driver safety tips Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

Driving Safety Tips for Hurricanes and Tropical Storms 2022

taylor cox — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 06:16:55 +0000

Driving Safety Tips for Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Not only can hurricanes and tropical storms do a number on your sweet ride, you must also be prepared to travel. The American Red Cross has compiled a list of items for your survival kit for traveling during hurricane and tropical storm season.

So here are some great driving safety tips when traveling near or in hurricanes or tropical storms:
• Water—one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Food—non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area

And my final driving safety tips to you this day is – always plan ahead and leaving early when a serious storm threat is broadcast, is the best bet. There is no way to instruct someone how to drive in a tropical storm and certainly not during a hurricane. So, being as far away from the site of the storm is the safest place to be.

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms – Comedy Defensive Driving

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NEW LAW FOR DRIVERS WITH COMMUNICATION ISSUES

Daun Thompson — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 12:00:54 +0000

Texas drivers with autism, deafness, PTSD and other communication challenges are receiving help. Now they will be able to make law enforcement aware ahead of time. For this reason, a new law for drivers with communication issues has been passed to thwart this stressful situation.

EASING STRESS DURING TRAFFIC STOPS

Communication can be difficult for someone with autism, the deaf, people with PTSD or Parkinson’s. It can also be difficult for someone with a simple speech impediment. In regards to autism spectrum disorder, the driver may not make eye contact and can struggle to communicate clearly, especially in stressful situations. An officer may view this as uncooperative or even under the influence of alcohol or drugs. So, this “suspicious” behavior could lead to additional stressful field tests and possibly even lead to their arrest.

THE SAMUEL ALLEN LAW

Senate Bill 976 “The Samuel Allen Law” hopes to give those drivers with conditions which may affect their ability to communicate a chance to have stress free interactions with law enforcement. This law gives people the option to disclose their diagnoses with the TXDMV (Texas Department of Motor Vehicles) when registering their vehicle. While the handicapped may have a symbol on their license plates, other conditions are not immediately apparent.

Highly functioning people with health issues, like all others, still have normal, everyday requirements such as driving to work or school. Even someone with severe diabetes or a heart issue should disclose this so that an officer will be better equipped to handle a particular traffic stop in a specialized way. Most law enforcement officers are now trained paramedics who know to look for signs and know how to deal with them.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

NEW LAW FOR DRIVERS WITH COMMUNICATION ISSUES – Comedy Defensive Driving

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ALLERGIES IMPAIR DRIVING

Daun Thompson — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 02:49:58 +0000

I recently found out that I am allergic to nuts. So I have stopped dating, altogether. I am also allergic to cats. Not the feline, but the musical “CATS.” I’ve seen it once on Broadway and my eyes swelled shut (any musical, for that matter). The real bummer is that I drove to the theatre, rather than taking a cab. I know, in New York City? Am I crazy?? Yes! I realize that I am living proof that allergies impair driving but I was curious as to what studies were done on this and how driving with allergies increases the risk of accidents.

How Do Allergies Impact Driving?

According to the American Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, “Drowsiness and lack of awareness can affect all drivers with studies revealing that 1 in 5 accidents are related to difficulty staying awake.” They also state that “Allergies can, and often do, impact an individual’s quality of life including problems with sleeping, daytime drowsiness and trouble focusing.” If you are driving or planning to drive, avoid sedating medication such as over the counter Benadryl, chlorpheniramine and others alike. You’ll find that the crimp inside the box and the label on the bottle will always heed a warning “Do not take this medication and drive a car or operate heavy machinery. This medication may cause drowsiness. Don’t take this medication with alcohol.” So, an alternative, such as allergy injections are a non-sedating and apparently the most effective way to treat allergies while avoiding sedating medications.

What You Can Do To Avoid Allergens

If you must drive, try to plan your drive during low traffic hours, like very early morning or late evening. This way, you will spend less time on the road while avoiding high levels of air pollution. Also avoid driving with the windows down, but instead use the air conditioner on the “re-circulate” mode to keep outdoor vents closed. But if your allergies are that bad, you should avoid driving altogether.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Allergies Impair Driving – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Hit And Run

Daun Thompson — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 05:19:11 +0000

I know a couple who live near downtown Dallas and their home is near a busy intersection. On weekends, they say there are a lot of car accidents in that intersection late at night. Sometimes when the crashes occur, it jars them from a deep sleep. They wake up, look out the window and sometimes there is only one car ripped apart in the intersection and the other car is long gone. Other times, they look out the window and both cars are gone. Leaving the scene of an accident that involves death or serious injury is considered a third-degree felony with a penalty of possible imprisonment for two to ten years. If the injury is not a serious one, the offense is still a felony that is punishable by up to one year in a county jail or up to five years in a state prison. Leaving the scene of an accident that does not result in injury, but only results in property damage is a misdemeanor with fines around $1,000 and possible jail time of up to one year.
If you are the victim of a hit and run, it’s good to know how uninsured motorist coverage works. Texans are required to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, in addition to liability insurance. Still, of course, not everyone is insured. That’s one reason for them to hit and run. Another reason is perhaps they’ve been drinking alcohol. Or they simply don’t have the financial means to pay for damage to another car. Uninsured motorist coverage is just what it sounds like, insurance to cover you in the event that you are hit by a motorist that either does not have insurance, or if you are hit by someone who leaves the scene.
Failure to render aid is a crime, as is failure to give information in an accident. That’s why you should always try to get an accurate description of the car and the license number a.s.a.p.!! Calling the police immediately will also help broaden your chances of catching your hit and run criminal.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Artist / Commedienne

Hit And Run – Comedy Defensive Driving School

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Auto Theft

Daun Thompson — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 05:55:25 +0000

Typically when we talk about auto theft, someone leaves the keys in their car and so it begins. We constantly see parking lots peppered with TAKE HIDE LOCK signs, and those of us who have had their vehicles burgled appreciate those signs more than ever. But even if you follow those three rules, there may be other things thieves are looking for, besides valuables.

I have been told by two police officers that you should never leave anything in your car with your address on it (such as registration paperwork, insurance cards, etc.) because thieves may break into your car and take your garage door opener, along with anything with your address on it. Most people don’t lock their interior door from the house to their garage and that’s how they burgle your home. So now you have a better idea of how you’re going do your “Christmas shopping” this year, eh? Of course, I have nothing to worry about because I have nothing a thief would want. A few years back, someone kicked in my door and didn’t steal one thing! It could be because I have an old-school t.v. with about a three foot deep picture tube. It would take three grown men to lift it out of my house. Later, I got a flat screen t.v. and called Good Will to see if they would take it. But they apparently only take flat screens at Good Will now. Or, perhaps I was just calling a fancy one in a fancy part of town (snobs). I also had a V.C.R. Remember those? Ah yes, good old video tapes, I must be a hoarder. I have the player but we would always rent the tapes at Blockbuster. Remember them? There used to be one on every corner, like Starbucks, but now they’re all gone. And, I’m not proud, but I single-handedly put them out of business because I didn’t pay my late fees.

Until next week… be safe. Hide your holiday purchases. If they are large purchases, just take them home immediately.

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Auto Theft – Comedy Defensive Driving

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The Spirit Ride

Daun Thompson — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:07:22 +0000

All tow truck drivers are required to take a defensive driving course prior to renewing their city permits. I can usually tell if someone in my Comedy Defensive Driving class is a tow truck driver because they often resemble Grizzly Adams with their ZZ-Top, lumbersexual type beards. I have also learned to tell the difference between the ones that come to your rescue (like a knight in shining armor) when your car is broken down, or the ones that either repo cars or snatch them away while you’re in a bar with your friends having a good time, which is later squelched when you go outside and your car is gone. Either way, it’s a dangerous job. In 2011, Texas passed an addendum to the Move Over Law. You are now required to steer clear of tow truck drivers working on the side of the road. The Move Over/Slow Down law requires motorists to move over or slow down when certain vehicles are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated. Motorists are required to vacate the lane closest to the stopped vehicle (if there is more than one available lane in the same direction of travel) or slow to 20 miles below the speed limit. An organization called The Spirit Ride honors those tragically killed in roadside accidents. In 2014 alone, 33 tow truck operators were killed while trying to rescue stranded drivers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. And those numbers continue to increase annually. In fact, the numbers show a tow truck driver dies on average every six days.

Slow Down, Move Over laws are in effect in all fifty states. They require passing vehicles to move over one lane or slow down when approaching an incident where tow operators, police, fire fighters and EMS people are working. Sadly, 71% of Americans have not heard of “Move Over” laws, according to a poll by the National Safety Commission. The Spirit Ride is designed to draw media attention to Move-Over laws and the needless sacrifices towers and other first responders make in serving the motoring public and transportation industry. To date, over 300 towing companies have signed up to carry the “Spirit” by car carrier as towers continue to volunteer to participate and also lend their ideas to the project. You can find more information on their facebook page at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/atspiritride

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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Teens and Seat Belts

Daun Thompson — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 17:11:02 +0000

I was under the impression that the majority of people that don’t wear seat belts are the elderly. Since wearing a seat belt (or what they used to call a “safety belt”) became a law in 1986, the elderly have spent most of their lives not being required to wear a seat belt, so perhaps they never really caught on or got comfortable with it. My elderly parents would drive from Illinois to Texas sans-belt (that’s French for “no belt”). My Mother says that wearing the seat belt would wrinkle her outfit. But going through the windshield would surely put a few wrinkles in her outfit and her head, etc. It seems that teen boys have adopted this attitude about not wearing seat belts. My position as a Defensive Driving Instructor does not require that I lecture or “mother” teens about wearing a seat belt. And it seems that teen girls do typically wear seat belts. So, what’s the deal with teens and seat belts?

One would think that the hefty fine alone would encourage compliance with the seat belt law. And not only the fine but since not wearing a seat belt is a moving violation, one would have the option of possibly reducing the price of the ticket and taking a defensive driving course to have the ticket dismissed. Or, if not, the points will be applied to your driving record and your insurance will increase. That would certainly modify my behavior. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among teenagers. And, in Texas, teen drivers have the highest incidence of unbuckled fatalities. Statistics show that in 2015, 293 teen drivers and passengers (age 15-20) died. Of those fatalities, 115 of them (39%) were not wearing seat belts.

The law in this state requires everyone in the vehicle to wear a seat belt, one seat belt for each passenger and driver in the vehicle. No more sitting on laps or sharing seat belts (i.e. no more clown car action). “Who” gets the ticket for not wearing a seatbelt in Texas, depends on their age. If anyone under 17 (under age) is not wearing a seat belt, the driver will get the citation. Anyone 17 or older (of age) will receive the citation. Although I did have an unfortunate 16 year old girl in my class who had received a citation for speeding through a 20mph school zone, and had also received two seat belt citations because her 16 year old friends were not wearing their seat belts. Although she was under 17, she still got their citations. The officer could have also cited her for having more than one non-family member under 21 in the car with her. So it could have been worse. Still, I bet her parents were not pleased. My parents would have killed me and started all over again, creating new, cheaper offspring.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Teens and Seat Belts – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Locked In a Car Trunk – How to Escape

Daun Thompson — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 17:12:25 +0000

Some friends were talking about an incident they heard on the news about a woman being carjacked and thrown in the trunk of her own car. How terrifying that would be. And what were they going to do to her when they arrived at their destination? As we all know, they only kind of people who would actually have first-hand experience of being locked in a car trunk would be (a) mobsters and (b) really, really bad children. Not too many years ago, I recall a lady had been taking her child with her to a bar in the Chicago suburbs. He couldn’t go into the bar, so she would leave him safely stashed in the trunk of her car with a flashlight so he could do his homework. She got caught doing this because she was bragging to other bar patrons of how good of a student he was because he gets a lot of studying done in the trunk of her car. As for the recent event, hijacking a car (also known as grand theft auto…we’ve all played that game) is a major offense, but kidnapping is a whole other long, painful prison term.

So, if something like this happened to you, would you know how to escape? According to Jeff Rossen who does NBC’s Today Show Rossen Reports, since 2001 law requires that all cars must be equipped with an escape latch in the trunk of a car. And, he says, that most people are unaware that this latch actually glows in the dark. So, now would be a good time to take a gander inside your trunk to locate the latch. If you cannot find it, this would be a good excuse to open the factory seal on that car manual that you’ve never looked at. If you still have no luck locating it, ask someone at your dealership or perhaps your auto mechanic may even be able to help you to locate it.

Always expect the unexpected. And be ready for whatever situation may present itself to you. Perhaps this may save your life someday and keep your mug from being a headline in the news.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Locked In a Car Trunk – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Flash Floods and Cars – Driving Safely in Poor Conditions

Daun Thompson — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 03:21:45 +0000

Flash flood season has started early this year. Even California is seeing a rash of heavy rain and even mud slides. This is both horrifying and quite bizarre since we all know that it never rains in California. There was even a song written about it in 1972 by Albert Hammond. But wait … now that I am reading the lyrics, I realize that there’s much more to those lyrics than I remembered …

“Seems it never rains in southern California
Seems I often heard this kind of talk before
It never rains in California
But girls don’t they warn ya
It pours, man it pours”

So, apparently it does rain in California. Much like Texas, it doesn’t rain for a long time, and then it’s like a monsoon. The news has already been reporting flash floods and cars being washed away with people trapped inside, which is your worst nightmare. My daughter’s new car came with manual windows and locks. Her father said he specifically purchased it this way in the event that, if she drove into deep water, her electrical system wouldn’t be compromised and she could roll down her crank windows and unlock her doors to escape. And, while this sounds well thought out on his part, the car was purchased that way because he’s basically cheap. You realize I’m just kidding, right? (Or am I???)

The misconception is that cars won’t float because they are too heavy. But a car can actually float in less than a foot of water. And large trucks and SUV’s float even faster because their large inflated tires make them even more buoyant. When water is rising fast, it can overtake your car in an instant. So, how do you survive if you get trapped in a flash flood? First of all, if the water is rising quickly, roll the window down so you can escape. Get onto the roof, the highest part of the vehicle. Stay low and hang on. Since the car can flip in only 6 feet of water, you wouldn’t stand a chance if you stayed inside the car.

If this sounds like the scariest situation you could ever find yourself in, the best advice is to just stay out of flooded areas altogether. Even if the water looks calm, the road beneath could be washed out and misleading. If rescuers are dispatched and have to risk their lives to save yours, you could very well be billed for being rescued. Some states call it the “Stupid Motorist Law.”

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Flash Floods and Cars – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Seniors Driving Longer

Daun Thompson — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:43:13 +0000

One of the most dreaded issues that we face as adults is how to tell our aging parents they can no longer drive. Once an elderly person’s independence is taken away, it’s usually a downward spiral. I personally don’t enjoy driving, so this won’t be an issue for me when I reach that point in life. Besides, cars are already driving themselves. And even now, there are very inexpensive modes of transportation like Uber and Lyft. But, the number of 70+ year old drivers on the road today is enough to turn your hair grey (or white). According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the number of 70+ drivers in the U.S. is projected to increase from 30.1 million in 2013 to 53.7 million by 2030. I will be in that group…(yikes). In fact, I have decided to change my age to “yikes” (like how Prince changed his name to a symbol). So, the problem is that nearly 90% of drivers that are 65+ suffer from health issues that may affect their ability to drive safely. By this late age, one wouldn’t expect to be shopping for a new vehicle, but with the latest safety features and new technologies it would certainly be safer for them. Safety systems are increasingly being added to cars, which warn drivers of impending danger and in some cases, will take action to avert it. While driving that big old heavy steel car may “feel” safe, it’s certainly not safe for others around them. And, while one may feel comfortable with the fit of that older car, it may no longer be a good fit as our bodies shrink with age (osteoporosis). I am a whopping 5’ 2” now. So, all I have to look forward to, with old age, is getting even shorter. Perhaps considering the new safety features in vehicles being manufactured today can keep seniors driving longer.
AAA breaks down the vehicle features that can help older drivers into three categories: safety, ergonomics and comfort.

Safety features have had the most advances in technology that can keep senior drivers secure.
• Driver Assist uses cameras and sensors to warn a driver of impending danger. Some systems take action, such as steering and braking to avoid a crash. Even less expensive cars have these features now.
• Lane Departure Warning senses when a driver has drifted out of their lane and alerts the driver. Again, some will have automatic steering assist to steer the car back into its lane.
• Adaptive headlights illuminate the road ahead while going around turns.
• Automatic Crash Notification (such as OnStar). This can also help in a health emergency.
• Automatic High Beams
• Blind Spot Warning
• Automatic Emergency Braking

Ergonomics and Comfort features such as adjustable steering wheels, adjustable pedals and multi-position heated and cooled power seats with memory can help reduce fatigue and discomfort.
It’s good to know that both AARP and AAA offer driving resources for seniors. And, in a few years, I too will be seeking those resources when my age is “yikes.”

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Seniors Driving Longer – Comedy Defensive Driving School

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