underage driving Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

Teen Driver Restrictions

Daun Thompson — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 15:58:21 +0000

Although not every state in our great nation has a hands-free (no cell phone or hand-held electronic devices) driving law, all do have teen driver restrictions which include this. And, of the 3 states that do not have a hands-free state law, they still restrict the use of electronic devices while driving until the age of 18.

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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Driving Tips for New Drivers

Daun Thompson — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 05:02:35 +0000

It scares the bajeezus out of me that kids don’t have driver education offered in high school like they did when I was a kid. Driver education is definitely not like it was back in the 70’s. Now, teens are not even required to attend a driving school. They can do a parent taught driver education course offered by the DPS (Department of Public Safety). Here are a few driving tips for new drivers. These tips may help parents when teaching their teens how to drive. Practicing good safety habits will not only help to prevent accidents, but the more time you drive without a ticket or an accident on your record, the lower you can keep your insurance rates.
Keep your cell phone off. If you have no willpower and can’t trust yourself to not reach for it while driving, lock it in the glove box or console. Talking on the phone is one thing, but texting is even worse. This requires taking your eyes off of the road for way too long. Turn your headlights on in the morning and at dusk. Even if it’s not completely dark outside, people are more likely to see you if your lights are on. Some cars are more “invisible” to drivers due to their color. So having your lights on certainly helps.
Drive at a safe speed. Even if everyone is blowing past you, you may be trying to keep up with the flow of traffic, but also keeping it at a safe speed while doing so. Minimize distractions and try to drive alone.
And always practice defensive driving. Always pay attention to everything going on around the car at all times. And always have a safe “out” planned in case you need an escape route should something happen suddenly. Stay at least one car length behind other cars at low speeds, and leave even more space at higher speeds or in inclement weather. A defensive driving course will improve your driving skills, get you up to speed with new laws and revised laws, and could give you a discount on your auto insurance for three years.
Thank goodness for all of the new safety features in cars. That will eventually help reduce teen driver fatalities. But there is no accounting for driving experience. Add that with these tips and it will increase the odds that your teen won’t become a statistic.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Driver Tips for New Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Underage Drinking

Daun Thompson — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 15:27:49 +0000

When I moved to Texas in 1979, everyone in the car could have an open container…even the driver. I thought you’d get a citation if you didn’t drink and drive. We’ve totally evolved since those glory days (or, as some of my friends call them, the R.I.P. days). Eventually, the law changed and only passengers could have an open container (or a road sodie, as they were called). This way, the driver could merely hand their beverage over to a passenger before the officer approached the car…brilliant. I’m sure the laws in the state that I moved here from were no better. In fact, most bars never closed. Which also means they didn’t clean up. You needed a tetanus shot before you’d go into one of those places. And, as far as underage drinking went, the legal age to drink went from 21 down to 18. Then it went up to 19 for awhile and kind of hovered there. Then it eventually went back up to 21. Somewhere in between, I recall the drinking age being around 8 (maybe that was south of the border). People from European countries say they don’t have an underage drinking problem because they don’t “glamorize” drinking like we do here in the states. And their laws are strict and swift. So, would lowering the drinking age make it less attractive to teens? MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) says not. When states had lower legal drinking ages in America, the underage drinking problem was worse. Underage drunk drivers were involved in over twice as many fatal accidents.
A few months ago, there was a rumor going around on the interweb (that’s what my dad calls it) that the drinking age was going to be raised to 25. It was apparently just a myth. Kind of like celebrity deaths on the internet. That has to be super creepy to the celebrities themselves. 25 years of age is apparently when the frontal lobe completely develops. Better, more rational, adult decision making comes into play after 25 (hopefully). But not everyone matures at the same pace as others.
According to MADD, more than 25,000 lives have been saved in the U.S. because of the 21 minimum legal drinking age. They claim that the law continues to prevent tragedies and therefore decreases crashes by an estimated 16% and keeps young people safer from many other risks as well (such as alcohol poisoning, and aspiration).
Even after 21, it is encouraged to take a cab or Uber if you have consumed any alcohol. In fact, MADD has teamed up with Uber to encourage this. Uber’s revolutionary app connects users with safe, reliable rides at the touch of a button. Those are rides you can count on, whenever and wherever, so that people never have to get behind the wheel drunk.
After all, the easier it is to get a safe ride, the less likely adults are to drive after drinking.
Until next week….
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Underage Drinking – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Holiday Parties and Drunk Driving…Scarry!

Daun Thompson — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:00:41 +0000

Today is Halloween. And, with all of those little goblins and witches out there, not to mention the ones in the Amy Winehouse Rehab costumes, we want to be on our best behavior when driving through neighborhoods.
It’s bad enough when you’re not paying attention in an area swarming with pedestrians. But drinking on top of it could be really bad news.
And, even if you are super careful and don’t flatten a kid, you could still get a trick (dwi) and a treat (being put in a cell with a girly-looking guy named Bubba). Your first offense for driving while intoxicated, at least here in Texas, is a $2,000 fine (by the way, that’s approximately 1550 Snickers bars) and possibly up to 180 days in jail (with your new girlfriend, Bubba, who happens to love Snickers bars). Plus you’ll have one great costume to wear (perhaps in a shocking pumpkin orange or in a nice chain-gang black and white stripe). You’ll definitely have to spend at least 3 days in jail (just enough time for them to tailor your costume to fit). You could lose your drivers license for up to a year (and get it back just in time for Halloween, 2012). I think there’s a special costume for losers who don’t have a driver license…it’s called the forever single costume. And, just to seal the deal, you’ll have to pay a $1,000 annual surcharge for the next three years. You only think it’s over. But they keep reminding you of the terrible mistake you made by sending you a bill monthly or quarterly until you can no longer afford gas or booze (great tactic). And providing alcohol to minors is a whopping $4,000. So don’t even think about it. As they always say to me at Neiman-Marcus… “You can’t afford it.”

AlcoholScreening.org helps people assess their drinking patterns to see if alcohol is likely to be harming their health. And, no, they don’t share your information with Johnny Law and set you up. Your information is private. They do give you the option to share the website with someone you know who might benefit from the site, though. Do this, and you may just get your butt kicked by your drunken friend. But it’s a cool website. Check it out just for fun.

Until next week…stay safe.

Daun Thompson

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