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.

 www.itcanwait.com.

 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.

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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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:

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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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.

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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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.

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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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.

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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Top Ten Driving Apps

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10.) XLR8P

P

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.P

Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.

P

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9.) Ian Hawkins Speed HudP

Download it here for Android.

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8.) FlitsmeisterP

SEXPAND

Download it here for Android.

P

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7.) TorqueP

SEXPANDP

Digital gauges for everything.P

Download it here for Android.

P

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6.) Greatest DriveP

SEXPAND

Download it here for iOS.

P

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5.) TrapsterP

SEXPAND

Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.

P

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4.) Nokia Here DriveP

SEXPANDP

Download it from here, or go for Navigon instead.

P

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3.) SpotifyP

SEXPAND

Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.

P

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2.) Google MapsP

SEXPANDP

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.

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1.) WazeP

SEXPAND

Download it here for iOS, or here for Android.

credit goes to Jalopnik.com

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

Humble | Katy Freeway | League City | Sugar Land | Willowbrook

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.

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.

Comedy Driving Inc has 5 Houston Locations as well as our online defensive driving course!

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