Tag Archive for driver

Making Safer Teen Drivers

Believe it or not, studies show that parents are the greatest influence over a teen’s driving habits, both before and after the kids receive their licences.  One tool many parents have used to keep their kids safe while driving is a contract.  The kids will call the idea dumb, but it works.  Possibly because kids function best when they know the rules and specific consequences.

If you have a teen driver now or coming up, sit down with him or her with a contract and talk about each provision.  (The talking itself is a  good deterrent to risky driving habits.)  Some are more simple than others.  Below are links to several you might take a look at.  Choose one that fits your family best.

Allstate — https://www.allstatefoundation.org/pdf/Parent-Teen-Agreement-MI.pdf

AAA — http://teendriving.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Parent.Teen_.Driving.Agreement.pdf

American Academy of Pediatrics —    https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/driving_contract-a.pdf

 

Drunk Legislators

Is it okay for your legislators to get drunk and not call Urber, a taxi, or a friend to drive them home?  It is in my state (CA).  Or so it seems.  Our lawmakers have provided themselves with 24-hour-a-day drivers, on stand-by and getting paid (yes, by us taxpayers) to pick them up if they’ve been drinking.  This way, they argue, they won’t get a DUI.

Well, duh!  Do what your constituents do: call that taxi or Urber or friend.

Better still, be grown-ups and don’t put yourselves in that position.  Remember this: we elected you on the idea that you would make reasoned, sober, adult decisions, and you will be up for re-election sometime soon…

 

Brain Freeze: Silly Things I Think About

There’s plenty to worry about in the world.  But my mind sometimes wanders into strange territories.  Here’s a concern that hit me today:

If a driver-less car fails to stop at a red light or exceeds the speed limit, who gets the ticket?  If the officer makes it out to me, can I put in a claim to the auto manufacturer?

Get a Driver’s Licence–Be Drafted

Here’s your new (or renewed) driver’s licence–you’ve now signed up to be drafted.  That could happen to any young man aged 18-26.  A proposed California law (it could happen in your state, too) would send the name of any young man seeking a driver’s licence or renewal to Selective Service to be put onto the Draft list, and he may not even realize that he has just given his consent for that to happen.  SB 2201 has made it through the Assembly and sent to the Senate Housing and Transportation Committee.

If it passes, a young man who opposes war on religious grounds or has a struggling business that will fail if he’s off in the military or has aging parents or a disabled child to care for or any of a dozen other situations–he had better not get or renew a driver’s license.  Sure, some of them will ultimately be excused because of their situation, but Selective Service makes people go through a tough, nerve-wracking process first, especially if a person has “volunteered.”

If you’re a Californian and this bothers you, go to http://capwiz.com/fclca/issues/alert/?alertid=63257816 to email your concerns to the Committee and its chair, Mark DeSaulnier. If you’re not a Californian, keep an eye on this bill.  If it passes, watch for it in your own state.