Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)

Drivers 16 years of age are at high risk for traffic accidents due to their immaturity and limited driving experience. A series of five research papers published in a September 2002 supplement of Injury Prevention addresses this risk among young drivers. The papers make a compelling case for graduated driver licensing (GDL), the system of laws and practices that gradually introduce young drivers into the driving population.
Graduated Driver License programs can be found in 31 states around the country. The GDL program permit young drivers to safely gain driving experience before obtaining full driving privileges and are generally targeted towards 14 17 year old teen drivers.
Most states require an adult with a valid driver’s license be present when the teen is driving. Additionally the teen driver is required to enroll in a certified Drivers Ed course and must hold a learner’s permit for at least 3 6 months before taking an “operators driving license” test.
It is during these 3 6 months when teen drivers with learner’s permits mostly drive the family vehicle with their parents. While GDL programs allow the teen driver to gain experience in a family vehicle with a parent, other drivers are not aware who is behind the wheel of this vehicle.
Notifying other drivers will give them the ability to consider choices when approaching a vehicle operated by a teen driver. We can increase traffic safety and awareness. Car magnets have become a viable possibility as the notification tool. Easy to put on and easy to take off! No hassles or concerns about permanent bumper stickers that may not come off.
Auto Safety Magnets has a focus strictly on car safety for teen drivers, their parents and driving schools. Help keep the roads safe.

Parents of Teen Drivers

So, what does a parent think while sitting in the passenger seat and their teen is driving with a permit license? A “bump” in the parking lot with another car? Traffic tickets for moving violations? Insurance rates sky-rocketing?
If you visit search engines you can find several resources to assist you on this subject. Try searching on the phrase “parents with teen drivers”. Alternatively we have tried to make this easy for you if you visit our news page on this very topic.
A few resources on the web for parents are:
Parent-Teen Contract
You might also consider using a driving safety contract between you and your teen. This is an agreement that your child signs, in which he agrees to be a safe driver by following all restrictions you have imposed or risk losing his driving privileges. An example of this can be found at:
ipromiseprogram.com/
Talk It Out
Work with your teen driver to talk through their thought process while driving. Let’s not over-do this to the point that they cannot concentrate on driving. More specifics can be found in the book for parents at:
safeyoungdrivers.com/
Helpful thoughts for parents in brief are:

Drive by example
Watch your emotional response while your teen is driving
Work with your teen on various driving conditions, not just dry sunny days.
Large open fields or empty parking lots are good sources for practicing

Of course while you’re working with your teen driver and their permit license, we have to keep the drivers around us in mind too. Auto Safety Magnets has a focus strictly on car safety for teen drivers, their parents and driving schools. Our magnets will increase road awareness and traffic safety. Help keep the roads safe for you and other drivers. We invite you to sign-up for our free newsletter covering Driving Schools, Car Safety and Teen Drivers at our website.

The Popularity of the NHRA

It is the Christmas holiday weekend, the family is sitting around the livingroom discussing how much of a very fine meal we’ve eaten, when the conversation shifts: “You on for the drag races this summer?” I asked my brother. “Oh yeah,” he answers back. As we reminisce about the past years NHRA Nationals and discuss plans and dates for this years race, we wonder why the NHRA does not have a bigger following. If you like fast cars, and you have not been to a NHRA Nationals event, you have no idea what your missing. That, we decided, is exactly the problem. You have got to see it live to understand why it has the following it does. Television is at fault, after-all this sport has many times the horsepower of NASCAR, the pitts are open to anyone with a ticket, and the drivers come out of the haulers just to sign autographs on a regular basis. They even give you a free, glossy team photo to get the autograph signed on. The problem is none of that comes across on TV. When you watch NASCAR they televise the pre-race activities, the on-track activities, and the post-race activities. They even have a segment called CRANK IT UP, in which the anouncers dont say a word for a few laps so you can litterally blow your speakers apart with your surround sound. This helps give you the feeling you are at the track. You could be watching your first NASCAR event and by the end of the race come away with the feeling you understand it, and more importatly you will feel like you know the drivers. I dont want to take anything away from NASCAR; it is a great motorsport and they have done a fine job of marketing to get to this point. But (and it is a big but) there is no feeling in the world like two top fuel dragsters coming off the line simultaneously; it will shake your soul. Trying to explain this feeling to someone who has never experienced it is futile. Nor can you explain the smells of the track, the smoking tires, the rubber dust in the air, or the way your eyes burn from the half-burnt alcohol sprayed from the firey pipes. The sound…absolutely deafening.
If we could somehow get these sights and sounds through our TV’s, the NHRA would explode with popularity. “Maybe they should send out bag of rubber dust and a candle that smells like burnt rubber before each broadcast,” we quipped.
In reality, the biggest thing I see that can be done is for television to help us get to know the drivers and their crews. Even the World Poker Tour understands they can’t just show you people playing cards. We have to feel as if these drivers are our friends. Introduce us to their world! We must be able to connect with them on a personal level. Show us what it takes to go 300mph in less than five seconds! The crews can tear down an engine and put it back together in less than an hour. Show us that! Dont talk while the rockets thunder down the track. Let us blow our speakers! It will never take the place of being at the track, but it would go a long way in bringing the NHRA back to the fore-front of the racing world.
Do yourself a favor, the next time the NHRA is in your neighborhood, GO. Take your kids, call some friends, or go by yourself; just go. There is no experience like it in the world, at least not yet. Maybe someday soon, when we can board a rocket bound for the moon, the NHRA might have competition. Until that day comes you owe it to yourself to take in an event.

Changing a Tire

It always happens at the worst times! You need to know how to change a tire even if you have an auto club membership. Depending on where you get a flat, there may not be a phone nearby to call a tow truck. Let’s take is step by step and always remember to read your owners manual, there will be detailed instructions relating to your car there. I should mention also a few tips for getting to the side of the road safely if you have a blowout on the road.

Stay calm, do not panic
Slowly take your foot off of the gas and let the vehicle coast to a stop.
Do not make any sudden braking or steering actions.
Put your flashers on to alert other drivers.
Now that you are safely off of the road.

Step 1: Make sure you are on firm level ground and away from traffic. If you are not, then try to drive to a better spot, but only if you can do it safely. Avoid going back onto the road and into traffic.
Step 2: Set your emergency brake and put the car in Park or 1st gear if you have a manual transmission. Make sure the engine is turned off.
Step 3: Locate the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench. These are usually located in the trunk underneath the carpet on cars. Trucks usually have the jack and lug wrench behind the seat or under the hood, with the spare tire under the bed.
Step 4: Typically there are instructions printed on the jack or somewhere near the storage compartment. Read these instructions, they will tell you where to jack the vehicle and any special steps you will need to take.
Step 5: First remove the hubcap or wheel cover. The lug wrench often has a flat end, which you can use to pry off the cover. If not, a screwdriver will work just fine.
Step 6: Before you jack the car up you will want to break loose the lug nuts. The weight of the car will keep the wheel from spinning and allow you to apply more force to the nuts. You do not want to completely remove the lug nuts yet…. just break them loose. Once the lug nut begins to move, STOP and move onto the next one. I often carry a small pipe, which will fit over the lug wrench. This pipe can provide additional leverage and allow you to get those stubborn lug nuts off. Always remember righty tighty, lefty loosy. Turn the lug nuts left or counter clockwise to loosen.
Step 7: Now it’s time to jack up the car. Make sure you know where the manufacturer has placed jacking points by reading the owners manual or the instructions near or on the jack. Most cars will have a reinforced lip where the jack can be placed. If you can not locate this, look for a solid portion of the frame to jack on. Make sure the jack is on firm level ground and start jacking. Take it slowly and only go as far as you need to get the wheel off.
Step 8: The wheel is off the ground and it’s time to remove the lug nuts. Use the wrench or your fingers to remove the nuts. Slowly take the wheel off and set it to the side.
Step 9: Get the new wheel and put it on the car. Tighten the lug nuts as tight as you can without the wheel spinning. Don’t worry about getting the nuts super tight, as you will do the final tightening when the car is off of the jack.
Step 10: Let the car down off of the jack and get your lug wrench. Tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern if there are five nuts. Start with one lug nut and skip the next one until they are all tight. If you have 4 nuts, just tighten the opposite nut from where you started and then the remaining two in any order.
Step 11: Replace your wheel cover or hubcap and clean up the jack, lug wrench and blown tire. If your spare tire had air in it, you should be able to continue your journey.
Finally: Remember if you have a temporary spare tire (AKA doughnut) you can only drive a few miles to a service station and usually not over 50 MPH.