Oh, and let’s not forget, that while state law considers texting while driving a misdemeanor with a possible fine of up to $150, Lyndhurst makes it a fourth-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a possible $250 fine. That’s a heckuva lot more serious offense than the state provides for and might actually make drivers think first before getting behind the wheel with a handheld device.

My Improv is an online comedy driving school but there is nothing funny about driving distracted. Studies have shown that distracted driving is at least as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol and causes more fatalities each year. Not only that, but incidents of distracted driving have been rising consistently for the past few years and the trend shows they are continuing that upward tick this year.

But perhaps not in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

The post Lyndhurst, Ohio, Boosts States Distracted Driving Law appeared first on MyImprov.

And lawmakers, eager to keep their constituents alive and kicking and protect the public safety in general, were all too happy to help.

Last week Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed the proposed measure into law, extending the state’s .08% BAC drunk driving limit until 2018.

Separately, Washington State legislators also approved measures to extend the .08% BAC drunk driving limit to anyone who drives a boat, snowmobile or ATV, however Gov. Snyder made no guarantee that he would sign those measures into law.

One thing students of our best defensive driving course online understand is how much alcohol influences their behavior behind the wheel. Whether that wheel is used to operate a motor car, or a boat; a motorcycle or an ATV, the results are the same and often disastrous. Your reaction times are greatly diminished, as is your ability to judge distances, and/or make any kind of judgement at all.

Whether or not the law in your state sets a legal limit for the amount of alcohol you can consume before operating one of those vehicles, we recommend you don’t consume any alcohol at all; have a good time, be safe and arrive alive.

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Just last week the Washington State Senate Law & Justice Committee approved a measure which they hope will improve the state’s impaired driving laws. The changes include making driving under the influence a felony on the fourth conviction, rather than the current law that has it at five DUI convictions within 10 years. Their proposal also includes a mandatory arrest if a person has a prior offense within the past decade and increases mandatory minimum jail time for repeat offenders. If someone with a prior offense is arrested again on DUI a court must require that an interlock device be installed on the person’s car with proof to be filed with the court within 10 days, or the court can require participation in a sobriety monitoring program, or both.

Mandatory arrests, mandatory installation of interlock ignition devices, increased risk of an extended stay in jail–clearly Washington State legislators are not messing around when it comes to drunk drivers and repeat offenders.

And well they should. Because despite the attention garnered by distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, especially repeat offenses of those arrested once for drunk driving is no less dangerous than it has ever been. And despite best efforts by police and legislators to curtail fatalities caused by drunk driving the statistics show that drunk driving is still a leading cause of death on the roadways.

At My Improv we consider ourselves the best online defensive driving school, so we recognize just how dangerous drunk driving is and applaud any efforts to help get the statistics turned around and focused on keeping everyone safe.

The post Washington State Getting Tough(er) On DUI appeared first on MyImprov.

Yes, that’s right, barefoot driving is currently legal in all 50 states. However, just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe. In fact, using bare feet to operate your vehicle can be very dangerous. Not only are bare feet dangerous for driving, but you should also consider what kind of shoe you might be wearing.

For instance, flip-flops offer no heel support and because they fit very loosely may not allow your foot to move freely and easily between the accelerator and brake pedal–or the clutch if you are driving a manual transmission vehicle. Therefore, flip-flops can be dangerous. So too are high-heels. High heels are hard enough to walk in, much less try to drive in. Both these types of shoe wear make it difficult for drivers to gauge exactly how much pressure they are putting on the pedal they are trying to engage. This means they may not have complete control of their vehicle at all times–a dangerous situation for any driver to be in.

At My Improv we like to think of ourselves as the best traffic school online available. For this reason, with summer just literally a short time away, we would be remiss is we didn’t take a moment to caution all our driving friends against getting behind the wheel with anything less than proper footwear.

The post Barefoot Driving: Legal But Not Recommended appeared first on MyImprov.

Unfortunately for the NTSB and public safety, their position was not immediately embraced by groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. MADD said reducing the drunk driving limit was not part of their plan to reduce drunk driving deaths and the GHSA and ACTS both said they were not convinced reducing the BAC drunk driving limit would decrease the number of fatal vehicle collisions caused by drunk driving.

This puts the NTSB in the uncomfortable position of defending a stance pretty much all by themselves. They say their studies have shown that reducing the drunk driving limit to .05% would drastically reduce the number of traffic fatalities-cut them in half, they say. This alone seems worth investigating, however, so far the NTSB is alone in their fight to get it done.

There has also been a vocal defense of the status quo from restaurant owners who serve alcohol because they fear guests who consume a glass of wine with dinner would wind up running afoul of the law on their ride home. So, not only does the NTSB not have any support for lowering the BAC drunk driving limit, they have actually already garnered some vocal opposition.

As an on line traffic school My Improv is committed to keeping our students on the right side of the law. If the legal limit for BAC is going to change, we’ll be sure to let you know right away.

The post NTSB Pushing Lower Standards For DUI appeared first on MyImprov.

In case you were wondering, our online defensive driving course does not actually cover what you should do in case a snake crawls between your legs while you are driving, but we do help you prepare for just about every other situation.

In fact, we are fairly certain there isn’t a driving course anywhere that covers what to do in case of ‘snake attack’ while driving, but so the market is currently open for one. What do cover is how to avoid distractions of the more common variety: cells phones, kids in the backseat; and how to respond correctly to driver safety laws and regulations in your state.

There is no way to prepare yourself for every eventuality, but a little preparedness can go a long, long way when it comes to driver safety. Even when dealing with king snakes in the front seat.

The post Distracted Driving To The Extreme In California appeared first on MyImprov.

This seems to fly in the face of logic. After all, public safety experts are unanimous in their claims that distracted driving is now the leading cause of fatal vehicle collisions in the United States. They also seem united in their belief that the rates of distracted driving are increasing. This information has been the driving force behind legislative attempts to mitigate the risks caused by distracted driving by passing laws which are intended to limit a driver’s ability to engage in behavior which could increase the risk of them having a collision.

According to the recent survey, state police agencies report handing out an average of one or two distracted driving citations per day. When you consider the millions of drivers on the roads each and every day, one or two citations hardly seems worth the effort.

Our comedy defensive driving course likes to poke fun at the things which all drivers can relate to. Like the driver who refuses to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. But distracted driving is no laughing matter. With all the legislation currently on the books meant to keep all drivers safe from the risks of distracted driving clearly lawmakers are convinced distracted driving is a very real threat.

When police start handing out more citations based on the laws on the books, perhaps the steadily increasing trend of distracted driving crashes will finally reverse itself.

The post Few Distracted Driving Citations Handed Out appeared first on MyImprov.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee will not vote on the bill, and it is far from becoming law, but the proposed measure does show that legislators are looking at countering the recent rise in the number of drunk driving offenses committed by people who already have a drunk driving offense on their record.

This is not unique to Wisconsin. Across the nation police report that the majority of serious drunk driving convictions are handed to drivers who already know the process. Unfortunately, although police know that someone convicted of drunk driving is the most likely person to commit the offense again, there is little they have been able to do to keep these people from doing it again. The rate of repeat drunk driving convictions has continued to rise.

The My Improv Online Traffic School helps drivers understand the dangers they face every time the slip behind the steering wheel and head out on the road. We promote defensive driving because we understand just how dangerous it is driving on the roads today.

In Wisconsin they are trying to increase public safety even more by taking those people inclined to drink and drive and put them someplace where they won’t have any access to an automobile at all.

The post Wisconsin Pushing Mandatory Sentences For DUI appeared first on MyImprov.

The Texas.gov website also allows every driver to check their current driving status, so they know whether or not their driving privileges have been suspended.

We believe we offer the best online traffic school but even we can’t do that for you.

If you are currently a licensed driver in Texas and you believe your driving privileges may have been revoked, or perhaps you are just curious how many (if any) points you have accumulated on your driver’s license, you can visit Texas.gov and find out with just a few quick clicks. No waiting in line at the local department of motor vehicles office. If you have an Internet connection, or if you can get to a computer anywhere which does have an Internet connection, visit Texas.gov and check the status of your license today.

Getting pulled over by police while driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license is only going to make the situation worse. Better safe than sorry.

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The new bill, if passed, would make driving while distracted a moving violation which will be reported to insurance companies. The hope is that insurance companies will begin raising premium rates on drivers who are convicted of driving while distracted and that these increased costs will do more to keep people from talking or texting on the phone behind the wheel than a simple traffic citation.

So far efforts to combat distracted driving have garnered mixed results around the nation. While everyone seems convinced that distracted driving is causing an increased number of traffic collisions and fatalities nationwide, nobody knows exactly how to monitor this activity or how to make it stop–or at least decrease.

My Improv Traffic School understands all too well the dangers of distracted driving. But it doesn’t have to be a cell phone which distracts you. It might be the radio or the kids in the backseat, or even the person in the seat right next to you. It only takes a moment for you to take your eyes off the road, and that split second is just enough to cause a collision with disastrous results for everyone.

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