Other teen driver restrictions include, but are not limited to a time curfew. In the 1990’s this curfew was conceived as a crime reduction tactic and curfews were promoted during the “tough on crime” era during the Bill Clinton administration. Before that, parents had control of their own children’s curfew time. Unfortunately, now instead of Cinderella’s coach turning into a pumpkin, she would likely be picked up by the police and brought back to the jail where she would wait for her stepmother to collect her.

Most states also enforce a teen driver restriction where they cannot drive a vehicle with more than one non-family member under the age of 21 in the car with them. When I was a teen, we would pack kids in the car like sardines. Seat belt use was not required until 1986, so everyone would squeeze in, sit on laps, ride on the floor or in the back window of the car like a beanie baby. I suppose now, this teen driving restriction allows you to only kill one friend at a time, rather than all of your friends at once. And we all remember those awkward teen years and how hard it is to make new friends.

Since drivers education is not offered in most high schools now as a course during school hours as it was in the past, and driver education classes are considerably expensive, there are other options offered which are less expensive but are less intensive (and, in my opinion, not as good). Online driver education courses are available as well as parent-taught driver education courses offered as a take-home course through the Department of Public Safety. Since it is well known that the highest mortality issue for teens is car accidents, investing in your child’s life by paying the extra for a live driving school course is always the best route.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Teen Driver Restrictions – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Now, there are new techniques and guides that have been developed out of new scientific research. The study shows that, after teaching basic vehicle handling skills, few parents went on to teach next-step driving skills, such as spotting and avoiding a potential hazard. Slowing when approaching a crosswalk where pedestrians might appear, or in a neighborhood where children are at play that may slip behind parked cars or alleyways are just a few lessons to teach. Drilling them on maneuvers that will avoid hazards and how to develop hazard recognition and judgment, making left turns in an intersection and how to merge (especially onto and off of high speed roadways) are super important.

Insurance company State Farm, funded research and development to help keep teen drivers safe. And they offer a program called “Road Trips,” at teendriving.statefarm.com. This program helps teach your teen how to drive on more varied roads (at night and in bad weather).

You want your kid to get a good start at driving and should never try to push them, but let them progress at their own pace so that they will feel more confident behind the wheel. Both KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL imparted will help them to be better drivers.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

( See Daun November 3rd at the Arlington, Texas IMPROV )

Teaching Skills To Avoid Accidents – Comedy Defensive Driving

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The 5 To Drive safe driving campaign topics are:
1. No Cell phone use or texting while driving
2. No extra passengers
3. No speeding
4. No alcohol
5. No driving or riding without a seat belt

Most states already have the above restrictions for new drivers. In Texas, a new driver has restrictions for one full year after they receive their driver license. No talking or texting. Driving curfews. And only one non-member under 21 in the car with you when you are driving (i.e. they only want you to kill one friend at a time…not all of them at once). That’s a brilliant restriction since we would pack kids in our cars like sardines when I was a teen driver.

My chief complaint as a mother of a teenage driver is the options for driver training that are currently offered. When I was a teen, we had drivers education in high school. It was part of our curriculum. We had a simulator that looked like a bumper car with a little theatre screen on it. How appropriate, to learn how to drive in a bumper car. My father would also take us out on country roads in his truck and have us practice driving. So, in addition to our driver training in school, we got hands-on instruction from my dear old dad. And my dad was a drunk driver. So, I learned how to weave and drift across three lanes. He’d put his beer can on the center of the dashboard and say “Now, line that up with the edge of the road.” Then he’d climb over the seat and pass out. Now, most high schools don’t even offer driver education. Independent driving schools offer driver education at a high cost. Or, a teen can take an online driver education course for quite a bit less. And, in Texas, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) offers a Parent-Taught Driver Education course for the least expense. The cover letter in the packet is totally written by a mother, too. It’s already letting you have it as a parent. It says “This is a parent-taught driver education course. Not a child-teaches-child while the parent is in the other room watching television.” Most teens are now taught to drive by their mothers. When I ask these teens, they say it is because their father is too impatient. I ask mothers who have taught this course to their teens if they were in the room with them while they were doing the classroom instruction. Most say they were not. At least they’re honest. But that means that there are many teens out there driving around with a scant idea of what they are doing behind the wheel. It’s a chilling thought. The more parents are really involved with instilling important driving skills and habits and making sure that they are constantly reminding them and making them accountable for their driving actions, the better chance that their teen will not end up as a statistic.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

5 To Drive – Comedy Defensive Driving

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When the sun goes down, the potential for bad things to happen increases. According to my mother, “Nothing good happens after dark.” I think she was lecturing me when she said that. But traffic deaths are three times greater at night than during the daytime, according to the National Safety Council. In addition, nighttime driving is the single biggest risk factor for teen car crashes. It’s more difficult to judge other vehicle’s speeds and distances at night. 90% of a driver’s reaction depends upon vision. And vision is severely limited at night. They say that’s also why you end up bringing home ugly women. After the sun goes down, depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision are also compromised. That’s why I sometimes leave the house with socks that don’t match. Or, at least that’s my excuse.

Another danger of nighttime driving is fatigue. Some states have laws that make the penalties of driving while fatigued equivalent to driving while intoxicated. It’s all about responsibility, not only for your life but for others around you. I have taken many road trips at night for several good reasons. It’s cooler at night, which keeps your engine cooler. There are less people on the road which means less traffic. And, you can drive topless…truck drivers love that. Always make sure you don’t overdrive your headlights. That means you should be able to stop inside the illuminated area ahead of your car. Keep your headlights and windshield clean. This will also help with visibility for both you and the truck drivers’ view into your car.

Drive the speed limit so you will have better reaction time if a night critter crosses your path. Most road kill animals come out at night. Some go onto the road to warm themselves on the asphalt. While others just go on the road to mess with you. Never swerve for an animal. If it’s a large animal, try to avoid hitting it head-on by sideswiping it. This way it won’t become a hood ornament or end up on your lap…that would be on YouTube forever. And, whatever you do, don’t pick up hitchhikers like “Large Marge” or “Bigfoot.” They never pitch in for gas. There are “cheap” mythical creatures out there too, you know.

And, if your car happens to break down at night, try to either get your car off of the freeway, or, if you are broken down on the shoulder, turn on your signal light as if you are going to be re-entering the freeway. Don’t turn on your hazard lights. Drunk drivers are attracted to flashing lights…much like how blondes are attracted to shiny objects (diamonds, should anyone ask).

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Writer / Artist / Night Driver

Nighttime Driving – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Distracted Drivers

Would you please turn down the radio! My father’s words still ring in my ears from my high school days when I’d listen to Cheech and Chong … “Dave’s not here…” And Iron Butterfly’s “Innagadadavida.” We’d spin the disc backwards on the turntable (they called it an “album” then) because we were told that there was a secret message revealed. And there was, it said “clean your room and get a job, and stop living in your parents basement like a loser.” Oh, and it also said “Dave’s not here, man…”

My dad’s Toronado and Oldsmobiles came with an 8-Track tape in STEREO which featured such corny songs as “Popcorn” (the goofiest song ever), Ed Ames’ “Cherish”, and other songs by such notables as Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck (who the heck would name their child that unless they just really hate kids?).

Everyone knows that crashes kill more teens than anything else. And distracted drivers along with drunken driving are leading causes of traffic deaths. That’s why teens have restrictions on them when they first receive a driver license. They have a curfew, no text messaging or talking on the phone, and not more than one non-family member in the car at one time (they just want you to kill one friend at a time…not all of them at once). A 2008 study by Erie Indemnity, a Pennsylvania insurance carrier shows that 93 percent of teen drivers play loud, distracting music behind the wheel. Furthermore, in 2001 a study conducted in Canada shows that reaction time slows as much as 20 percent when someone is subjected to loud volume, causing a potentially fatal delay for drivers.

So, distracted drivers, you may want to turn the radio down when you’re driving if you want to live longer.  You may also take into consideration that your jamming tune may be louder than the ambulance that is coming up behind you or louder than the horn that the guy who is “sharing” the lane with you may also cause you to crash.  Did you even think about that?  What?? You need me to repeat that?  You can’t hear what I’m saying???  I’m not surprised.

Until next week….
Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Artist / Writer
Distracted Drivers “Turn The Radio Down” – Comedy Defensive Driving
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Road Safety – Teens and Cars

My father taught me how to drive. And he was also a drunk driver, so I learned to weave and drift across three lanes at an early age. He’d set his beer can on the center of the dashboard and no joke, say “Now line that up with the edge of the road.” Then he’d climb over into the backseat and pass out. I learned to drive when I was 8 years old. If this were the case, in 2013, Child Protective Services would be my “Dad.” I’ve been told that CPS will also babysit for free …and they will do it for many, many years.

We also had driver education when I was in high school. It was part of our curriculum. Now, you typically have to take it from an outside school, at a whopping cost of $300 to $500. And, I’m sure it’s better than being taught by a drunk parent (or, what I like to call an authoritative figure that slurs). But teaching someone “evasive” driving is much like being taught “acting.” It cannot be taught…it can only be felt. Meaning, they can teach you all of the “textbook” evasive moves (how to recover from a skid, how to avoid an obstacle without rolling your car, what to do when your car is hydroplaning, etc.) but, until you actually experience those things, what you’ve been taught means very little. That’s where The Drivers Edge comes in, teaching kids, ages 15-25, road safety. And, considering, with the high mortality rate due to inexperience (the main cause for collisions), they actually teach them hands-on evasive driving. You can check out their website and register for a free course when they do their annual national tour. Drivers Edge

Man, things have really changed since I was a young driver but one thing has not, teens and cars are still a bad combination, there’s no doubt about that. But, when I was learning to drive, there were no unmarked police cars, with the lights in the grille of the car or behind the tinted back window.  Now, you don’t realize it’s a police car until you pass them, doing 90 mph and they “light you up” (which sounds like fun…being lit up…but it’s not fun). When I was a teenager, the lights were always on top of the police cars. Even if someone was following behind you with a luggage rack on top of their car, at night, it looked like it could be a cop and your heart would be pounding away in your chest. Actually, that may have been paranoia from partying too much. And tickets didn’t look like a WalMart receipt when I was a kid. It was just a small ticket and on the backside, it listed what your fine would be for each mile over the speed limit. And the price of the ticket wasn’t crazy expensive like they are now. The maximum amount of the fine was $50. And that was for manslaughter…you can’t even afford to kill someone anymore…it’s the economy.  Remember…always blame everything on the economy.

Until next week…be safe.

Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Artist / Writer

Teens and cars

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My bad cooking may be here to stay. But teen motor vehicle crashes are avoidable. There are proven policies to improve the safety of young drivers on the road. Factors that contribute to teen crashes and injuries include driver inexperience, driving with teen passengers, distractions, nighttime driving, not wearing seat belts and even drinking alcohol and driving. Just cutting out distractions, limiting night driving, monitoring passengers in the car and not calling or text messaging your teen while you know they are driving would help tremendously.

Among all age groups, teen drivers are at the greatest risk for accidents. Per mile driven, teen drivers are four times more likely than adult drivers to crash. Funny, it’s usually teens that make snide comments about older drivers. In fact, crash rates are highest during the first year of driving. And that crash risk goes up when teens drive with other teens in the car. In Texas, teens have restrictions on their license. One being that they cannot have more than one family member under the age of 21 in the car with them when they are driving. I suppose they just want you to kill one friend at a time, not all of them at once. Awesome idea, since we used to cram as many kids in the car as we could and just pack them in like sardines. This all plays into distracted driving, which is a huge contributing factor. That’s why, in some states like Texas, teen drivers also cannot talk on a cell phone or text while driving. There is also a curfew restriction for new drivers.

My teen just got her driver license a few months ago. So I have found many helpful websites that address teen driving tips. At teendriving.com you’ll find hundreds of safe driving and defensive driving tips from buying a car to driving in traffic, driving around school, and even tips on parallel parking. We used to call that parallel “chicken” when I was a teen.

Just keeping your teen drivers out of harm’s way isn’t the only issue here. The high cost of automobile insurance for a young driver is also an issue for most parents. Keeping a clean driving record will insure that your insurance premium doesn’t skyrocket. And who wants to spend a bunch of extra money on insurance when you have better things to spend your money on…like Jack Daniels.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Writer / Artist

Teen Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving

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• A person who persists in giving unsolicited advice.
• A passenger who constantly advises, corrects, or nags the driver of a motor vehicle.
• My boyfriend  (a.k.a the Armchair Quarterback … or A.Q. for short … he seems to know better than the players themselves and is always eager to shout advice. Where’s the darned “eject” button when you need it? Austin Powers had one!

Most back seat drivers shout their commands or list of distastes from the back seat. Where they are totally out of reach of the driver.  Not fair!  My suggestion?  Carry a flyswatter under the front seat. (By the way, Flyswatter is also a noun : A flyswatter is a hand-held device for killing flies and other pests.)

I have been driving for 35 years (43 if you count the years that I drove my drunk pappy home from the bar).  So, who seems to know how to drive better than I do?

Did you know Android has an app called “Back Seat Driver”?  What’s an Android? I have no idea. But you should get one for your baby. As long as he has to ride in the back seat, he may as well be practicing to be a backseat driver.  Practice makes perfect, you know. My daughter is 16, been out of the booster seat for over 11 years and still rides in the back seat.  Not for safety sake…she just doesn’t want to be seen with me. At least she doesn’t nag me about my driving from back there. Of course, she has her headphones on and she’s checking her email on her phone the whole time.  So, she’s just too busy to be bothered with my driving habits.

With so many distractions in the car as it is, having a backseat driver just adds fuel to the fire.  So, if you’re mister TYPE A who just loves to distract the person hauling your butt around by barking at every little maneuver that you don’t agree with, just remember…they can put you out at the bus stop. Then you can sit behind the bus driver and nag him or her all the way home. They just love that!

Until next week… let your chauffeur drive and just enjoy the ride.

Daun Thompson

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