The Daily Drive

Looking back, my mom and my mom's cars probably are very confused by my current role as President of DefensiveDriving.com.   As a teenager I thought as all teenagers do, that I was indestructible even though the cars were not and there are a couple of trees and cars that did not have the same mindset as I did.   That said, I had the opportunity to learn from my mistakes driving, some do not.   I am the proud father of two and reside in the Houston, Texas.   Houston has some of the nicest people in the country, once you get them out of their cars.   I have the greatest job in the world, I am involved with some of the latest technology running an online driver safety company while providing and invaluable service in educating individuals about driver safety in Texas, Florida and throughout the country.   I have a great team and we are dedicated to providing the best information to improve driving habits and driver safety.  I am hopeful my blog will provide some pratical information regarding driver safety and be entertaining as I share some of my stories related to my daily drive to and from work.

Kent   
 

The second ever, or second annual National Distracted Driving Awareness Month starts April 1st.   Law enforcement, educators, victims, non profits and companies like DefensiveDriving.com will be focusing on the dangers of distracted driving.   California was one of the first states in the nation to introduce a statewide law banning the use handheld phones, either talking on the phone or texting, as part of their efforts to make the roadways safer for California drivers.  

California issued close...

I recently came across an article out of California and it brought me back to that famous scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where the parking garage attendants took an epic joy ride in Cameron's fathers' vintage Ferrari.  

In,  what I am sure was a classic, seemed like a good idea at the time moment,  two employees of Pacific BMW in Glendale, California, a tire changer and valet driver, decided to take a brand new 1 Series M Coupe, out for a little spin.   Apparently, they were not as smart as...

If you live in Houston or Austin, you have a greater chance of being caught in a speed trap.   According to Trapster.com, which utilizes social/real time information from over 15 million users, two of the top 10 speed trap cities in the United States are right here in Texas. 

Austin comes in at number 10, where police have been rumored to write a ticket for more than 3 MPH over the speed limit.   With a large seasonal population of students, getting an education in Austin literally could mean...

You've just opened your sandwich shop, business is good and you are growing.  The next step logical step is to compete with the bigger stores your area is to offer delivery, but you are not sure if your grinder store really needs to go down that road and your are unsure if you want the additional grind.   How do you offer delivery service, make it profitable and stay safe at the same time?  How do you compete safely and profitably?

These are three tips to help you deliver profitability when...

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2008 there were 21.6 million licensed drivers 70 years or older on the road.   That is roughly ten percent of the total of licensed drivers on the road. 

Even more eye opening, our population is getting older and the "Baby Boomer" generation is now our grander, senior citizens.  As our medical care improves, people are living longer and the AAA Foundation for Driver Safety estimates that one out of every five drivers in America will be...

If you are a fleet manager or Vice President of Human Resources with a lot of employees driving, you better know what it means.   Essentially, if you do not have a comprehensive driver safety policy or program in place, you are leaving your company open to liability.   In most cases, punitive damages are not covered under the commercial auto insurance policy, which means to you the employer, if you have employees driving, while the damages assessed to property and employee might be covered,...

So you are driving down the road, chatting with your buddy and the next thing you know, the red and blue lights of a state patrol car are behind you and you are starting the new year with a traffic ticket, but you are not sure why...you hang up with your friend and wait to find out why.

The officer approaches your vehicle and asked the standard question, "Do you know why I am pulling you over?"  

"No sir, I do not know, I was not speeding."  

"I am not pulling you over for speed, I am pulling...

Don't forget to set your clocks back... it's coming.  Sunday the 6th of November at 2:00 AM, we all set our clocks back one hour.  It's Daylight Savings Time!

Outside of the obvious frustration of trying to reset your car's clock, if your car does not do it for you,  there are some very real and distinct changes taking place around you.

To start, the obvious, the days are shorter, the nights are longer.   We are more nervous at night as drivers and with good reason.   Our vision of what is in...

Halloween is an exciting time for kids, my daughter cannot stop talking about it, her costume and she is genuinely excited.  Most kids in my neighborhood are like that, especially the younger ones.   It is a time to get dressed up, walk around and get CANDY!!!

Most adults I know are not as excited, the sugar aside, there are real concerns about this "over-hyped" holiday.  According to a Harris Interactive poll from 2010, 41% of adults feel this is a dangerous holiday.  

There is reason for that....

October 16 to the 22nd is National Teen Driver Safety week. A variety of events have been held by a large number of organizations across the country with the primary focus on how we can improve driver safety for our most inexperienced drivers.

The National Teen Driver Safety week was established by Congress in 2007 to bring focus and awareness on the prevention of unnecessary teenage deaths on the road. Nearly 1,000,000 teens in the 11th grade, close to 20% of the total population of High School...