The future will kept building cars that go hundreds and hundreds of miles per hour, but the present still needs to remember driver courtesy on the road, if it could.

It's always easier to say "it wasn't my fault" or "it's the other car's fault." Driver courtesy on the road not only means being considerate of other drivers, but taking responsibility for your driving.

Here are the 5 best tips for driver courtesy on the road:

Slow down! - Subtract 5 miles per hour whenever you are driving. It is a driver courtesy to give way to other people on the road, but not slow enough to slow down everyone else on the same road. Plus, it will save you fuel.

Keep a safe distance – Driver courtesy means giving enough space in-between your car and the cars in front or behind you. It also gives you more room to maneuver should either of you change lanes.

Give leeway when braking – While on the road, it is driver courtesy to give enough time for yourself and the cars behind you time when braking. Abrupt stops can cause accidents on the road.

Give way – If another driver cuts you off --- give way. Be the better driver. Just because they don't know driver courtesy doesn't mean you should forget yours.

Relax – Before turning in the key to the ignition, consider this the best driver courtesy of all --- asking yourself if you are in the right state of mind to drive. Are you angry? Walk it off, don't take it on the road. Are you feeling sleepy, or groggy? Call a cab instead or find an alternate ride.

Be the better driver. Be patient. Be giving. Follow the rules. Follow driver courtesy on the road --- it might be the only way to show others to do so too.

Labels: defensive driving techniques, driver courtesy, drowsy driving, safe driving

Are you spacing in and out of reality behind the wheel? Is your head getting more and more difficult to lift up while driving? Are your eyelids starting to shut themselves on their own? Are you drowsy while driving?

Drowsy driving can be worse than drunk driving. Being drowsy while driving will be your responsibility, when you're on the road. Here's a couple of tips to avoid drowsy driving altogether.

Stop. - If you feel any of the symptoms described above --- you are drowsy --- stop. Pull over to the side of the road and stop driving. Take a little breather --- find a way to get rid of your drowsiness. Find a place to sleep if you really can't pull off driving in your current state.

Include Rest Breaks In Your Planned Drives – If you're taking going to be driving quite a bit, make sure you not only plan where you'll be going, but plan rest breaks along the way. Avoid being drowsy on the road! Take 2-4 hour breaks in-between the places where you have to be.

Take Turns – If you're out with your buddies and your driving gets drowsy, make sure one of them can take over driving. Not only will this guarantee that you won't be driving drowsy, it will keep you and your buddies well rested to enjoy the destination as well.

Make Sure You Know Where You're Going – If you're gonna be driving to a new place, make sure you plot out paths that you're going to take. The frustration of not knowing exactly where to go will add to your overall fatigue --- and may not only make you a drowsy driver, but an irritable one as well.

Sleep! - Sleep! Glorious sleep! One way to avoid drowsy driving is taking a nice long sleep before hitting the road. So when your mom starts waking you up in the morning, you could proudly claim that your being well-rested saves lives!

Tips for safe summer driving and how to avoid drowsy driving can be found at the National Safety Commission.

Labels: driver safety, drowsy driving, safe driving

Traffic tickets tend to fall into two categories- a moving violation includes a violation such as exceeding the speed limit, and non-moving violations include things like parking tickets. Violation of traffic laws can result in a fine or penalty points on your license.

In New York in particular, the Department of Motor Vehicles has a database of motorists that keeps a record of any violations so there really is nowhere to hide. If you do happen to lose your ticket then you should contact the New York DMV immediately. After a motorist has been issued a ticket they will be given the option to put in a plea of guilty or not guilty to a local court.

The most important thing to remember when handling a traffic ticket is to deal with the issue as soon as you can. The longer you leave it, the worse it can get.

If you do find yourself in the situation where points are going to be added to your driver’s license then you may want to take the New York defensive driving course. This course is approved by the New York DMV and can actually reduce the points on your license. However, the course is not just designed for point reduction; it can also provide a mandatory 10% auto insurance rate reduction on your liability, no-fault and collision insurance premiums. At the same time as all this, you will also be developing defensive driving concepts and roadway survival skills. And the course only takes six hours. In these six hours there is no need for any classroom time as the course is based entirely on the internet. This means you can fit the course into your busy lifestyle and you can learn at a place that best suits you.

However, the course will have no bearing over a license suspension or revocation. Finally, it is important to remember that the course may only be used once in an 18 month period so it should not be seen as a quick fix to multiple traffic offences.

Labels: defensive driving, defensive driving techniques, insurance reduction, ipirp course, new york defensive driving, point reduction, speeding ticket, uniform traffic ticket