Drunk Driving Victim Shares His Story
April 14, 2014
Alex Balluff, suffered traumatic brain injury after being hit by a drunk driver. After months in a coma, the former honors student and star athlete survived but no longer has any short term memory and must rely on notes and journals to recall the day before. “I’m no longer the old me,” Alex said. “I lost my old identity.” Alex is now sharing his story with high school students. Read more: ‘I lost my old identity’; Drunk-driving victim shares his story at conference
Unlikely Partnership Against Drunk Driving
April 7, 2014
A Tennessee mother who lost her son in a drunk driving crash has formed a partnership with the drunk driver who killed her son to spread the word on the dangers of drunk driving. She has also started an organization called “1N3” that points out that one in three of us will be affected by drunk driving at some point in our life. Read more: Mother and drunk driver who killed her son team up
Photo: WCRB TV News Chattanooga, TN
Graduated Driver License Calculator
April 6, 2014
Graduated Driver License Laws (GDL) were created so that teen drivers can gain the driving experience they need to survive a crash. Laws that limit the hours they drive and the number of passengers they can carry have proven to be life savers.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety created this calculator to show which states have the strongest laws for protecting teen drivers. By plugging in your state, you can see what GDL laws are in place and how they stack up to the states with the strongest laws. Read more: GDL crash reduction calculator
Another Reason To Keep Teen Boys And Girls Separate
April 6, 2014
A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that, teen boys and girls act differently when a member of the opposite sex is in the car vs. riding with peers of the same sex. No surprise there! However, the types of behaviors they engage in can increase their chances for a crash. Read more: How Gender Affects the Behavior of Teen Drivers
Ask The Driving School Instructor: Who has the right-of-way?
April 2, 2014
Question: I was making a right hand turn at a red light and was hit by someone turning left from the other lane. Who should have had the right-of-way?
Answer: Actually, no one automatically has the right-of-way. In a crash investigation, the police will try to determine which driver should have yielded the right-of-way to another and assign blame accordingly. A lot of drivers make the mistake of proceeding because they feel they have the right-of-way and wind up in a crash. The law says that every driver must do everything possible to avoid a collision. That means, even though you feel you may have the right-of-way, giving up the right-of-way to another driver who is trying to take it is the only safe option. You can’t take the right-of-way; you can only give it up to another driver.
In this case, if the driver making a left turn had a green turn light, then he had what is known as a “protected turn” and you should have yielded the right-of-way to him. If you both had had a green light, then he should have yielded to you. If you can’t see his light, then you should wait to make sure that he will remain in place and that you will have enough time and space to make your turn safely.
The important thing is to realize that both of you had the responsibility to avoid the collision. If you are going to assume anything about the intentions of another driver, then assume that they will do the worst possible thing and be prepared for it. Drivers need to signal their attentions, be aware of the actions of other drivers, and be prepared to stop.