speeding Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

WHY WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS

Daun Thompson — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 13:00:39 +0000

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), “Speeding limits are posted primarily to inform motorists of the speed considered reasonable by a majority of drivers on a particular roadway.” And, a safer driving environment is established when motorists drive at the same speed. If you don’t know what that means, check out last week’s blog. You see, it’s all about safety. This is why we have speeding limits. In the U.S., limits have been set to protect the public and regulate unreasonable behavior. Oddly, this is also my mother’s excuse for not having more children.

MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT

Keeping up with the flow of traffic, even if everyone is speeding, is the absolutely proven to be safest. But, as police say, the sign posts the “limit” and if you go over the limit, you could get a speeding ticket. And proving why you were going 40mph in a 20mph school zone will be close to impossible. But, come on, driving 20mph feels like you’re crawling. And, heaven forbid the guy in front of you is driving like a nervous chihuahua and not even doing 20!

MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT

Minimum speeding limits are typically posted on higher speed roadways and freeways. Not keeping up with the flow of traffic, or driving too slow definitely causes more car accidents. But, it is said that the high-impact from speeding crashes cause more traffic fatalities. And that’s why police still write so many speeding tickets. They should absolutely be writing them for driving too slow, as well.

For more information about why speed limits are set and a list of speed zone studies, check with your state’s department of transportation. If you live and drive in the great state of Texas, go to https://www.txdot.gov/driver/laws/speed-limits/studies.html.

Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

WHY WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS – Comedy Defensive Driving

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NOT KEEPING UP WITH TRAFFIC FLOW

Daun Thompson — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:00:14 +0000

I seem to always be the last passenger to board the plane. The only seat left on the plane was in the “crying baby” section. It was exactly what I deserved for not arriving on time. So, I put in my ear buds to block out some of the crying, as to “appear” to be listening to music (although it wasn’t plugged into anything, so I must have looked like a knucklehead). This inspired me to come up with a “Personal Space Kit for Travelers.” The kit will include a life-like baby doll that one can prop in the middle seat so no one will sit in your row. And a pair of sound-canceling headphones for you to wear so you won’t be able to hear “is this seat taken?” Of course, the baby will have matching headphones so other passengers won’t speak to it, either. Perhaps also a cigar for you both. No smoking on the plane? Sorry, I didn’t hear that announcement with these giant ear muff headphones.

SPEEDING vs. DRIVING TOO SLOW

I was doing a crossword puzzle on the plane and got stumped on “A Traffic Cop’s Concern.” That’s an easy one, I thought. But “quota” wouldn’t fit in the boxes. The answer was “speeding.” But speeding is no longer a leading cause for motor vehicle collisions. Driving too slow or not keeping up with traffic flow is currently the leading cause. Like the correct answer, speeding seems to be the leading cause of traffic tickets. But, I have, in my 8+ years of teaching defensive driving, only instructed one student who had been cited for driving too slow. So, why still write speeding tickets? It is fact that slow drivers cause more traffic accidents than speeders. But it is also proven that the high-impact from speeding crashes cause the fatalities, because “speed kills.” I would wager a bet that there are not many speeders in those states that have legalized marijuana.

MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT SIGNS

Any state I have traveled to within the past year all have minimum speed limit signs. My state (at least in my area) does not. But I know we used to have them. Perhaps they removed them all and stored them in a big warehouse somewhere and then sold them to another state. They should definitely put them back up, if driving too slow is the current leading cause for car crashes. Perhaps if it’s posted with signage, a driver can then be cited for driving too slow. That is one ticket that they should absolutely be writing!

Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

NOT KEEPING UP WITH TRAFFIC FLOW – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Male v.s. Female Drivers

Daun Thompson — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:36:11 +0000

It has been an ongoing argument since the caveman invented the wheel (or was it Fred Flintstone?) that men are better drivers than women. Or are they? Statistically, more men die in car crashes than women. But, statistically, men drive more than women. My own personal observation regarding male vs female drivers is that men are more confident in their driving skills. That’s not saying that they’re better drivers than women, but when asked if they consider themselves good drivers they always say yes (without hesitation). Women don’t brag about their driving skills and typically answer with a simple “I’m just okay.” Of course skill is an important factor, along with maturity and responsibility.

Of both genders, a majority of men don’t wear safety belts. Statistically, men drink and drive more than women. They tend to tailgate more and are or aggressive drivers. And men typically drive faster than women and take more risks. That is why the Department of Motor Vehicles warns that testosterone fueled male drivers are risky business, making their insurance higher than females since they stand a much higher chance of getting in an accident. Owning sports cars or muscle cars are also costly to insure. So, while vehicular fatalities and insurance rates are higher for males, women are said to still make a lot more mistakes behind the wheel causing fender benders, but not necessarily fatalities.

Although the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety claims that teenage girls are twice as likely as teenage boys to engage in texting or talking on the phone while driving, scientists say that men get distracted more easily than women.

Perhaps with seat belt laws, air bags and newer safety technology in cars, we won’t even be having this “who’s the better driver” conversation. Especially when all cars are self-driving.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Male v.s. Female Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving School

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A Patient Driver

Daun Thompson — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 04:33:42 +0000

Happy Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Winter Solstice…Happy Everything!! I went up to the post office yesterday to mail out my Christmas cards and stolen goods (because they say the best things in life are free…that’s why I shop lift). And you know what I miss? They used to have a bulletin board at the post office with pictures of wanted felons. Now that bulletin board displays pictures of neighborhood people in the military, with a giant banner “Thanks for serving our country,” which is awesome, but I miss those pictures of wanted felons. That’s how I’d find old boyfriends. I’m told that the felon pictures are now displayed at Wal-Mart. Or maybe that’s the Employee of the Month bulletin board. I always get the two confused. The New Year is just a week away. And, like most people, I am considering my New Year resolutions. One of them is “No Lying.” Nah, that’s not even one of them…help me, I can’t stop! I’m actually still working on my list. But I do plan to put forth more effort to be a patient driver.

Lately, I find myself muttering the word “idiot” a lot when I am driving. No more of that business! And, I am going to learn to manage my time better, plan ahead for traffic and leave earlier. Basically, I will need to stop dawdling (or, as my friends call it, “Daun”dling). Time management alone will likely save me hundreds in toll bills, since I won’t be relying on costly express lanes to get me there on time. I don’t even have the stomach to look at how much I spent this year in tolls. After the holiday cheer ends, next comes tax season. I will wait until then to look at that expense. Why ruin my holiday spirit?

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

A Patient Driver – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Rushed Drivers

Daun Thompson — Mon, 22 May 2017 15:45:09 +0000

Why are drivers always in such a big darned hurry? Apparently, impatience leads to rudeness. I remember when attempting to pass someone in the left lane, you would flash your headlights at them. This used to mean “I would like to pass you, please, would you mind moving over to the right lane so that I may do so.” And now when you flash your headlights to pass, it apparently means “Get the heck out of my way.” When did we become such rushed drivers? I’m not saying that I am exempt. I find myself being impatient as well. And I can only speak for myself, but the reason that I am always in such a big darned rush is because I don’t manage my time well. But can that be true for the masses? If I were my adult self, speaking to my inner child, I would say that I should plan to leave earlier so I can relax and not get stressed out while driving to work. There are, of course, other factors that lend to one’s tardiness, such as road construction, traffic, accidents, weather and other unseen events. Listening to the radio for the latest traffic reports sounds ideal but music is much more soothing to the savage beast, eh? And, this is just a passing thought, but I bet there are a lot less impatient speeders and Colorado, Oregon, California and Washington. Police are likely writing zero speeding tickets and responding to less road rage incidents. Now, in those states police are probably writing more tickets for driving too slow or sitting at a stop sign, waiting for it to turn green.
And what are we teaching our kids who are lead by our example? Kids are like little sponges that absorb everything they see and hear. Again, I am not exempt. I will admit, my daughter’s first word was a bad word that she learned while riding in the car with me. I have always prided myself in doing clean comedy. I rarely swear and when I do it’s usually quite mild. So, I was quick to blame my younger sister. I asked her to watch her language around my kid because she’s picking up bad words. It escalated to my tiny toddler swearing in public places. We were in the grocery store, passed a man in an aisle and she called him a bad word. I apologized profusely and he said “That’s okay, lady. I’ve been called worse. But not by a baby.” She eventually stopped saying the word and life was peaceful again. One day, I was driving, she was asleep in her car seat and another car cut us off. Out of my mouth came that exact word. Good thing she was asleep and didn’t hear. But it was then that I realized it was me all along that she was mimicking, not my sister. I never told my sister, though. Although we all like to believe that we are basically good, kind hearted human beings, our alter-ego emerges when driving. This is especially true of rushed drivers.
So take a deep breath, buckle up and be kind out there. You’re not going to arrive any faster by being a jerk. Less stress is good for your heart and soul. And remember, there are little sponges out there learning how to treat others by our examples (good or bad).

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Rushed Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving

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A Crash Free Society

Daun Thompson — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 15:19:57 +0000

It is said that a high percentage of crashes are due to a driver’s attitude or behavior. So, could it be true that if we just stayed more focused and had better control of our emotions we would inevitably make better decisions and therefore nearly eliminate crashes, altogether? Could we actually become a crash free society. It would be interesting to start a “challenge” to see what effect this would have in reducing crashes, as well as a reduction in moving violations and even road rage.

Following these simple principles may help us to avoid that which we all dread.
• Always wear your seat belt and make sure others in the car are wearing theirs too.
• Scan the road ahead. And constantly scan around your car by checking your side mirrors and your rearview mirror every 3 to 7 seconds so you always know where your safe “out” is (drive like a bobble head). This is super important…but your MAIN FOCUS should always be scanning the road ahead of your intended path of travel. This will result in better reaction time and no surprises.
• Always try to keep a three second following distance between you and the car ahead. This will help reduce the chances of a rear-end collision. Once the car ahead of you passes a stationary object such as a tree, mile marker or a dead deer (if it gets up and walks away, you need to find something else), count 3 seconds before your car passes that same stationary object. Double this rule in wet weather and triple it in icy or snowy weather. Keep a good space around your car.
• Change lanes properly. Use your signal, that’s what it’s for. It’s also a moving violation if you don’t signal 100 feet before changing lanes or turning and a common cause of car crashes. Newer cars have a blinker feature that will automatically shut off after 3 to 6 blinks (so you no longer have to be the “eternal signaler” that forgot to shut the blinker off).
• Be aware of your speed and keep up with the flow of traffic. Not keeping up with the flow of traffic is the current leading cause for crashes. So, if everyone is speeding and you’re not keeping up with the flow of traffic, you could be impeding traffic (which can be more dangerous than speeding). Driving too slow causes more crashes, but the high-impact of speeding crashes cause more fatalities. In other words, “speed kills.”
• Be careful when backing out. In a parking lot, you must yield to moving vehicles.
• Keep a good, clear view. Make sure you have plenty of wiper fluid, that the wipers work and your windshield is clean. If you can’t see well at night, if it’s that foggy, just get off the road and wait.
• Stay calm and alert and don’t be distracted.
• Watch out for blind spots and those in your blind spots (and you in theirs). Motorcyclists and bicyclists are especially vulnerable to blind spots.
• Adjust your seat and steering wheel to suit you.

And, for Pete’s sake, always be prepared to yield the right of way. Try to be a courteous driver. Let people over when they signal and they will probably do the same. It’s only going to create good Karma.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

A Crash Free Society – Comedy Defensive Driving

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What To Do If You’re Being Pulled Over!

Daun Thompson — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 20:36:59 +0000

If you’re like me, then from time to time you’ve been known to exceed the speed limit by a few miles or so. Maybe you’re in a hurry and you didn’t take the time to come to a complete stop at that stop sign – maybe you didn’t even see the stop sign! In any case, a violation of the rules of the road might see you in hot pursuit by flashing blue and red lights. In these situations, there are certain protocol that should be followed to ensure the safety of you and your passengers, as well as the officer in charge. Here are a few tips should you ever find yourself being pulled over while driving.

1. Slow down and turn your turn signal on to get to the closest and safest place to stop, whether this is on the right shoulder of the road or highway, or in the closest parking lot. You’ll want to pull over as quickly as possible, but more so in a safe and calm manner.

2. After you have pulled over, make sure you turn off your radio and your car engine. Roll down your window and place your hands on the steering wheel. Police officers are killed making routing traffic stops on a daily basis, so anything you can do to assuage their heightened alertness and portray that you are cooperating in a calm manner is key.

3. Don’t go rummaging through your purse or wallet until the officer gets to your car door. This may indicate you are looking to hide something or possibly reaching for a weapon.

4. When the officer gets to your door, the first thing they will probably ask is to see your license and registration, and possible insurance. Most of these things should be kept in your car or on your person.

5. In most cases, anything you say to an officer may later be used against you in court. An officer may hand you a ticket, and in most cases signing it is not an admission of guilt, just a promise to pay the fine or show up in court. Most of the time, the correct response to a police officer is, “No,sir” or “Yes,sir.”

6. The police normally cannot search your car unless they find probable cause … but this can be anything they deem suspicious from a weird smell to an object in plain view. Don’t give them any reason to further detain you, follow the steps above!

There are a few instances when extra precaution may be used when getting pulled over. If you are alone on a dark highway or side road, it is within your rights to continue driving until you find a well-lit or more populated area. You may also ask that an officer identify himself/herself if getting pulled over by an unmarked or strange vehicle with flashing lights. Getting pulled over certainly is no fun, but following these precautions can save you a lot of grief!

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Lost and Lonely – Road Construction

Daun Thompson — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:54:34 +0000

Road Construction

What a mess it is now on our highways and roads. They are doing construction on all of the freeways and many residential streets in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This, coupled with people locating here for jobs, makes it a real mess. I feel sorry for those newbies that don’t know their way around and don’t know the shortcuts. I see people just sitting in their cars on the freeway at 3 p.m., it’s like a giant parking lot. I would want those hours of my life back. I can see why people get irritated and rage out at one another because road construction brings life to a halt. The online mapping websites are not much help anymore, either. Heck, even one with decent directions will still have you do a u-turn in the middle of the freeway…and that’s a good one. GPS isn’t always helpful, either. Unless you have an i-phone and can download the latest information about lane closures and exit / entrance ramp closures, it’s sometimes useless. I teach a class where the students are told to be there on time or we won’t let them in. People show up late, all red in the face…some even in tears (mostly the women). I size them up and if they’re bigger than me, I let them in. I don’t want to get beat up by one of my own students.

The cool thing is, around here, they are widening the freeways. This is part of the efforts of our highway and road construction and they are lengthening the entrance and exit ramps in these areas. I had read something about 2-1/2 years ago that Texas is one of the only states in the nation that is doing this. The article said that Texas is taking some responsibility for how some of our highways and roads are “poorly designed.” Currently, the police are writing tickets for people entering and exiting the freeway too fast and for speeding on the access roads. The problem is, with the short ramp, most people have to get up to speed on the access road before they hit that short launching pad of a ramp to get up to the speed of traffic. And the flow of traffic is usually 80 mph in the right lane. There’s another problem…people doing 80 in the right lane and 45 in the left lane. Both make people nuts. And you will get a ticket for exceeding the speed limit on the access road. You cannot exceed the speed limit until you enter the ramp. So, good luck…until they lengthen the entrance ramps, you may want to go out and get yourself a crotch rocket motorcycle or a really fast car. Also, maybe if you didn’t do 80 in the slow lane, perhaps, karmatically, others will do it for you. And, upon exiting the freeway, people are exiting at freeway speed or higher. And, although the traffic on the access road must yield to a ramp (at least in Texas that is the law), most people don’t yield. And, if you’re coming off the freeway at 60, 70, 80 mph, you could hit that non-yielding moron right in the driver side door. At that high of a speed, they may not survive the impact. And you will get cited for exiting the freeway too fast. So, until they lengthen the exit ramps where they can, you may want to try to decelerate before exiting the ramp. Therefore, the people tailgating you will also naturally decelerate. Rather than locking ‘em up to get from 80 down to 35. So, good luck out there with all of the highway and road construction. You’ll need it. You may want to hang a lucky rabbits foot from your rearview mirror. I guess those one-legged rabbits out there aren’t so lucky…are they.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Artist / Writer / Benevolent Thesbo

Highway and Road Construction – Comedy Defensive Driving

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I’M CAUGHT IN A TRAP…I CAN’T GET OUT…

Lisa — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:07:38 +0000

Speed traps in North America.Cha ching!Where do we start?There are several websites whose sole purpose is to locate and create a listing of speed traps across the country.Speedtrap.org is one such website.(Another option that I feel has saved me from being ticketed over the years? Just drive like a nervous Chihuahua and look out for cops).

How each website compiles their information varies. There are websites where they list the top ten worst states for speeding tickets, or for traffic tickets which are actually compiled by number of violations issued in a given period. Another lists ten states to watch your wallet in. And these states appear to have similar characteristics. Toll roads, road blocks, freeway construction and red light cameras, to name a few. Compiled data from the Google search engine has created a list of the top cities that generated the highest number of searches for “speeding tickets” and “traffic tickets”.Wondering where your city is on the list?Me too.

It appears that, although California, Texas and Florida are hot beds for losing your wallet to the law (most speeding tickets and traffic tickets written),none of these three states are at the top ten list for speed traps.In fact, California ranks 14, with Fresno being their top ticket city.Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine and Pleasanton are the contending cities.Pleasanton has an awesome mall. I believe I’ve even gotten a ticket there once. Texas ranks 28, with Houston being their top ticket city. Although Richardson, Dallas, Austin and Arlington are nearly as bad.Florida finds itself on the list at number 18. Waldo being its bad boy city for tickets. Where the hell is Waldo, anyway?? No, I really mean it…And Miami, Orlando and Tampa appear to be up and coming ticket cities in that state.

The top states, along with their top cities for speed traps are as follows.And most of them are not large cities.

1) New Jersey (Paramus)
2) Ohio (Columbus)
3) Maryland (Frederick)
4) Louisiana (Woodworth)
5) New York (Brooklyn)
6) Illinois (Naperville…You know, where they film the show “Female Forces”…like girls gone wild…only with cops)
7) Delaware (Newark)
8) Virginia (Virginia Beach)
9) Washington (Bellingham)
10) Massachusetts (Worcester)

In addition to knowing which states and their cities are worst for traps, there are also other key items to keep in mind when traveling out of state.In some states, you cannot take a right on red. Nor a left on a one way to a one way on red. Some highway traffic has the right of way to oncoming traffic and some yields to. Some states have hands free laws, where some only have city ordinances (i.e. Austin, Texas has a no texting city ordinance).

Do a little research before heading out on a road trip. And keep your wallet where it belongs…in your wife’s purse.

Daun Thompson

( Daun Thompson is a comedienne, artist and writer … who is currently feeling blessed that she is not a hot tar roofer… residing in the triple digits, hotter than hell, state of Texas )

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