Drunk Driving means Accidents and Legal Inconveniences

Drunk driving brings nothing but trouble and misery. The first and least problem is running afoul of the law against DUI or driving under the influence. Penalties for DUI, even for the first offense, have been increased all around. There are even state laws that now impose mandatory jail time especially for repeat offenders. But the worst thing that can happen is your losing limb and life as drunk driving has been consistently shown as parent to road accidents.

Images via Flickr mamabaig

On the stricter laws against drunk driving, about two-third of the states have now passed Administrative License Revocation (ALR) laws, which allows the arresting officer to take the license of drivers who fail or refuse to take a breath test. The fines imposed for driving while intoxicated are larger, the length of license suspension longer and redeeming a confiscated licenses made doubly harder. That should be enough warning and deterrent for law-abiding citizens who hate tussles with the law.


Many states have passed Habitual Violator laws, which provide felony penalties for three DUI convictions. These offenders can lose many of their civil rights like being able to vote or own a weapon as well as their driver’s license permanently or for many, many years. In order to get that license back, most states now require offenders to complete some form of a DUI school or education and assessment program. Now the offender must first go through an assessment interview with a professional counselor before it is decided what steps must be completed before the driver’s license is reinstated. The counselor, based on his assessment of the drunk driver, can mandate attendance in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a residential treatment program, detoxification or other medical treatment.


All of this cost time and money or both on top of the fines and probation fees the offender must pay. But that is not the only cost involved. Many states also require additional insurance coverage before returning driving privileges to DUI offenders, and that can run into serious money. Then there is the fee most states charge for re-issuing a driver’s license.

Images via Flickr NehaSarin

But despite all the warnings, public awareness and educational programs, stiffer penalties for violations, and efforts by law enforcement agencies across the nation to be more visible and diligent in protecting the highways, people still get behind the wheel of their vehicles while intoxicated. According to a morbidity and mortality report of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, vehicular accidents are the leading cause of death in the US in any given year. And over 40 percent of these deaths are DUI-related (source: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r020703.htm).


In effect, the justice system is holding drunk drivers accountable for the damage they do to those killed or injured on the highways. The monetary liabilities for such incidents can run into millions of dollars, not to mention the criminal penalties. In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel.


This is what the National Traffic Safety Institute is trying to do. NTSI offers a variety of programs designed for violators with a first or multiple driving offenses related to alcohol or other drugs. These educational programs are 12 hours to 18 months in duration, depending on individual requirements. The programs offer an intensive, individualized analytical and educational examination of the dangers and problems (both personal and social) of impaired driving. Addiction, the disease concept of alcoholism, family history of alcoholism, and denial are among the topics covered in the program.


For more information about Defensive Driving Courses, please visit the National Traffic Safety Institute at http://www.ntsi.com, call us at (866) 346-3283, or email us at corporate@ntsi.com.

Do’s and Don’ts on Safe Driving

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people in both developed and less developed countries. Automobile technology may have improved by leaps and bounds in terms of ensuring road safety and convenience but because of human error, the grim statistics on vehicular accidents continue to pile up. The best way to reduce the risk of being involved in an accident then is to practice safe driving behaviors. 

Here are 10 Driving Tips that can help bring you and your passengers to your intended destination in one piece.

 
Don’t drive when drunk. Drunk driving is the No.1 cause of car accidents, the reason it is a crime in many cities. Even at low blood-alcohol levels, intoxication reduces reaction time and coordination and lowers inhibitions, which can cause drivers to make foolish choices. At higher levels, alcohol causes blurred or double vision and even loss of consciousness. If you’ve been drinking and needed to drive, ask a sober friend for a ride or call a cab. The mild inconvenience of taking a cab home is nothing compared to the disastrous consequences of driving drunk.


Avoid speeding. Research shows that for every mile per hour you drive on the speedometer, the likelihood of your being in an accident increases by four to five percent (source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/hs809012.html ).At higher speeds, the risk increases even more. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes.


Don’t use phones. In the U.S., studies place at 2,600 the deaths caused yearly by the practice of using cell phones while driving. The main reason is that working a cell phone behind the wheel can delay reaction times by as much as 20 percent.


Don’t nod off. A study conducted by Virginia Tech reported that 20 percent of all accidents have sleepiness as a contributing factor. If a driver is tired enough to actually fall asleep while driving, the results are predictable. Even on a relatively straight highway, a sleeping driver will eventually drift off the road. So get a good night’s sleep before going on a long drive.


Wear seat belts. Seat belts save lives during crashes. Worn properly, they prevent you from being thrown around the inside of a crashing vehicle or, worse, thrown through the windshield and flung completely out of the vehicle. The numbers are much scarier for young drivers and passengers: A staggering 70 percent of fatal crash victims between the ages of 13 and 15 weren’t wearing seat belts.


Exercise caution in bad weather. If you’re driving through fog, heavy rain, a snow storm or on icy roads, be extra cautious. If you’re driving through weather conditions you don’t know well, consider delegating driving duties to someone who does, if possible. If the weather worsens, just find a safe place to wait out the storm. Drivers who can’t see the road will be looking for other cars to follow along the highway. When they see your lights, they’ll drive toward you and may not realize you’re not moving in time to avoid a collision.


Keep your car well-maintained. Vehicle maintenance isn’t just an important way to extend your car’s life but also a major safety issue. Many maintenance issues are addressed by state-mandated vehicle inspections. If your car is unsafe, the inspecting mechanic will let you know what you need to do to fix it. However, there could be a year or more between inspections, so car owners need to be aware of any potential safety issues and get them repaired before they lead to an accident.


For more information about Defensive Driving Courses, please visit the National Traffic Safety Institute at www.ntsi.com, call us at (866) 346-3283, or email us at corporate@ntsi.com.

Phone Use While Driving As Dangerous As DUI

Images: Goodtodrive

With the advent of mobile phone technology that sees everyone owning even more than one unit of a cellular phone at a time comes a new menace to road safety and human lives. Text messaging or using a mobile phone while driving now accounts for most car crashes that used to be attributed solely to driving under the influence or DUI.


 



In the US, for example, official statistics show that someone gets killed every 53 minutes in a drunk driving crash, which translates to 27 fatalities every day. Every 90 seconds, someone is also injured in a drunk driving incident. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that alcohol-related vehicular collisions caused 17,941 deaths in 2006 alone. This represented a high 40 percent of total traffic deaths in the US.


The grim statistics on road accidents resulting from calling or taking a call on a mobile phone while driving are not far behind.


Research conducted by the NHTSA asserts that drivers who use either a handheld or hands-free cellphone are four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury or death. At any given moment during the daylight hours, over 800,000 vehicles in the US are being driven by someone using a cellphone, according to that research. It says both hand-held and hands-free mobile phones impair driving, with no significant difference in this degree of impairment.


Using a mobile phone while driving can be distracting. It makes no difference whether you are talking on the phone, texting, playing games or taking photos. Studies have found that using a mobile phone while driving slows reaction times and interferes with a driver’s perception skills to increase the chances of figuring in a crash.


It is as dangerous as DUI to use a mobile phone while driving because it hampers decision making, for one. Deciding when it is safe to turn in traffic is a complex task. When your attention is divided, this affects your judgment and you may fail to choose a safe gap in tight situations. When making a decision to turn across oncoming traffic, you also tend not to consider the environmental conditions such as when it is raining or the roads are slippery. If you don’t make safe turns in time you’re likely to crash.


Your reaction is also slower and less controlled. You generally react slower when using a mobile phone, particularly when you’re deep in conversation. So you may take longer to respond to traffic signals or completely miss them. During a mobile phone call your brake reaction time is slower, and you stop with more force and less control which results in shorter stopping distances available between yourself and the car in front.


When using a phone while driving, you’re more likely to wander out of your lane even on a straight road with light traffic.   You also tend to spend less time checking your mirrors and what’s going on around you which can affect your ability to monitor and negotiate traffic safely.


If talking on a mobile while driving is an utmost necessity, it may be wise to keep the conversation short and peremptory. Don’t engage in complex, emotional or romantic conversations. Tell the person on the other end that you are driving and may have to end the call. End the call if it is distracting you from driving and never ever make calls in heavy traffic, poor road conditions or bad weather.


For more information about Defensive Driving Course, please visit National Traffic and Safety Institute website at www.ntsi.com, call us at (866) 346-3283 or email us at corporate@ntsi.com

Defensive Driving is Safety Driving

“Defensive driving is driving your car in such a way that you avoid collisions and accidents regardless of the conditions and/or actions of the other drivers around you.” This term was first used by the National Safety Council when it launched back in 1964 a systematic driving course based on the experience and safety guidelines set forth by professional drivers who know whereof they speak. It implies that you are a defensive or safety driver if you observe more than traffic laws but also the laws of physics, — that is, by keeping a trained eye on other moving vehicles and evaluating driving options in tight situations.


 No question that driving is fraught with risks. One of the primary risks is posed by other drivers who act as if they own the road. There are speed maniacs who like to overtake everyone. Some people speed aggressively. Others wander into another lane because they may not be paying attention. Drivers may follow too closely, make sudden turns without signaling, or weave in and out of traffic.


Thus, such aggressive drivers are said to account for one-third of all car accidents. Also becoming more of a problem is inattentive driving which applies to multitasking people who while driving talk on their mobile phones, send or check text messages, snack or even watch TV.


You can’t control the actions of other drivers. But updating your defensive driving skills can help you avoid the dangers caused by other people’s bad driving. So before you get behind the wheel of that two-ton frame of glass and steel, here are some tips to help you stay in control:


Keep focus. Driving is primarily a thinking task, and you have a lot of things to think about when you’re behind the wheel: road conditions, your speed and position, observing traffic laws, signs and signals, following directions, being aware of the cars around you, checking your mirrors, and so on and so forth.   By avoiding distractions, such as talking on the phone or eating, you can see potential problems develop and properly react to them.


Be alert. Being alert while driving allows you to react quickly to potential problems, as when the car ahead of you suddenly brakes. Obviously, alcohol or drugs affect a driver’s reaction time and judgment. Driving while drowsy has the same effect and is one of the leading causes of crashes. So rest up before your road trip.


Think safety. Avoiding aggressive and inattentive driving tendencies yourself will put you in a stronger position to deal with other people’s bad driving. Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front. Always lock your doors and wear your seatbelt to protect you from being thrown from the car in a crash.


Have an escape route. In all driving situations, the best way to avoid potential dangers is to position your vehicle where you have the best chance of seeing and being seen. Having an alternate path of travel is essential, so take the position of other vehicles into consideration when determining an alternate path of travel. Always leave yourself an out — a place to move your vehicle if your immediate path of travel was suddenly blocked.


Follow speed limits. Posted speed limits apply to ideal conditions. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your speed matches conditions. In addition, higher speeds make controlling your vehicle that much more difficult if things go wrong. To maintain control of your vehicle, you must control your speed.


If you’re interested in taking a defensive driving course to help sharpen your driving knowledge and skills, contact National Traffic Safety Institute. Most states maintain a list of approved defensive driving course providers. Many of them offer online programs. In some states, you may be eligible for insurance premium discounts, “positive” safe driving points, or other benefits. These courses do cost money, but it’s worth the investment to be a smarter and safer driver.

Let No Car Accidents Happen to You

Vehicular accidents account for over 1,700 deaths and 840,000 injuries yearly in the US alone.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these car mishaps often involve drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who take road safety for granted.  The drivers and motorcycle or bike riders figure in accidents because they have little or no knowledge of defensive driving.  Unfortunate pedestrians that get caught in such road accidents, on the other hand, have not been usually tutored on the safer way of crossing the streets.

 

Whether as driver of a vehicle or plain pedestrian, everyone is prone to an accident if you fail to observe the basic road safety standards.  For example, you’re inviting trouble if you neglect to look ahead, to your left and right, for cars that may move into your path.  When you’re behind the wheel, it pays to follow the so-called two-second rule by keeping a safe distance behind other vehicles ahead of yours.   

It’s really all about behavioral changes.  People meet accidents on highways because of attitudes and mindsets that need to be altered.  This is exactly what the National Traffic Safety Institute strives to accomplish, which starts with taking a look at your own values and attitudes.

The innovative approach to Defensive Driving courses form our school stresses personal accountability as participants are guided through an interactive curriculum based upon proven behavioral modification principles. In their school, training emphasizes the importance of following safety standards and encouraging personal choice as a means of affecting a positive change in driving. Their mission is to provide the highest level of education both online and in the classroom in all-defensive driving course.  In other words, it makes a defensive driver out of an aggressive driver through behavior modification.

NTSI has a court-approved curriculum for Defensive Driving and Traffic School in several states. The courses it offers online and in a traditional classroom setting includes online driving courses, defensive driving school, traffic survival school online and DMV traffic school, among others.  In order to make your driver and driving school online experience as pleasant as possible, NTSI courses have no hidden fees.  All of the payment options for either Defensive Driving classes or Traffic School classes are clearly stated in the registration process.

Taking the NTSI online Defensive Driving course is convenient.  This allows you to set your own schedule and promote equally effective driver improvement as in traditional classroom settings. It is up to you whether you finish your Defensive Driving course in one sitting or take breaks and continue the Defensive Driving course at your own pace. Being able to take the courses at your own pace helps give you a more productive and rewarding learning experience.  All the NTSI online driving classes are available 24 hours a day.

Upon completion of an online Defensive Driving/Traffic School course, NTSI will report your completion results to the state where you completed the online defensive driving course and/or online traffic school on your behalf*.  For added convenience, the NTSI Defensive Driving/Traffic School courses are now compatible with smart phones and tablets.  You don’t have to wait until you are at a computer to access your course.  You can access it from your mobile device wherever you are! **only for a certain states applies.

 At the National Traffic Safety Institute the goal is to provide course participants with driver improvement through interactive and innovative courses towards narrowing your chances for an accident.  For young drivers, it offers the SNAP program in several states for an affordable price. It helps novice drivers complete an online defensive driving class for point/insurance reductions on rates and pertinent knowledge about driving hazards from distractions.

When you choose this company, you are choosing safety first.  It uses methods that change driving attitudes and produce driver improvement across the board. With over 30 years in defensive driving course curriculum, these online defensive driving classes have been developed, refined and improved to produce the best results.

 
Visit or Call NTSI today for the courses and certifications it has for your state. Get on the road with sharper driver awareness and confidence.

NTSI: Leaders In Traffic Safety for Over Three Decades

Our Approach to Defensive Driving and Traffic School

Our innovative approach to Defensive Driving courses stress personal accountability as the Defensive Driving/Traffic School participants explore an interactive curriculum based upon proven behavioral modification principles. At NTSI, our training emphasizes the importance of following safety standards and encouraging personal choice as a means of affecting a positive change in driving. Our mission at NTSI is to provide the highest level of education both online and in the classroom to all defensive driving course participants. We prepare and re-iterate the importance of being a defensive driver through behavior modification.

State/DMV Traffic School Approved

NTSI has a court/state approved curriculum for Defensive Driving and Traffic School in several states. The courses we offer online and in a tradition classroom setting include online driving courses, defensive driving school, traffic survival school online and DMV traffic school to point out a few. To find the course you need, please click on the following link and select your state! Find your Defensive Driving Course

Absolutely No Hidden Fees

In order to make your driver and driving school online experience as pleasant as possible our courses have No Hidden Fees. All of the payment options for either Defensive Driving classes or Traffic School classes are clearly stated in the registration process. (Please note that state fees are added in at time of registration and are clearly stated during the registration process. Rush delivery fees for Defensive Driving/Traffic School certificates may apply in some areas.)

Set Your Own Schedule

Taking our online Defensive Driving course has never been more convenient. Online Traffic School courses allow you to set your own schedule and promote equally effective driver improvement as traditional classroom settings. It is up to you whether you finish your Defensive Driving course in one sitting or take breaks and continue the Defensive Driving course at your own pace. Being able to take the courses at your own pace helps give you a more productive and rewarding learning experience. All of our online driving classes are available 24 hours a day.

Automatic Court Reporting

Upon completion of an online Defensive Driving/Traffic School course, NTSI will report your completion results to the state you completed the online defensive driving course and/or online traffic school on your behalf. (Not applicable in some states, please check your specific state page for further information.)

Money Back Guaranteed

We want all of our Defensive Driving/Traffic School customers to have a satisfactory experience with NTSI. If for any reason you decide that you would rather not complete the online Defensive Driving or Traffic School course after completing registration (but before beginning module 2) we will gladly refund your payment. Please visit your state page for specific refund policies.

Mobile Device Friendly

Our Defensive Driving/Traffic School courses are now compatible with smart phones and tablets. Now you don’t have to wait until you are at a computer to access your Defensive Driving/Traffic School course, you can access from your mobile device wherever you are!

Online Traffic School

At the National Traffic Safety Institute we offer a myriad of online defensive driving classes that can help you lessen your chances for an accident. Our goal is to provide course participants with driver improvement through interactive and innovative courses.

For young drivers we offer the SNAP program in several states for an affordable price. It helps novice drivers complete an online defensive driving class for parent/ insurance reductions on rates and pertinent knowledge about driving hazards from distractions.

When you choose NTSI, you are choosing safety first. We use methods that change driving attitudes and produce driver improvement across the board. With over 30 years in defensive driving course curriculum, our defensive driving classes online have been developed, refined and improved to produce the best results.

Call us today see the courses and certifications we have for your state. Let us help you get on the road and stay there with driver awareness and confidence.