Driving Trainigs

Warning Sign?

Warning Sign?

This sign strikes me as very humorous. Is it a warning? Or a suggestion? And think of the worker who put it up. He must have been laughing, ...

Recommended Books & DVD's For Learner Drivers

Pass Your Driving Test With The Help Of Recommended Books & DVD's For Learner Drivers! There are so many study aids for learners on the market - so how do you know which are the best? We've put together a selection of tried and tested learner driver books and DVDs which will reinforce what you learn during your driving lessons and help you to learn and maintain the safe driving skills which you'll need for your driving test - and beyond! For more information, check out: <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/best-books-for-learner-drivers">Best Books For Learner Drivers</a> <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/best-dvds-for-learner-drivers">Best DVDs For Learner Drivers</a>

Recommended Books & DVD's For Learner Drivers

Pass Your Driving Test With The Help Of Recommended Books & DVD's For Learner Drivers! There are so many study aids for learners on ...

Road Hog

I recently spent 3 days attending a conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving in Utah is a unique experience. Distinct because the roadways are amazingly wide and signage is clear. But truly extraordinary because attitudes are fairly easy-going toward road hogs. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/piggyroadSN2410_700x568.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-489464/Road-hog-Pig-brings-traffic-carriageway-standstill-feed-piglets.html&usg=__Yze3RL4doMklF5n3udkogD43aJQ=&h=568&w=700&sz=69&hl=en&start=4&sig2=UGSmwbKLoknRnJIOj-UTBA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=YHJukMbOQqeLiM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droad%2Bhog%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1,isz:m,itp:photo&ei=8JcPTN21NpDCNrvayM4M"><img alt="Pig feeding her piglets" border="0" height="161" src="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/piggyroadSN2410_468x380.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> Most of us live in cities where roads are narrow and addresses hard to find. Utah is so refreshingly different.  <a name='more'></a> <a href="http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Brigham%20Young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Brigham%20Young.jpg" width="217" /></a>Thanks to Brigham Young (who led a group of pioneers to settle into the valley in the 1847) wanting the ability to make a u-turn with his horse and buggy any and everywhere, the roads are incredibly wide. He also set the city up on a grid pattern and named the roads like they were coordinates on a map (Center Street, 100 North, 500 East, etc). His inspiration makes most city planners drool. Not that I've recently (or ever) polled any. It's just that I've lived in a few cities, large and small, where there roads were not only narrow or awkward but intersections didn't even line up right. And it's the city planners of those places who I think would especially like how cities in Utah are set up.  Generally speaking, Utah has roads that are <a href="http://168.178.125.109/index.php?title=Roadway_Design_Manual_of_Instruction/Section_7_Project_Design,_Criteria,_Controls,_and_Standards/A7.18">wide enough</a> to forgive a multitude of driving errors. They've increased the national standards from <a href="http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/geometric/pubs/mitigationstrategies/chapter3/3_lanewidth.htm">11-12 foot </a>lanes to 13-14 feet. So if you come from anywhere on the East coast and Seattle or San Francisco, the difference a couple feet feels to the driver is gi-normous. Space equates to both increased options and time in a roadway emergency. Which in turn can save a life if used effectively. But for the everyday driver, how does space overload affect us?  What I witnessed: The driver is a Seattle native who has only lived in Utah the past few years. We became friends in college and I stayed with her family while in Utah. She grew up with the same driving cultural influences as me.  Scenario 1 - An old guy in a turn only lane next to us didn't want to turn, went straight and then cut us off. My friend saw the guy on the immense shoulder (made for snow plow pile up in the winter), knew he shouldn't be there and allowed him to enter our lane of traffic with no emotional response. Didn't break from our conversation. Not even a comment. But me, I felt compelled to verbalize what had just happened. She was at ease. Scenario 2 - We were picking the kids up from the bus stop. They piled into the car but didn't buckle up. It was two blocks. Wide lanes. Visibility fantastic. In Seattle, we're indoctrinated that if you don't make your kids wear a seat belt at all times, then there will be a crash and your kids will be severely injured or die. Thus seeing kids freely moving about took me by surprise. And here's me. I had to say something.  But why do I live a paranoid life? I didn't wear seat belts growing up (1970s). I never sat in a car seat. Hardly anyone did. My mom would get frustrated with me on Sunday mornings when she'd have me dressed up to go to church with nice white tights and then I'd be rolling around in the back of the station wagon and they'd get dirty before we even arrived. In reality, very few of us will be in a collision today. Or this week, month or year. So, it shouldn't be such a big deal to not wear a belt when only driving a block or two. What I don't like is the double standard in my own mind. In Seattle, we always wear seat belts UNLESS we're on a bus. School bus. City bus. Charter bus. Doesn't matter which. It's as if busses don't get into collisions. Ha ha. But seriously, why don't busses, trains, or even motorcycles and bicycles have seat belts? What I experienced: Utah drivers are their own breed. By physically having increased amounts of space around their vehicles, they are able to drive in a more relaxed atmosphere. Especially compared to Seattle. I made a few u-turns, which is very helpful when trying to find a place I've never been to before. And there were a few times when I needed to change 3 lanes to get into the right turn lane. And other drivers were okay with that. No honks. No flashing of lights. No rage. I had the opportunity to drive a stretch of freeway south of Salt Lake City a few times. I didn't know what the speed limit was. I scanned for signs. Found one the 5th time I made the trip. Others were passing me like I was parked even though I was going 70 miles per hour. Seriously, I was slower than the semi-trucks. And a danger to society. It turns out that the speed limit was 65 but pretty much every other roadway user was doing at least 80.  I believe that the combination of wide open roads with limited access and clear visibility make speed a non-issue when it comes to safety. Washington has slightly better statistics than Utah when it comes to traffic related fatalities (according to <a href="http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/">NHTSA</a>), but not that much better. I really liked driving in Utah.

Road Hog

I recently spent 3 days attending a conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving in Utah is a unique experience. Distinct because the road...

Video Contest

<h1 style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Summer video contest invites teens to promote safe driving</h1> Jun 10 2010, 8:48 AM  <div style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></div><div style="color: #444444; float: right; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div align="right"></div></div><div id="storyBody" style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">Calling all teens: Defensive Driving School wants to see you put your fantastic, creative brains to work by submitting a video on how to drive safely. The summer video campaign kicks off Thursday, June 10, 2010. The Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad, the 2nd place winner will receive their choice of an iPod or $200 cash and the 3rd place winner will receive $100 cash. The videos need to be educational, but having fun with out-of-the-box thinking is strongly encouraged as well. Here are the details: � Submit your video on a safe-driving related topic to brett @ driving-school.com. � Videos will be judged based on content (inclusion of facts), humor, musical element, creativity and peer votes. � Suggested length should be between two and three minutes. � By entering your video, you grant Defensive Driving School permission to transmit or reproduce it in any form it chooses (Website, Facebook, YouTube, etc). � Please be sure to include your name/names and contact information including phone numbers and emails. � Submission deadline: August 31, 2010. This is your chance to deliver a message on safe driving that will educate the public on how to be the best drivers we can be. Defensive Driving School will not only feature the videos on our Facebook page and promote them to our thousands of students, we will also promote the three winners in the media.</div>

Video Contest

Summer video contest invites teens to promote safe driving Jun 10 2010, 8:48 AM Calling all teens: Defensive Driving School wants to see yo...

Local Sighting

<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">Monday, June 7, 2010 Southbound I-405 Unusual semi-truck sighting. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqsTV-qlSy0ZbFwNZWsvI5lz6DzCRMzx7AAn1IZuO4PzdGxcULLPmY7MDOA-DTWYnt4m4Vwkotyv7uc6wRWl9mzvujSQj_8pQrQn_GfmXLuiIRxtW0OXLOMe7dDBUxwVVuJw0jxOedFk/s1600/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+022.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqsTV-qlSy0ZbFwNZWsvI5lz6DzCRMzx7AAn1IZuO4PzdGxcULLPmY7MDOA-DTWYnt4m4Vwkotyv7uc6wRWl9mzvujSQj_8pQrQn_GfmXLuiIRxtW0OXLOMe7dDBUxwVVuJw0jxOedFk/s400/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+022.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Super long and super narrow cargo.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFjPwMpnf5N8G-guFosj4K9JQbOOjyWbXK2IVVnmwxe23B4lLlAtLubp0QxtZt2Op5Npg1BS3q7YgF_zZPcVtIajS8AlAH367u7KavUD6bHb6vVAfvWhf0m-Z_Q9t0hpqH43g0629Pdo/s1600/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+021.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFjPwMpnf5N8G-guFosj4K9JQbOOjyWbXK2IVVnmwxe23B4lLlAtLubp0QxtZt2Op5Npg1BS3q7YgF_zZPcVtIajS8AlAH367u7KavUD6bHb6vVAfvWhf0m-Z_Q9t0hpqH43g0629Pdo/s400/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+021.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Super cute little car attached to back wheels. </div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsPMP353KB-jpktwYJ0KBnesAsgG_J64iZmMfh-a1p6sg4-7OJVr4yJ0KGukS2G9hekJtMngM38CKOKKgzIGX0CPX4KXjxt65H8Ls58qHm2F7xBHrv6-g6dSlKU2-1nDogZle6byb1vA/s1600/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+023.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsPMP353KB-jpktwYJ0KBnesAsgG_J64iZmMfh-a1p6sg4-7OJVr4yJ0KGukS2G9hekJtMngM38CKOKKgzIGX0CPX4KXjxt65H8Ls58qHm2F7xBHrv6-g6dSlKU2-1nDogZle6byb1vA/s400/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+023.JPG" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsPMP353KB-jpktwYJ0KBnesAsgG_J64iZmMfh-a1p6sg4-7OJVr4yJ0KGukS2G9hekJtMngM38CKOKKgzIGX0CPX4KXjxt65H8Ls58qHm2F7xBHrv6-g6dSlKU2-1nDogZle6byb1vA/s1600/Carnival+and+Boeing+truck+023.JPG"></a>But what's he do back there?</div></div>

Local Sighting

Monday, June 7, 2010 Southbound I-405 Unusual semi-truck sighting. Super long and super narrow cargo. Super cute little car attached to back...