Probably, the maneuver that most strikes fear in the heart of a new driver facing a behind-the-wheel driving test, is the parallel parking maneuver. Maneuvering your vehicle, backwards, into a tiny parking spot without hitting the vehicle ahead or behind is daunting even for experienced drivers who don’t have to do it very often but it doesn't have to be all that scary. Just like any other skill, all it takes is practice…. lots and lots of practice.

You shouldn't start practicing in a real environment with actual cars in front and back; making a mistake while learning to park around real cars could be costly. Instead, you should begin learning how to perform this maneuver in an empty parking lot with a pair of cones or some other type of marker to represent the front and rear bumpers of the car ahead and behind.

Step one – Illuminate your right turn signal to let other drivers know your intentions. Slow down and pull up alongside the other "car" (cone) until your rear bumper is even with the front vehicle's rear bumper. Check your mirrors for other traffic and don't begin until you are sure the way is clear.

Step two - Put the car in reverse and turn the wheel to the right. Turn the upper part of your body to the right so that you can clearly see everything behind you. Start backing slowly and steadily into the space behind. When your passenger door comes even with the rear bumper of the front vehicle, stop.

Step three – Turn the steering wheel to the left and continue backing into the space making sure you aren’t coming too close to the vehicle ahead or about to hit the bumper of the vehicle behind. Once your front bumper has completely cleared the vehicle ahead and your car is completely in the space, stop the car.

Step four – Now put the gear shift into drive and ease the car forward until you are completely centered in the space with enough clear space ahead and behind for you to get out later.

Step five – Put the car in park and get out to see if your car is fully centered. There should be roughly, an even amount of space between your vehicle and the vehicles ahead and behind. Your car should be facing straight ahead and not parked at an angle and the side of your car should be no more than 12 to 18 inches away from the curb.

Keep practicing this parallel parking maneuver over and over until it is second nature to you. With enough practice, you will be able to dazzle the DMV examiner with your skill and confidence.

Labels: behind the wheel driving test, driver training, driving maneuver, driving test, parallel parking, parking regulations

On August 14, 2010 legislation for a new teen driving law went into effect. The new state law was passed to improve driver training and overall highway safety. The new law increases the minimum amount of supervised training required before a new driver can apply for a driver’s license. The law now requires that all driver license applicants under the age of 18 are required to submit proof of having completed the minimum of 50 hours supervised driving. Additionally, 15 of those hours must be nighttime driving. This law now applies to all drivers under 18 whether they have taken a drivers education course or not. Prior to the change, those who took drivers education courses were exempt from the minimum hours of driving requirement.

Additional supervised driver training is necessary because driver education courses usually provide teens with approximately 6 hours of driving time and most of the courses do not provide any nighttime driving. The DMV believed that the young drivers who benefit from driver education could also benefit from the 50 hours of supervised driving.

On September 1, 2010 another new law goes into effect. This law states that all drivers under 18 may not have any more than one non-family member under 21 as a passenger. Under legislation that went into effect February 22, 2010 this rule only applied to drivers who obtained their license on or after February 22. This change subjects all junior license and permit holders to the passenger restrictions regardless of when the license or permit was issued. By subjecting everyone to the restrictions it will help promote highway safety and help diminish the problems the different limitations caused for law enforcement personnel.

In recent years, New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles and the Governor’s Traffic and Safety Committee have been on the forefront of developing new ways to educate teenage drivers. The DMV Commissioner created the Office of the Young Driver in 2008 to address the issues facing new drivers. In May 2010, New York State launched another important initiative to help address young drivers' issues. The Driver Education Research and Innovation Center (DERIC) is managed by Health Research Inc. The goal of DERIC is to develop, text, and execute a dynamic Driver Education program that will dramatically reduce the number of crashes involving young drivers.

Young drivers represent 12% of all drivers and somehow, are accountable for 20% of drivers involved in crashes. Sixteen and 17-year-olds are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers of any other age. In an effort to lower statistics like those, New York Teen Driving Laws are always changing and their driver education programs are evolving.

Labels: driver education, driver training, teen drivers

In today's world, we're all looking for the safest car, especially if we have families to look out for, but with many different stories flooding the media, it can be difficult to get an accurate and honest scope on which car is the safest. One of the age old car safety questions has always been 'Are SUVs safer than Compact Cars'.

Of course, it's true that both of them have their individual advantages and disadvantages. SUVs are bigger and stronger giving them an advantage in a crash with a smaller vehicle however they can be prone to roll-overs in a crash. If the driver of an SUV suffers a blow out or over-corrects to avoid going off the road, the SUV’s high center of gravity can cause it to tip over and, at high speeds, this can cause the vehicle to roll. To understand the physics involved, you can conduct a simple experiment using a small 1x2 or a 2x4 block of wood. To represent a sedan, or compact car, set the block on the wider side and try to tip it over. Now place the block on its narrow side and you can see that it can easily be tipped over. That is because the center of gravity is higher on its narrow side.

Until a few years ago, the major problem with SUVs in a rollover was that their roof didn't have enough strength to support the weight of the vehicle in a roll-over crash and that resulted in more injuries and deaths. Later models have had their roofs strengthened but there are still a lot of the older models on the road.

The truth is that, according to a study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, injuries sustained in SUVs were no better or worse than those sustained in Compact Cars. What that means is that neither type of vehicle is safer than the other. This new research has been released to try and dispel common rumors that seem to state that 'bigger is safer'.

When looking for a safe car, it can be a maze, but don't let the media fool you. A little known fact about safety is that a car is only as safe as the person driving it. Driver behavior often influences risk so it's more than likely that the stories you heard about terrible collisions due to an SUV rolling over probably run right back to a driver driving an SUV like a sports car.

Many different things influence driver behavior, including; age, sex, driving history or seatbelt use all effect how a person drives. There are environmental variables to consider as well, such as road type, the time of the day and the weather.

Above all, it's important you remember not to get caught up with the media; each car is only as safe as the person who drives it. What you need to look for in a car is more practical safety features, such as seatbelts, steering and other vehicle safety features specific to that vehicle.

For more information on SUV safety please visit www.NationalSafetyCommission.com.

Labels: driver education, driver safety, driver training, seatbelts, vehicle safety features

Sharing the road is often one of the most common topics of conversation, especially between the likes of truckers and passenger vehicles. It is important that general motorists are aware of how to drive when sharing the road with large trucks, so as to be understand the trucks moves and operation and therefore, drive safer and more responsibly. Although sharing the road with a large truck can be very daunting, it’s easily done so long as you make sure you follow a few tips and techniques.

When following or next to a large truck, it's important you try to remain visible. If you are following behind a large truck, and you cannot see both of the trucks side mirrors, then you are far too close. Remember, if you can see the trucker drivers face in the side mirrors, then they can see you too.

Never tailgate, this is a given for every driver, no matter who you may be following, but in this circumstance, it's even more important. You should always maintain the safest possible distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. For cars, this distance is a standard 2-second interval. However for truckers, you must allow a three to four second following distance.

When it comes to passing large vehicles, it requires a lot more time and space than passing your average car. When traveling on a two-way road, you should signal as soon as it is clear and pass with care. Once you have passed, you must move safely back into your lane, you will know it's safe to do this once you can see the entire truck in your rear view mirror. If it's a particularly rainy day, it's advisable that you set your windshield wipers to their highest setting before attempting to pass to ensure that you can see.

When large trucks are turning it is sometimes necessary for them to use two lanes in order to safely turn. They need a lot of room to maneuver and have a much wider turning radius. When a truck indicates they are going to turn, allow appropriate space and let them finish the turn.

Sharing the road with larger vehicles may seem daunting as it first. Truckers will often respect you for respecting them, so always make sure the next time you're driving alongside a large vehicle, you do so safely and responsibly.

If you're interested in learning more about truck driver safey or getting your CDL license visit www.TestQuestionsandAnswers.com try the FREE CDL Practice Test.

Labels: defensive driving, defensive driving techniques, driver education, driver safety, driver training

There are many misconceptions about how the rules of the road apply to crosswalks and parking lots. In addition to the misconceptions, the laws vary from state to state. In some cases there are no written laws at all.

It is particularly difficult to apply the rules of the road to parking lots because many parking lots are private properties. Regarding incidents that occur on private property, the police are unable to issue tickets or write a report. Therefore, they are unable to assign fault to the driver or pedestrian. Then any action taken after the fact will be considered a civil dispute.

Typically, people assume that pedestrians always have the right of way in any situation. If for no other reason than because it is illegal to drive into a person who is standing in the middle of the street (or parking lot). According to laws in some states that assumption is not always true. Traffic laws in Maine state; "A pedestrian may not suddenly leave the curb or other place of safety and walk in the path of a vehicle where it is impossible for the operator to yield." Although, that may seem like commonsense, apparently many pedestrians walk into traffic without realizing they do not have enough time to safely cross the street. Perhaps they assume they have the right of way and the drivers must yield to them. California and Florida both have laws that address that exact issue. According to the Florida Pedestrian Law Enforcement Guide, published in August 2008, pedestrians are required to yield to drivers outside of designated crosswalks. On the other hand, California requires drivers to stop for pedestrians whether there is a crosswalk or not.

One thing laws in all 50 states agree on is that pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk when the walk signal is on. However, the states have varying laws on how the drivers must approach the crosswalks. Many states allow drivers to yield when approaching a crosswalk. But, states such as California and Washington require drivers to come to a full and complete stop.

New York City is arguably the most pedestrian heavy city in the world. To accommodate the heavy pedestrian traffic and the heavy vehicular traffic the city requires pedestrians to cross in the crosswalks. If pedestrians cross outside of crosswalks they could be fined by the police for reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway or jaywalking (the common term for unlawfully crossing the street outside of the designated crosswalk). In New York, drivers are required to yield for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Because New York is such a pedestrian heavy city there are many more fatalities involving pedestrians and drivers. According to the New York Times, in 2007 New Yorkers were twice as likely to be killed by a stranger behind the wheel as to be killed by a stranger with a knife or a gun.

To learn more about the rules of the road and pedestrian traffic in New York, California or Florida please visit: www.TestQuestionsandAnswers.com

Labels: crosswalk traffic, driver safety, driver training, pedestrian traffic, rules of the road

Cell Phones Put Pedestrians At Risk Too

Labels: driver safety, driver training