Tag Archive: Safe driving

Video monitoring of truck drivers

Video Monitoring Of Truck And Bus Drivers Can Reduce Crashes

When truck or bus drivers are subject to video monitoring, they are less likely to engage in risky driving behaviors according to a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Two commercial fleets installed video monitors in the cabs of 100 trucks allowing managers to monitor actual driving behavior and counsel drivers as needed. One company reduced risky driving events by 37% and the other by 52%. Read more: Video monitors in trucks, buses could save live

There’s A Train On Every Track At All Times

If you live in a city with a light rail or streetcar system, you may want to check your rearview mirror before turning. Check out this video from Houston’s Metro Rail System of drivers who assumed the way was clear. Remember that a train, even a light one, can’t stop as quickly as a car. See more:

ATV on public roads

ATV Deaths On The Rise

Because their tires are poorly suited for paved roads, all terrain vehicles (ATV) are meant for off-road driving but more and more ATV deaths are occurring on public roadways. Research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that two-thirds of ATV deaths between 2007 and 2011 occurred on public roads. Read more:Hundreds die in ATV crashes on public roads

Overpass in tornado weather

Don’t Use A Highway Overpass To Escape A Tornado

On our Facebook page we posted a video by a driver who drove into the path of a tornado. Along with that video, we posted some tips on what to do if you should find yourself in the same situation, including the warning not to seek shelter under an overpass.

A video made in 1991 by a TV camera crew who sought shelter under an overpass has apparently led many to think that a highway overpass is the best shelter in a tornado. Not so, according to the weather experts at the National Weather Service. In their opinion, an overpass is the worst place to seek shelter. Read more: OVERPASSES AND TORNADO SAFETY

Yellow light

Ask The Traffic School Instructor: Is it legal to turn left on a yellow light or not?

Question: I got a ticket for turning left on a yellow light; isn’t it legal to turn on a yellow light?

Answer: OK, this one gets a bit tricky and to explain it we first have to understand the concept of a “fresh or stale yellow light.” You can get a ticket for running a yellow light if you had time to stop safely. When an officer sees you making a turn on a yellow light, he or she will first determine whether or not you a fresh or stale yellow light.

Let’s say you were the first driver in the intersection when the light turned green and you pulled out into the intersection to turn but oncoming traffic prevented you from turning safely and you couldn’t make your turn until the light turned yellow and oncoming traffic had stopped. In that case, you turned on a “fresh yellow light.”

Now, let’s say you were the second or third driver in line and couldn’t pull out into the intersection because the driver ahead was blocked from turning by oncoming traffic. If you didn’t enter the intersection until the light was about to or had already turned yellow,  you had a “stale yellow light” and are guilty of running a yellow light. In this case, instead of turning on the yellow light, you should wait behind the line until the light turns green again before entering the intersection.