situation, consult with the court rules for details.

Bottom line, while sitting in the courtroom, I watched several lawyers get their cases dismissed due to lack of response to the discovery request. Cases were over in less than a minute. And perhaps only half of the people like me had even requested them. That was the sad part for me. This is one reason why I want to educate my readers. It's such a simple thing to do and not enough of us know about it. I will close this post with a sample discovery letter. Next post: what to do when you receive the discovery letter.

[date]

Dear [name] County District Court [name] Division Clerk,

I received a traffic infraction on [date]. It is infraction number: [ticket number]. Pursuant to Rule 3.1 of the IRLJ
A copy of the infraction report;
A copy of the officer's sworn statement;
A copy of the SMD certification forms. Please include calibration test date for the particular SMD used for the infraction, and the test date for the tuning fork used to calibrate the SMD device on the day of my ticket;
A copy of the speedometer certification forms. Please include the calibration test date for the particular speedometer used for my infraction;
A list of witnesses the State plans to call;
A copy of my driving record;
The filing date for my ticket; and,
Any other information in my file.
Please send this information to me at the following address:
[your address]

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Sincerely,

[your name and signature]

Traffic Court 101: Options If You Get A Ticket

2010-07-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that post not too long ago that spoke about a little problem I have? I like to think of me picking up speed as I drive down a hill near my home as saving my brakes. Because really, who wants to replace brakes all the time? And in order for me to stay within the speed limit, my brakes need to be engaged for about .75 miles. And that's a lot.

Well, that's not what the officer who pulled me over said. And I was upset. Disappointed with myself, I know better. Upset at the officer who
tagged me with his radar while sitting at a stop sign. Who does that?! Long story short, I contested the ticket and went to court. My next few posts will be explaining some things that I believe everyone should know.

First, follow traffic rules or have solid reasons for not, you may be defending those choices in court. Second, be prepared to defend any statement you make to an officer. If you get pulled over for speeding and you admit that you knew the speed limit and knowingly exceeded it, then you cannot retract that statement later in court. Just because you got pulled over does not mean you committed an infraction. Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't. Maybe the radar was calibrated that morning. Maybe it was tested 3 years ago instead of less than 2 years. Maybe the speed limit sign was obscured by trees. Maybe your seat belt was unbuckled because you were at a stop light and getting something out of your pocket. Perhaps, you didn't really cross a double yellow line to pass but the officer was two cars behind you and wasn't able to see the break in the line when you passed couple of cars. There are a ton of variables here. Too many for you to process on the spot.

I do not know everything about getting tickets and what to do if you get them. In reality, I have very little experience in this area. But I am determined to share what little I did learn from my peers as I sat in the courtroom. I want to help educate others about the vocabulary used in the courtroom and to help you understand what resources are available to you if you are pulled over.

Let's begin. If an officer gives you a ticket, you have 3 options.

1. Pay it. This is the easiest option to take and the majority of those who get tickets just pay the fine.
2. Mitigate it. You appear before a judge and explain what was going on when you were cited. Perhaps, the judge will reduce the penalty.
3. Contest it. You appear before a judge and explain the circumstances around the ticket. You may chose to bring in photos of the area. You may present evidence. You may subpoena expert witnesses. The judge will determine that you "more likely than not" did or did not commit the infraction.

You must choose which option is best for you and then send your reply back to the court or pay the fine.

Next post: After making your choice, what resources are available to you for looking into your own guilt or innocence?

Warning Sign?

2010-06-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

This sign strikes me as very humorous. Is it a warning? Or a suggestion? And think of the worker who put it up. He must have been laughing, too...

Road Hog

2010-06-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

I recently spent 3 days attending a conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving in Utah is a unique experience. Distinct because the roadways are amazingly wide and signage is clear. But truly extraordinary because attitudes are fairly easy-going toward road hogs.

Most of us live in cities where roads are narrow and addresses hard to find. Utah is so refreshingly different.

Thanks to Brigham Young (who led a group of pioneers to settle into the valley in the 1847) wanting the ability to make a u-turn with his horse and buggy any and everywhere, the roads are incredibly wide. He also set the city up on a grid pattern and named the roads like they were coordinates on a map (Center Street, 100 North, 500 East, etc). His inspiration makes most city planners drool. Not that I've recently (or ever) polled any. It's just that I've lived in a few cities, large and small, where there roads were not only narrow or awkward but intersections didn't even line up right. And it's the city planners of those places who I think would especially like how cities in Utah are set up.

Generally speaking, Utah has roads that are wide enough to forgive a multitude of driving errors. They've increased the national standards from 11-12 foot lanes to 13-14 feet. So if you come from anywhere on the East coast and Seattle or San Francisco, the difference a couple feet feels to the driver is gi-normous. Space equates to both increased options and time in a roadway emergency. Which in turn can save a life if used effectively.

But for the everyday driver, how does space overload affect us?

What I witnessed: The driver is a Seattle native who has only lived in Utah the past few years. We became friends in college and I stayed with her family while in Utah. She grew up with the same driving cultural influences as me.

Scenario 1 - An old guy in a turn only lane next to us didn't want to turn, went straight and then cut us off. My friend saw the guy on the immense shoulder (made for snow plow pile up in the winter), knew he shouldn't be there and allowed him to enter our lane of traffic with no emotional response. Didn't break from our conversation. Not even a comment. But me, I felt compelled to verbalize what had just happened. She was at ease.

Scenario 2 - We were picking the kids up from the bus stop. They piled into the car but didn't buckle up. It was two blocks. Wide lanes. Visibility fantastic. In Seattle, we're indoctrinated that if you don't make your kids wear a seat belt at all times, then there will be a crash and your kids will be severely injured or die. Thus seeing kids freely moving about took me by surprise. And here's me. I had to say something.

But why do I live a paranoid life? I didn't wear seat belts growing up (1970s). I never sat in a car seat. Hardly anyone did. My mom would get frustrated with me on Sunday mornings when she'd have me dressed up to go to church with nice white tights and then I'd be rolling around in the back of the station wagon and they'd get dirty before we even arrived. In reality, very few of us will be in a collision today. Or this week, month or year. So, it shouldn't be such a big deal to not wear a belt when only driving a block or two.

What I don't like is the double standard in my own mind. In Seattle, we always wear seat belts UNLESS we're on a bus. School bus. City bus. Charter bus. Doesn't matter which. It's as if busses don't get into collisions. Ha ha. But seriously, why don't busses, trains, or even motorcycles and bicycles have seat belts?

What I experienced: Utah drivers are their own breed. By physically having increased amounts of space around their vehicles, they are able to drive in a more relaxed atmosphere. Especially compared to Seattle. I made a few u-turns, which is very helpful when trying to find a place I've never been to before. And there were a few times when I needed to change 3 lanes to get into the right turn lane. And other drivers were okay with that. No honks. No flashing of lights. No rage.

I had the opportunity to drive a stretch of freeway south of Salt Lake City a few times. I didn't know what the speed limit was. I scanned for signs. Found one the 5th time I made the trip. Others were passing me like I was parked even though I was going 70 miles per hour. Seriously, I was slower than the semi-trucks. And a danger to society. It turns out that the speed limit was 65 but pretty much every other roadway user was doing at least 80.

I believe that the combination of wide open roads with limited access and clear visibility make speed a non-issue when it comes to safety. Washington has slightly better statistics than Utah when it comes to traffic related fatalities (according to NHTSA), but not that much better.

I really liked driving in Utah.

Video Contest

2010-06-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Summer video contest invites teens to promote safe driving

Jun 10 2010, 8:48 AM

Calling all teens: Defensive Driving School wants to see you put your fantastic, creative brains to work by submitting a video on how to drive safely. The summer video campaign kicks off Thursday, June 10, 2010. The Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad, the 2nd place winner will receive their choice of an iPod or $200 cash and the 3rd place winner will receive $100 cash. The videos need to be educational, but having fun with out-of-the-box thinking is strongly encouraged as well.

Here are the details:
• Submit your video on a safe-driving related topic to brett @ driving-school.com.
• Videos will be judged based on content (inclusion of facts), humor, musical element, creativity and peer votes.
• Suggested length should be between two and three minutes.
• By entering your video, you grant Defensive Driving School permission to transmit or reproduce it in any form it chooses (Website, Facebook, YouTube, etc).
• Please be sure to include your name/names and contact information including phone numbers and emails.
• Submission deadline: August 31, 2010.

This is your chance to deliver a message on safe driving that will educate the public on how to be the best drivers we can be. Defensive Driving School will not only feature the videos on our Facebook page and promote them to our thousands of students, we will also promote the three winners in the media.

Local Sighting

2010-06-08T04:10:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 7, 2010
Southbound I-405
Unusual semi-truck sighting.

Super long and super narrow cargo.

Super cute little car attached to back wheels.

But what's he do back there?

I Admit It

2010-05-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

I admit it. We're not perfect. And by we, I mean me. And our company. And our employees and (gasp) even our customers. And for the most part it doesn't matter. We do NON-threatening illegal activities every day. And by illegal, I mean breaking traffic laws. Laws like making complete stops and using hands-free cell phones or staying within the speed limit even if I'm driving down the steepest hill in the vicinity.
Now you may be wondering what I'm getting at. Quite honestly, I'm really not admitting to any of the above behaviors. Even if I'm especially guilty of saving my brakes on the latter one. What I'd like to express is the frustration I'm having with the police force. Yesterday after dropping off my son to school, I witnessed two mothers pulled over for what I assume to be speeding in a school zone. Nothing else seemed amiss. I don't believe they were going super fast. In fact, I didn't observe their driving actions to be dangerous at all. BUT pulling someone over where there was no shoulder so that all traffic had to use the center turn lane to pass WAS dangerous.

But here's what really bothers me: receiving a ticket this week in the mail from a speed camera for a student driver who was on a driving lesson. in our vehicle. REALLY?!? Yes, really. One of our students was driving our car in a 35mph zone. She came upon a school zone (20 mph) without a child in sight. A hill was involved. And the camera got her doing 27. Guilty? Sort of. By the letter of the law. BUT that's not the point. Our students do illegal things EVERY lesson and that deserves mercy. Even the best learners make unexpected random mistakes. They are learning. Learning means practicing skills that are rough until they become smooth. No police officer would have given our student a ticket in person. It took a machine to do it. One that doesn't have a brain. We'd be out of business if we had to pay the ticket for each illegal action our vehicles commit.

My point is that unless a person or property is in danger by someone's driving then it'd be better for police to focus their efforts on crime instead of handing out tickets to drivers making non-threatening driving indiscretions.

The Power of Example

2010-05-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our firstborn added new layers of delight to our evenings when he entered our lives. My husband and I would sit around watching him do the funniest things. The party really picked up when he learned to crawl and walk and then dance around the living room. He was really so cute.

The mood changed a little when in this mobile age I found my "supposedly napping" boy having a grand time sitting in our kitchen sink with the water running.
Little indiscretions were acceptable because he was just learning how the world works around him. BUT a few months later when the learning turned into testing me, I remember thinking, "He needs discipline. And I didn't sign up for that!" I signed up for a cute little Munchkin who would bring me joy...not a curious child who would find trouble when I least expected it.

One of the most difficult endeavors I have ever attempted is raising children. And because I need a lot of practice at it, we keep adding more to the family (ha ha ha...that's not really why). In each new phase of parenthood, I find myself wondering what I am doing. My husband and I do lots of things right. But in a few areas, we have been found wanting. We need more positive parenting habits and skills. And those shortcomings are precisely the ones that our children pick up on. And they test us. By displaying the same selfish behavior that we do. And we are caught with the age old, "do what I say and not what I do!"

So what happens when my children get older? Will they pick up on my driving behaviors? If I juggle distractions while driving, won't they mimic my behavior? Since it is possible to talk on the phone while driving and not get in a wreck, won't they think that they can, too? The same goes with eating my breakfast or lunch on the road. Or cutting corners in my rural neighborhood. Or not turning on my blinker because no one will see it anyway?

My children absolutely will pick up on my driving behaviors. The good ones and the not so good. Eek. So, I've got eight and a half more years to perfect my act before the first learner's permit is issued in my family. It doesn't matter that I've been driving for almost 20 years. My kids won't value that experience for what's it's worth.

Purpose

2010-05-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

So, 100% of us voters believe that red light cameras are more about money than about safety. Of course our sample was small. I set it up so you could vote for more than one thing, which only I did. That's why the numbers add up to 125%. Maybe you'll vote next time around...please!

To make money	4 (100%)
Safety	0 (0%)
To reduce collisions	0 (0%)
To increase the number of tickets	1 (25%)
For Big Brother to watch you	0 (0%)

Votes so far: 4
Poll closed

Red Light Cameras

2010-05-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

Are they fabulous? Or not? In full disclosure I should say that though I do not run red lights, I have been a passenger in a vehicle that ran one. This instance resulted in a crash that totaled three vehicles. We were hit sandwich style on both sides by cross traffic. There were zero injuries. And we attribute that fact to divine intervention. Back then red light cameras were non-existent. I'm fairly certain they would not have prevented this crash however. I was a teen ager and in a car with 3 other teens and we were headed to the mall. The music was pumping and the conversation lively. Roads are made with sensors now. I used to think it had everything to do with timing traffic signals. Nope...there's another purpose. Notice that a red light in the diagram below will trigger the camera to take a photo of the vehicle before it enters the intersection on red and then take a video as it crosses. Then you get a ticket in the mail...with a link to the video of your infraction.

So what's the debate all about? If it's all about safety then let's put the cameras everywhere we can! But what if it's not all about safety? What if there's more?
Views of those in the FAVOR of red light cameras:

Reduction of violators at monitored intersections.
Reduction of violators at UNmonitored intersections.
Combination of extending the yellow light by one second and cameras reduce the number of violators even further.
An IIHS study showed a reduction in collisions associated with red light running by 30%.
For more details see the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. They've got a video right under the date on this page that outlines the safety argument.
Biggest argument: if you don't want to pay the fine, don't run a red light. It's your choice.

Some views of those AGAINST red light cameras:

Red light cameras do NOT stop offending behavior as it happens.
Red light cameras generate millions of dollars for the city of Seattle.
Cameras are owned, serviced and monitored by for-profit companies who take a significant portion of the earnings (IIHS). Washington uses an Arizona-based company, ATS. Burien contracts with Redflex to the tune of $19,400 per month to the company regardless of how much "revenue" or tickets are issued/paid.
Nine studies across the US, Canada and Australia indicate that red light cameras actually INCREASE crashes and injuries.
Making the focus on ticketing (not stopping) violators who do NOT cause collisions instead of finding ways to alleviate why drivers are running lights (I'm talking mostly about the congestive intersections around the mall that have at least a few cars running the lights every cycle) indicates that the primary purpose of the camera is to make money. Otherwise, the cameras would only ticket those who cause collisions or near misses.
Those who run the red lights often don't even realize it until their ticket comes in the mail. This delay doesn't alter driving habits. It angers people and fuels distrust of the government.

Sometimes, civil disobedience takes care of injustices. See Santa's Helpers in Tempe, AZ at their finest. Ha ha ha, is this for real? Yup. Ha ha ha. My three year old loves this video.

The National Motorists Associations have published "Five Proven Ways to Stop Red Light Running, which makes a lot of sense to me. Turning to revenue-generating cameras to enforce a broken system doesn't seem right. Click here to read each point its entirety.

1. Increase the yellow-light time.

2. Add an all-red clearance interval.

3. Make traffic lights more visible.

4. Improve intersections for motorists.

5. Retime traffic signals.

There's one group that has a $10,000 challenge to help cities rid themselves of cameras in favor of actual engineering solutions. Cities have nothing to lose here...if safety truly is their number one concern.

Show us any camera-equipped intersection that still has high numbers of red-light violations and we will guarantee a minimum 50-percent reduction in red-light violations through the application of engineering solutions.

After some discussion and education on the matter of red light cameras, my view of them has turned sour. Maybe it's like that for you, too. For more information on how to get involved, see bancams.com a group that actively protests the cameras, a Dori Monson show on Kiro FM, and http://www.facebook.com/HatingRedLightCameras. ***What do you think about the cameras? Please vote in the sidebar poll!

Internal Conflict

2010-05-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

I did it. All during April I avoided my phone like the plague while I was driving. I'll admit it, though. I messed up twice. Both phone calls were to my brother. Once just a few days after beginning the challenge. We were trying to meet up and the plans kept changing. My kids wouldn't relay the right info. Or any info, really. The second time I just forgot. It was just last week. I quickly ended our 30 second conversation as soon as I realized what I'd done.

I did NOT like going without my phone. It was a constant battle. I really thought that new habits are formed after 21 days. Well, I did that. More than that. And I have not broken this habit.

I watched Oprah's distracted driving show the other night. I'm having an internal conflict. YES, texting while driving puts everyone on the road in danger. But the phone? The phone holds the same distraction level as having a conversation with someone else in the car. So I shouldn't be talking to anyone in the car, too? The effort it takes to not talk in the car distracts me. More than just taking a call.

What really bothers me is that I won't sign Oprah's distracted driving pledge. Yes, I can sign that I won't text. No problem there. But talking on the phone is another matter entirely. That's a huge commitment. Is the attitude that "it can't happen to me" really so strong? In me? Just when I didn't think so, it is.

I'm feeling the urge to set up a driving course and test my ability to talk on the phone and drive.

Deep Thoughts

2010-04-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

If God lives inside us, like some people say, I sure hope he likes enchiladas because that's what he's getting.

-Jack Handy

This past week, my mind has been elsewhere. In the quiet moments all of my thoughts and feelings have turned to the intense emotions that envelop the bereaved. Until my son died, I didn't understand Grief. Now that we are well acquainted, we have become friends of sorts. We do everything together...laugh...cry...and long for what should have been. And just when I think I totally get it, Grief hits me upside the head in an unanticipated move.

On Friday, April 16th, Shea, the 5 year old grandson of one of our driving instructors, ran in back of his father's vehicle as it was backing out of the driveway. It struck him and he died. I have never met Shea, yet all of the emotions that surround my own son's death creep to the surface and I relive the pain of my own circumstance. I am devastated for Shea's family. Especially, his father.

What can we do to go back in time and change something? The short answer is we can't. Our intelligence tells us what's done is done. But the heart longs for a different outcome. Reconciling the heart and mind takes time and divine help. The questions of "why?" start flooding in and are met with "how?" Our brains don't get it. When we never wanted to hurt anyone and were attentive to the driving task, how could we not control the outcome? How can I, as a driver's ed instructor, teach my students what they must do to become collision-free for life when I know that sometimes in spite of all precaution Grief knocks on unsuspecting doors every day and tragedies happen? But it's not fair! True, it's not. But that's not the point. The point is that we do our best and turn the rest over to our Creator. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not a chance.

Sweet Angel Shea, you are missed. I hope you're playing Rock Band in heaven and loving it. Say hi to my boy. He's the little guy always grinning as he unplugs your power supply.

And The Winner Is...

2010-04-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Amber! We will be in touch.

I placed each one of your names on an excel spreadsheet with what you did for that entry. This morning, I asked my 3 and 5 year old boys to pick a number. They picked number 10, which was Amber's for becoming a Facebook Fan. Then thinking that maybe that wasn't random enough, I went to www.random.org and popped in the numbers. It came back with 5, which was Amber's from writing a blog post about this giveaway. So any way you slice it or dice it, Amber is the winner. Congratulations!!!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:5Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Giveaway

2010-04-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

Motivation is a funny thing. Because of yesterday's post, I went to the fabric store this morning and spent 45 minutes trying to decide which one would make the cutest litter bags for my car. I'm having so much fun with them that I want to share one with someone super lucky (and diligent). And don't make any comments about the mess in my car. These litter bags are hot off the press.

Here's the skinny on how to win this giveaway:

1. Leave me a comment telling me, as the winner, which pattern you like best (photo above) or if you'd like a different color scheme that better suits you.

2. Get another two entries for each of the following you do:

Become a follower of this blog.
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TeachDefensive
Become a Facebook fan of Defensive Driving School http://www.facebook.com/pages/Defensive-Driving-School/357474976996?ref=ts

3. Get five more chances to win if you blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post.

4. Leave me a comment telling me how many chances to win you earned.

5. Deadline! You have until Thursday, April 22, 2010 to enter. Winner will be announced on Friday, April 23rd.

The New Rule

2010-04-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

When we took our stuff out of our old family car last summer, we didn't bother to shovel out the cracker crumbs or black banana peels. We just left it in all it's glory at the dealership and drove home in our very first brand new car. It was spotless. And to keep it that way, we created a new rule: no eating in the car. It seemed simple enough that even my boys (ages 5, 4, and 3 at the time) could follow it. My youngest child however, little Jocelyn, at one year of age had different plans. She was the single most contributing factor that led to the demise
of the new rule. When she was hungry, she let everyone know it. Loudly. It started out innocently enough. I gave her one cracker. Sometimes, I would sneak one in for me. It wasn't really a problem until the boys started demanding to eat whatever Jocelyn had. Sometimes, they even caught me. They promised to be good. No mess. They'd pack out their own garbage. Ha ha ha.

The problem continued escalate. My boys would get in the car after school and dump out everything in their back packs. I just found several St. Patrick's day projects...and it's the middle of April. What I don't get is the wrappers! How did they get so much candy? Was this from Easter? Birthday parties? Valentine's Day? Seriously. Yesterday, I pulled out 7 socks and 2 pair of underwear. Uh, guys? Didn't you notice a breeze? Today I removed 3 blankets and the same number of curdled milk sippy cups.

So when a blogger friend Andrea posted about making this garbage bag for her car (instructions here), I got excited and decided that I need to make some, too. I'm pretty sure this would help curb our trash woes. Notice the opening is always open. Eh hem. Boys, there will be no excuses for littering anymore. This little bag is ready and willing to eat all of your garbage. And I don't think litter bags can get any more stylish.

Embrace Life

2010-04-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

I believe this is the most beautiful video I have seen on seat belts. It changes the focus from blood and guts to love of life. It's both subtle and delicate.

Reflection in the Window

2010-04-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took my kids on an all day outing. We left about 9:30 in the morning and ended up getting home at close to one in the morning. On the way home I was tired. Really tired.

My Dad taught me years ago one of the most effective lessons ever on drowsy driving. If he was tired and rolling down the window or the radio wasn't helping, he would pull over and sleep somewhere for a while. When I was a child, the son of a close family friend was driving down a mountain pass and fell asleep at the wheel. He went off the road and was involved in a serious collision. He lost both of his legs. Another one of my parent's friends was driving on a road trip and fell asleep at the wheel. When the crash happened, her husband was ejected from the car and died. Seeing the example of my father when he is tired and knowing that crap happens when we least expect it has a way of working itself into the subconscious. I know it could happen to me.

Last night when I was about 40 minutes from home and driving along the freeway, I fell asleep. My eyes didn't close. But my brain had checked out. I became aware of twinkling lights and was alert in an instant. I thought a policeman had turned on his lights and wanted to pull me over.

I was relieved to find out that no, I was not being pulled over. It turned out that it was the star burst effect of the headlights on the other side of the freeway. And, I was freaked out to know that I had checked out and not even realized it. I committed to making it to the next rest stop. I knew one was coming up. In a few minutes, I pulled over. I think I slept for about an hour. It wasn't that comfortable. My neck had a kink in it. But I was awake. Just as I was putting the key in the ignition, my 6 year-old started struggling to unbuckle his seat belt. He was groggy. Out of it. I finally understood that he needed to use the restroom. I got him out of the car and pointed to the men's room. He couldn't move. Just stood there confused. I walked him to the men's room and pushed open the door. There were very few cars in the parking lot. I took that opportunity to use the women's restroom and was back in the car in less than 2 minutes.

My son had not returned, yet, so I gave him a few more minutes. I started thinking about just pushing the restroom door open and calling out his name. My next thought was to ask a guy in the coffee booth to check to see if my son needed any help. As I was trying to decide what to do, I looked around the parking lot to gauge how many people/men may or may not be in the restroom. Then I noticed in the vehicle "next" to us (3 spaces over), my son's reflection was in the window. It took me a moment to realize that actually, I wasn't seeing a reflection. My son was not standing outside the car. He was in the car, looking out the window. Not understanding that he wasn't in our car.

What's really funny is that when I went to get him out of the car (hoping that the car's owner wouldn't show up wondering why I was getting into their car), the car was full of random stuff. There was only one seat empty in the back, which was where my son sat. Never mind that he didn't have a booster seat or that there's no way his 3 siblings could have fit in it. I asked him what he was doing in someone else's car? He looked at me blankly. Then his eyes moved from the car he had been in to ours. Our Pilot seats 8 and this other seats 5...or 3 with cargo. They are both black. He told me they looked similar. And I suppose when it's very dark out (almost new moon time) that they do look similar. I got him buckled in the right car, double checked all of my children were with us, and I chuckled all the way home.

Really?! My son wandered into a stranger's car? Ha ha ha. Yes, he did. Of all the things that could have happened with our full day and drowsy evening, I'm incredibly grateful that was the worst of it.

Report

2010-04-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

It's official. I have made it 3 days without using the phone while drivng. Yes!!! I can do this.

Distracted

2010-04-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, I found out that April was National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and once again, I have been struggling with what this means to me. I am constantly distracted while driving. It most often happens when my children wait until we're all loaded up to start poking their sibling and I am left as the mediator. Or when my morning routine hasn't gone as smoothly as I planned and I am left grabbing a bite to eat on the go. My favorite distraction is my cell phone. Luckily, I'm not driving a manual transmission. That would just prove to complicate things further.

Driving starts out as a very labor intensive and mind engaging activity. Many students are nervous the first time they get behind the wheel. Theoretically, they know what to do but in reality it's overwhelming how many things there are to think about just getting the car out of the driveway and onto the road. Some students pick up on how to turn quickly. Others have difficulty with speed in and out, looking ahead, timing the turn or even hand positioning. Some get the dynamics of the car down well but are clueless as to other roadway users.

I remember my first time I sat behind the wheel of a car. To me, it felt like I was in control of a 2000+ pound "weapon". Reality came crashing into my brain and a very primal understanding developed. This was a powerful machine and if I messed up, I could kill someone or do some serious damage. I was speeding down the road and my instructor asked me to pick up the pace. I looked at my odometer...I was going 15 mph. Oh. But it felt a lot faster.

My driving instructor trainer used to tell me that it takes the average driver 3-5 years to gain experience. That's why insurance rates for teens are so high. As an instructor, my goal is to help students obtain that experience at a faster rate than normal. If not, the average driver is involved in a collision every four years. Breaking that down, 25% of drivers are involved in a collision every year. That's a lot. Too much. And quite frankly, I don't want to have anything to do with that number.

Acquiring any new skill is takes time. And luckily, with enough practice of the correct habits we can master anything. Many distractions have become like that for me. I've learned to effectively manage them...because I practice them a lot. I act without thinking. There's a new skill I'd like to have though. In honor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I'd like to learn to live more in the present. To be less distracted with things that don't matter and more involved with what does. For the rest of this month, I will not use my phone while driving. This isn't going to be easy for me. I reminded myself of this goal when I left the house this morning. And I didn't even make it out of my neighborhood before picking up my phone to make a call. I quickly remembered my goal when I opened my phone and immediately put it away. So, I know I can do this. I invite you to join me. Live in the present instead of with others on the other side of the airwaves.

Primary Offense

2010-03-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

It is with mixed feelings that I write this post. I'm torn between what I think I should think as a driving instructor and what I actually think with regard to cell phones and driving.

I'm pretty sure I'm expected to be supportive of the new law that Gov. Gregoire just signed into Washington State Law making talking on a hand held cell phone a primary offense. But I'm not. As a primary offense, a driver can be pulled over simply for talking on the phone.

The truth of the matter is that I like to talk on the phone while driving. And it seems like I'm always driving somewhere. I take that time to make appointments. I return phone calls. I discuss upcoming projects or events. I talk business. I catch up with friends. Using the phone while I drive connects me to the outside world. And I like actually holding the phone...except when my arm goes numb from pressing the phone to my ear too long. Using the phone IS a distraction that involves risk. And quite frankly, the benefits of all I can accomplish phoning while driving mediate that for me.

What is surprising is that this report published by CNN in January indicates that laws banning hand held phones doesn't actually reduce collisions, which is fascinating on many levels. I think the distracted driving comes not just from phones, hand held or not, but talking or conversations in general. And who can outlaw talking while driving? Driving has become such an automated process to the experienced driver that it feels like a waste of time to be travelling and not being productive by doing anything else.

Welcome!

2010-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

In the upcoming days and weeks, I will be fleshing out this new blog with a variety of posts on defensive driving habits and driving topics. I welcome your input and contributions here.