Back to School Driving

A new school year is just around the corner, meaning frantic mornings trying to get everyone out the door and to school (and work) on time. In the hustle and bustle, you may be impatient and hurried. Careless driving is especially dangerous near school zones where there are plenty of kids milling about. According to the National Safety Council, most incidents involving kids happen in close proximity to a school.

The start of the school year presents many obstacles to drivers; there are plenty of pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, and buses. In your rush to get your children to school by the time the bell rings, consider adding additional time for your morning commute and follow these back to school safe driving suggestions:

Pedestrians:

Before and after school, sidewalks and streets are filled with children.  Kids can be unpredictable and unaware of their surroundings or the risks. Many kids lose their lives in bus and car incidents while walking. Be on alert for sudden movements and school zone traffic safety laws . Here are some additional safe driving tips to help keep everyone safe:

• Do not pass a vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians
• When you’re in a school zone and the flashers are blinking, you must stop and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks or intersections.
• Do not block the crosswalk while waiting at a red light or preparing to turn.
• You must always stop for a crossing guard or school patrol officer who is holding a stop sign.
• Always use extra caution and be on the look-out for children around schools, playgrounds, parks and residential areas.

Bikes:

Kids on bikes are even more of a challenge. They can go fast, make sudden movements and come out from seemingly nowhere. Kids on bicycles, like pedestrians, do not always follow traffic rules and can be oblivious to their surroundings. Here are some school safety driving tips to help you avoid hitting hard-to-see bicyclists:

• Be extra careful and watchful for bicyclists near schools, parks, and residential areas. Be on alert for bicyclists coming from in between parked cars and driveways.

• When you’re making a left-hand turn and notice a bicyclist coming from the opposite direction, let the bike pass before turning. In fact, most bike and car incidents happen when vehicles are turning left.
• If a bicyclist is coming from behind you and you’re turning right, leave at least 3 feet of space ( on the side of the road and allow the bike to pass before you turn.
• Anticipate sudden movements and child riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling.
• Check your side mirrors before opening your car door and always use your turn signals.

Busses:

You can’t complete the back to school chaos without buses. Yes, buses can be slow and you sure don’t want to be behind one when it stops to pick-up or drop off kids. Kids die in school bus-related incidents at drop-off and pick-up sites every year. Most of these are a result of kids getting struck by cars going around buses. Here are some tips to help you avoid such tragedies:

• You must always stop when a school bus’s yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop sign arm is extended. This is a law in every state.
• Never pass a school bus after it has just dropped off kids.
• When stopping behind a school bus, stay at least 10 feet away so children can safely enter and exit the bus.
• Be alert and extra cautious as it is not uncommon for kids to run out onto the street around a bus stop.

Other drivers:

Though you can’t control the driving behaviors of others, you can do your part in driving defensively to avoid a crash.  Be patient and don’t assume their movements. Chances are they are just as harried as you are. You won’t make things better if you’re impatient and drive aggressively. On the contrary, that behavior will make it more dangerous for everyone. Here are some tips to help you drive more defensively around other drivers:

• Leave a safe following distance in case the car in front of you has to stop suddenly.
• Don’t pass a stopped car
• Avoid trying to squeeze by cars to make a right-hand turn.
• Don’t honk out of frustration. Other drivers are likely to be just as stressed out as you are and honking may make matters worse.

Also keep in mind that there may be teen drivers taking their siblings to school. These new drivers may not be familiar with driving in traffic or with kids around. They may be extra cautious, so be sure to give them the benefit of the doubt.

For some driving techniques or classes, visit  https://911drivingschool.com/ before you head out on the road.

More and more major cities and towns are seeing an influx in road construction projects as the condition of local roadways become poor. To avoid the congestion road construction usually brings, many communities are resorting to night construction work.

This further increases the risks to construction workers in an already dangerous occupation. Construction workers risk their lives every day. The National Highway Administration cites that over 20, 000 workers are injured in road construction work zones. Twelve percent of these injuries are caused by incidents involving vehicles. On any given year, there are over 100 workplace fatalities in road construction sites. Almost half of road worker fatalities are caused by vehicles striking, running over or backing over workers.

While the cause of death among construction workers is split between work equipment and passing vehicles, you as a driver can do your part to improve road work construction safety and save lives.

Here are some tips to keep you, construction workers and other drivers safe while in construction zones:

These road construction safety tips can save a life. Yes, it may be frustrating to get slowed down by road construction. Remember, road construction workers are sons, daughters, moms, dads, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters to someone and they’re improving the safety of our roads for all of our future travels. Be aware of your surroundings, be patient, expect unexpected behaviors and plan ahead. These safety tips are easy to remember and put into practice if you already practice defensive driving.

For more information about safe driving tips, please visit 911DrivingSchool.com.

Working a demanding 9-5 job while juggling young children is a real struggle for many American households. It is not uncommon to have both parents working full time to live comfortably and pay the bills. Some turn to pre-school, daycare, babysitters and nannies. Others turn to au pairs (or nannies from other countries).

Like other child care providers, parents work with agencies to do careful background checks and examinations of the au pair’s experience and qualifications. While many au pairs have child care experience, their lack of driving skills in a foreign country can be concerning.

Many Americans live in suburbs and areas outside the city, making travel by car a necessity. This is problematic as some au pairs don’t know how to drive or have a driver’s license. This understandably causes concerns from parents who are entrusting their children with someone who will likely be driving them around town. While the lack of driving experience may deter some host families, others have turned to helping their au pair learn to legally drive.

Options for Improving Your Au Pair’s Driving

If you’re of the camp that is willing to work with your au pair to improve and develop their driving skills, there are many online and on-the-road driving training courses to choose from.  Below is a list of possible ideas to help your au pair become a safe driver.

Before entering the country:

Some families want their au pair to be familiar with driving before arriving at their doorstep. The Internet is by far the best option for this scenario. Going this route, you can select an online driving course that fits your needs and budget, .The au pair can then complete the online course on their own computer in the comfort of their  own home. Many online driving courses also offer practice written exams to test the au pair’s driving course knowledge. Completing an online driving course prior to entering the country will speed up the time it takes for the au pair to obtain their  driver’s license.

After entering the country:

Though some families would advise having your au pair learn the basics of driving before arriving, sometimes that may not be an option.

• Online courses-These can still work, especially if you’re in immediate need of someone staying home with your kids. In-person classes work great if your schedule has some flexibility.
• Enroll in a driving school– Your au pair will only be able to get behind the wheel training and testing after they have arrived anyways, so why not enroll them  in an adult driving class? They  will learn about safe driving while having the opportunity to socialize. Every city has at least one driving school for you to choose from.
• Take them out driving– Practice makes perfect, the more behind-the-wheel your au pair gets the more confident you both will feel and their chances of passing the driving test will increase.

Don’t risk the welfare of your kids, the au pair or other drivers by not teaching your au pair to drive. If you know frequent, daily driving will be a part of the au pair’s responsibilities, asking about the au pair’s driving experience during the interviewing and screening process can help you weed down the ones that will be the best fit for your family.

If you do get matched with an au pair without driving experience, know that there are many options available you can choose from to suit your needs, schedule, and budget. Contact 911DrivingSchool.com for more information about classes available.

Quickly approaching, Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 18-24) and National Seat Check Saturday (Sept. 24) are the perfect time to refresh yourself on the newest safety rules for driving in cars with children.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death in the 1-13 age group, and the majority of these deaths and injuries can be prevented by the proper use of car seats, boosters and seat belts. One of the most important things to remember: weight restrictions are important to child car safety.

Each car seat has its own weight limits, and kids need different seats for different stages of life. From birth until they exceed the weight limit for a booster seat and can safely ride without one, make sure that children are properly protected. After all, car seats reduce the risk of kids being killed in cars by up to 71 percent.

Always refer to your car seat manufacturer’s guidelines as well as federal laws for the most up-to-date information on weight limits – it’s worth a few minutes of research to make sure the kids are safe.

At 911 Driving School, students learn the importance of these critical safety rules – find a location near you here.

The scariest part of Halloween isn’t the costumes, haunted houses or movies. It’s a day when, on average, twice as many child pedestrians are killed to other days of the year.

In order to combat the perpetuation of these statistics, 911 Driving School, which provides defensive driving courses and drivers education classes for adults and teens, has put together a list of driver safety tips for Halloween:

• Children and adults alike wear dark costumes, and the days are getting shorter. Chances are good that you’ll see people out and about – practice defensive driving when behind the wheel, and always drive very slowly in residential areas, observing traffic laws, school zones and speed limits and taking special care to look around before turning.
• Always use your turn signals, even if you’re in your own neighborhood or close to home. People may be difficult to spot in costume; expect the unexpected.
• Decorations can be a distraction – keep your eyes open for large objects such as pumpkins in the road and flashing lights.
• Check your city’s posted times for trick-or-treating, and avoid driving during these times if possible.

For more information on these and other driving tips, or to sign up for safe driving classes in your area, click here.

911 Driving School is best known for its driver services, where they inspire, educate, engage and motivate drivers of all ages to put safety first behind the wheel.

Recently, 911 was featured in PoliceOne, an online publication serving current and former police, to tell the story of 911 franchisee Jeff Westover who is positively influencing his community in Pierce County, Washington.

“It is rewarding. You are willing to give your life for another person as a cop. In this situation, you get to save lives and don’t have to risk yours doing it, ” he said in the article. “We’re beating those national averages. We have lower fatality rates, lower ticket counts than other driving schools here. (Instructors) are out in the community making a positive difference. They are providing a service that truly will save someone’s life.”

Click here to read the full article in PoliceOne.

To learn more about 911 Driving Schools’ franchise opportunities, visit https://911drivingschool.com/franchise/.

Winter driving can pose problems for even the most experienced drivers. Below are some great ways to prepare for the coming winter driving conditions.