- Drive in a way that suits your ability and the traffic conditions. It doesn't impress anybody if you drive fast in the wrong places and you could end up in a lot of trouble.
- Have plenty of sleep, especially before making a big journey and take plenty of rest breaks to restore your alertness.
- Listen to the radio for traffic reports and make sure you've enough fuel.
- Messing with the radio or CD player when your driving can be distracting, so can playing your sound system so loud that you can't hear the sirens of an emergency vehicle.
- Maintain control as the Driver. If you have passengers don't succumb to peer pressure. If they are creating conflict, throw them out!
- Keep your eyes moving and checking all sides of the vehicle.
- Don't leave valuables in your car where they can be seen because this invites a break in.
- Keep space from aggressive drivers.
- Be seen. Whenever you need to turn your windshield wipers on switch your lights as well.
- If you're driving on a slippery or loose surface use the foot controls very gently.
- Taking drugs and driving, like drinking alcohol before driving is a definite NO!
- If your vehicle breaks down, don't panic. There are far more friendly people on the roads than those who would wish to harm you.
- If you can, pull up where there are houses, street lighting and a telephone.
- If you are somewhere remote you are at less risk if you stay inside your car. Use your mobile phone. If you have to walk take your personal attack alarm with you.
- If a stranger does offers assistance, note their car number, keep your doors locked, speak to them through a closed window and send them to get help.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Drive Safely This New Years
The 2014 New Year soon approaches and with it come the reckless drivers. Heed the following suggestions so that you may safely enjoy the week.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Safe Travel During Thanksgiving
Comedy Driving would like to encourage Texas drivers to practice safe driving habits during this upcoming holiday weekend.
Do your part and drive responsibly during the Thanksgiving weekend. Holiday commute can be very dangerous as the streets are overcrowded with people traveling. Also, take extra precautions during the Black Friday shopping craze.
During the Thanksgiving weekend in 2012, troopers arrested 386 individuals for driving while intoxicated, issued more than 7,500 speeding citations, 875 citations for no insurance and more than 770 seat belt/child safety seat citations.
Troopers will be patrolling Texas roadways throughout the holiday weekend to promote safety and identify dangerous drivers.
Please take heed of the following advice: Don't drink and drive. Wear your seatbelt. Don't speed. Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained. Don't text and drive!
Do your part and drive responsibly during the Thanksgiving weekend. Holiday commute can be very dangerous as the streets are overcrowded with people traveling. Also, take extra precautions during the Black Friday shopping craze.
During the Thanksgiving weekend in 2012, troopers arrested 386 individuals for driving while intoxicated, issued more than 7,500 speeding citations, 875 citations for no insurance and more than 770 seat belt/child safety seat citations.
Troopers will be patrolling Texas roadways throughout the holiday weekend to promote safety and identify dangerous drivers.
Please take heed of the following advice: Don't drink and drive. Wear your seatbelt. Don't speed. Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained. Don't text and drive!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
It Can Wait - Take the Pledge
Drivers are called to join the "It Can Wait" movement today (Sept. 19) to end the dangerous habit of texting while driving.
Mayor Annise Parker today kicked off Mayors United Against Texting While Driving, a social media campaign challenging all Texans to take the pledge to not text and drive. In partnership with AT&T, Mayor Parker and the City of Houston launched the nation’s first citywide It Can Wait campaign last April. Mayors United Against Texting While Driving will expand what Houston started all across Texas.
The Mayors United Against Texting While Driving campaign will run in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and El Paso September 19 through September 30, with each city vying to get as many citizens as they can pledging to never text while driving. Each city will have its own city-specific texting code. Houston residents can take the pledge by texting “ItcanwaitHou” to 464329.
AT&T’s campaign seeks to:
- Educate people about the dangers of texting while driving.
- Urge drivers to take the pledge and join the movement
- Encourage people to visit the www.ItCanWait.com website to stay informed and help spread the word via social media that when it comes to texting and driving – #ItCanWait
AT&T developed the "Texting and Driving: It Can Wait" simulator to show firsthand the dangers of texting behind the wheel – in a safe way!
"Texting while driving – especially among teens – has turned into a serious issue that has claimed lives across the nation," said Mayor Parker. "We can't stand by and let this fatal practice claim another life. This is why we have stood at the forefront of this movement and are joining forces with mayors across Texas to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving. I encourage every Texan to take the pledge to never text and drive.”
Mayors United Against Texting While Driving is being launched in association with the It Can Wait movement’s September 19 Drive 4 Pledges Day. Aspiring to create a social stigma around this fatal habit of texting while driving, Drive 4 Pledges Day focuses on getting individuals to take the pledge to never text and drive, while encouraging others in their community to do the same.
Monday, September 9, 2013
I Killed A Man, A Drunk Drivers Confession
A 22-year-old driver who confessed in an online video that his drunken driving killed a man now faces a homicide charge.
A grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio, indicted Matthew Cordle on Monday on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, more than two months after the deadly wrong-way collision.
Watch his Youtube confession below:
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Text A Driver Who Crashes and You Can Be Held Liable...
By now, everyone should know that texting while driving is a horribly stupid thing to do. But what if you send a text to a person who happens to be driving, and that person crashes? Could you be held liable in court? A New Jersey appellate court just said yes.
CNN reported on a surprising case out of the Garden State where appeals court judges ruled that if someone sends a text message to a person they know is driving at the time, and that driver crashes, then "a court may hold the sender responsible for distraction and hold him or her liable for the accident."
Here's the backstory: Kyle Best was driving his truck down a rural highway in 2009 while he was exchanging text messages with his girlfriend Shannon Colonna. Due to his distraction, Best crashed into a couple on a motorcycle. They survived, but lost their legs, and not only filed a lawsuit against Best but also Colonna for sending the texts.
The couple settled with Best and lost the suit against Colonna, CNN reports. But then they appealed that decision.
While the judges let Colonna off the hook because she was unaware Best was driving, they did set the precedent about people being potentially liable if they text drivers who crash — as long as they knew that person was driving.
It will be very interesting to see if this potential precedent is used in other cases. In the meantime, if you know someone is driving, you might want to wait on sending that text.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Driving is the Reason You Are Fat!
Taking the car to work may be convenient, but it might not be good for you. A new study of about 20,000 commuters in the U.K. finds that people who walk or cycle to work are less likely to suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other problems compared to those who drive.
Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London used data from a large household survey to study the relationship between commuting choices and health outcomes. Walkers were 40% less likely to have diabetes compared to drivers, and 17% less likely to have high blood pressure. Cyclists were even healthier: They were half as likely as drivers to have diabetes.
"This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health," Anthony Laverty, a researcher at Imperial College London, said in a press release. The researchers included public transit in their definition of "active commuting," as it often involves walking to and from a train station or bus stop.The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that 19% of people taking cars, motorbikes, or taxis to work were obese, compared to 15% of those who walked, and 13% of those who cycled.
The study concludes that "more vigorous forms of active travel may confer greater benefits than public transport," and that "increasing active travel should be prioritized within national and local prevention strategies for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."
Ultimately, the study is just another addition to the argument for factoring public health into transportation and urban planning decisions. When people walk and cycle--whether to work or the store--they're likely to be healthier.
Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London used data from a large household survey to study the relationship between commuting choices and health outcomes. Walkers were 40% less likely to have diabetes compared to drivers, and 17% less likely to have high blood pressure. Cyclists were even healthier: They were half as likely as drivers to have diabetes.
"This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health," Anthony Laverty, a researcher at Imperial College London, said in a press release. The researchers included public transit in their definition of "active commuting," as it often involves walking to and from a train station or bus stop.The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that 19% of people taking cars, motorbikes, or taxis to work were obese, compared to 15% of those who walked, and 13% of those who cycled.
The study concludes that "more vigorous forms of active travel may confer greater benefits than public transport," and that "increasing active travel should be prioritized within national and local prevention strategies for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."
Ultimately, the study is just another addition to the argument for factoring public health into transportation and urban planning decisions. When people walk and cycle--whether to work or the store--they're likely to be healthier.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Speed Limits Vary State To State
Planning a summer road trip? Watch your speed because how fast you can go varies from state to state.
Thirty-six states have speed limits of 70 mph or above on some roads, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The highest in the nation is in Texas with an 85 mph limit on a 40-mile stretch of divided toll highway between Austin and San Antonio.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey the highest posted sign is 65 mph.
“We believe that speed limits have to be set in a way that improves mobility, safety and respect for the law, so it’s really an individual thing about the location,” says Jenny Robinson, with AAA Mid Atlantic. “We urge states to use engineering studies [and] traffic studies to figure out what that safe best maximum speed limit should be for that particular roadway.”
Robinson says higher speeds present safety issues in terms of potential crashes and more gas is used when traveling more than 65 mph.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Top Ten Driving Apps
10.) XLR8
Ok, so giving your hybrid or electric car a fake V8 soundtrack is pretty stupid and useless. Still, when you're really bored in heavy traffic, it can brighten your day.
Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.
9.) Ian Hawkins Speed Hud
Download it here for Android.
8.) Flitsmeister
SEXPAND
Download it here for Android.
7.) Torque
SEXPAND
Digital gauges for everything.
Download it here for Android.
6.) Greatest Drive
SEXPAND
Download it here for iOS.
5.) Trapster
SEXPAND
Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.
4.) Nokia Here Drive
SEXPAND
Download it from here, or go for Navigon instead.
3.) Spotify
SEXPAND
Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.
2.) Google Maps
SEXPAND
When it comes to having the resources to be the best, you can't really beat Google.
Download it here for Android, or here for iOS.
1.) Waze
SEXPAND
Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.
credit goes to Jalopnik.com
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Youth Driving Less and Less
It now appears that driving has become less popular as it has been on the decline these past years. Teens and twenty-somethings have begun to prefer walking or riding bikes, and the rush to obtain a Driver's License has faded. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that the estimated miles driven on all U.S. roads has plunged 8.75 percent since June 2005. It is not uncommon to drive less during recessions, since fewer people are working, and most are looking for ways to save money, but it seems with the new generation what has decreased the "drive" to drive may have to do more with online social interaction rather than the recession. It is more common now to interact with friends via social media outlets, and many of today's youth do not feel the need to physically travel to establish contact.
This new trend is contrary to the previous generations for whom driving was a birthright and the open road a symbol of freedom. That is no longer the case. As we continue to dive into the 21st century, and as online life continues to develop, social interaction will evolve with driving subtracted from the equation. Communications technology, which provides young people with new social-networking and recreational possibilities, has become a substitute for some car trips.
This new trend is contrary to the previous generations for whom driving was a birthright and the open road a symbol of freedom. That is no longer the case. As we continue to dive into the 21st century, and as online life continues to develop, social interaction will evolve with driving subtracted from the equation. Communications technology, which provides young people with new social-networking and recreational possibilities, has become a substitute for some car trips.
There has also been a startling drop-off in the car culture of American youth: "From 2001 to 2009, the average annual number of vehicle-miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita—a drop of 23 percent,” reads a Frontier Group study published last April.
The same study also outlines other telling trends. From 2001 to 2009, 16- to 34-year-olds took 24 percent more bike trips and were 16 percent more likely to walk to their destinations. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2010, the share of 14- to 34-year-olds without drivers’ licenses increased from 21 percent to 26 percent. Many young people now prefer to live where they can walk, bike, or take public transportation. Some are ditching cars for environmental reasons. Other contributing factors may include improved public transportation, as well as laws that make it more difficult to obtain a driver’s license.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Manejo Defensivo en Español en Houston
Necesita tomar una clase de manejo defensivo en Español?
Usted puede tomar una clase de manejo defensivo an nuestra clase localizada entre Wilcrest y el 8. Es la solucion simple y facil para manejo defensivo en Houston! No hay necesidad de registrarse, solo llegue en el dia que hay clase!
Nuestra proxima clase en Español sera en:
Julio 15th, 2013 de 4pm a 10pm
Es un Lunes.
La direccion de nuestra clase de manejo defensivo en español es 10891 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77079.
Si no puede esperar hasta Julio 15, tenemos clases en ingles en cual le puedemos proveer el exam en español.
Los horarios para la clase en Ingles es:
Domingo 09:00 AM 03:00 PM
Lunes 09:00 AM 03:00 PM
Martes 12:00 PM 06:00 PM
Miercoles 03:30 PM 09:30 PM
Jueves 04:00 PM 10:00 PM
Viernes 09:00 AM 03:00 PM
Sabado 09:00 AM 03:00 PM
Tambien ofrecemos una clase dividida entre dos noches, Martes de 6:30-9:30pm y se termina el Miercoles de 6:30-9:30pm
Si tiene preguntas puede llamar al (713) 465-0042 o mandar un email a comedydriving@comedydriving.com.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Apples New Dash Concept
Apple is ready to take over your dash, and iOS for the Car could finally allow your ride to keep pace with the device in your pocket.
Apple unveiled a thorough overhaul of iOS at WWDC, with a complete redesign of the user interface, scads of added functionality and a range of built-in app updates, but one of the more notable — if overlooked — features was iOS in the Car. It’s just the latest in Apple’s continued push into vehicles that started in the early 2000s with iPod integration and has swelled to be a standard interface on 95 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. today. But now they’re taking it a massive step further.
Apple is proposing the first comprehensive integration of a mobile OS into your dashboard, with Maps joining phone functionality, iTunes Radio and the ability to see, hear, and dictate responses to iMessages. And all of it is controlled by either software buttons on the dash or through voice commands interpreted by Siri, Apple’s digital assistant.
“What if you could get iOS on the screen that’s built into your car?” asked Apple’s SVP Eddy Cue during the WWDC keynote.
But for Apple, its automaker partners, and the suppliers that develop components, there are more questions and challenges than answers and solutions. How the system will be implemented and how much control both Apple and the major automakers will cede will prove to be the biggest sticking points going forward.
However, a dozen automakers are eager to integrate iOS in the Car to their vehicles in 2014. It’s a broad swath of the automotive landscape, with luxury marques (Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and Jaguar) joining more blue-collar brands like Honda, Nissan, Chevrolet, Kia and Hyundai. Even Volvo is getting in on the action. And so is Ferrari.
Not just because Chevy was the first automaker to integrate Siri Eyes Free into its budget-oriented Sonic and Spark models, but because MyLink would be the perfect conduit for iOS in the Car. It’s a stripped-down, bare-bones system with limited functionality, acting more like a dumb screen than a full-fledged infotainment system. And that’s exactly the kind of portal iOS in the Car needs — a basic system that essentially acts as a screen to serve as a new version of iPod-out (or even Airplay).But it’s telling that Apple used a mock-up of the Chevrolet MyLinksystem during its demo.
That’s unlike the more technologically advanced systems from Cadillac, BMW and Ford, none of which were on the list. Those automakers have the cash and resources to spend to develop their own systems, unlike brands like Jaguar and Hyundai that have been straining to bring out their own offerings.
Of the nine automakers that were splashed across the screen at last year’s WWDC during the announcement of Siri Eyes Free — the voice-controlled integration of your phone with your car — only two have brought the functionality to market, with BMW promising integration later this year.
Because of the long development cycles required to engineer and manufacturer a vehicle, it’s hard for automakers and their suppliers to quickly implement new features at the pace we’ve come to expect from consumer electronics. But by ceding some control to a third party — in this case, Apple — automakers could integrated the latest and greatest with a minimum of outlay on their own. And this is likely the opening salvo in a larger initiative that starts with Apple.
“We got a taste of this last year with Siri integration, but [Apple] wasn’t quite ready to announce an automotive grade system,” Koslowski said of the iOS in the Car announcement. “With iOS 7 they are.”
But there are a series of technical hurdles for Apple, automakers and suppliers to overcome to allow the complete iOS takeover of your dash. How will it take over the embedded display? How much control are automakers willing to cede to an outside party? How willing are suppliers to work iOS integration into their products? And how can the system keep distractions to a minimum while offering the features its customers expect?
None of those questions have been answered by any of the automakers Wired reach out to for comment. Instead, we received the same statement below from Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan/Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz:
We look forward to bringing iOS in-car integration to our lineup next year. With enhanced in-car integration, users will be able to interact using their voice with Siri or the car’s built-in controls to make phone calls, access their music, send and receive messages and get directions. Supporting cars will be available starting in 2014.
One source at an automaker confided that, “I don’t know exactly how it’s going to work.” That’s an eerily similar sentiment echoed by most automakers we asked after last year’s announcement of Siri Eyes Free.
Technical challenges aside iOS in the Car is the first major move by a consumer electronics company to bring the features of your phone directly into your vehicle. It picks up where MirrorLink has failed and where Google has yet to compete.
“Apple talked about this as being an OS for the infotainment head unit,” says Koslowski. “And it’s a pretty bold move.”
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