Many Florida motorists will sporadically notice "Move Over Act" advertisement on a toll booth sign, on a static roadside sign, on a sizeable billboard, on a “Rest Area” sign, on a gas bump sticker, or on a bus stop bench, just to name a few. But how many take the time and follow-up and go over the “Move Over”? And an estimated 71 percent of Americans have not heard of Move Over laws. Unfortunately, numerous drivers still do not act on the Move Over Act causing severe motor vehicle crashes with emergency vehicles parked along the roadway. This legislation act was passed in Florida in 2002 in order to protect our law enforcement officers and emergency responder employees from deaths & injuries caused by distracted and reckless motorists. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, during a five-year period from 1996-2000: 1,793 motorists crashed into law enforcement vehicles that were parked on the side of the road causing 5 deaths and 419 injuries. Emergency vehicles include a patrol car, a fire rescue truck, an ambulance, a tow truck, and a road ranger vehicle. Learn more about the Move Over Act at http://www.moveoveramerica.com/.

Here is a summary of the "Move Over Act", courtesy of the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:

• If you are driving on a road with multiple lanes going in the same direction, and approach an emergency vehicle parked along the roadway, you must vacate the lane closest to that vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. In other words, carefully change lanes if you are able to do so. And do not forget your turn signals!


• If you are unable to move over safely, or if you are on a road with only one lane in each direction, you must slow down to a speed 20 mph below the speed limit, unless a law-enforcement officer tells you otherwise. If the speed limit is 20 mph, you must slow down to 5 mph. In other words, if you cannot change lanes, please slow down.

If you don’t move over, the penalty is about $149, depending on the county, and three points on your license. But more seriously, you could crash into an emergency vehicle or strike an emergency worker, causing serious injury or death. You could injure or kill another person or yourself. And at the end of the day, or beginning & middle for that matter, the Move Over Act is not a tough act to follow.

Now let’s move on to another traffic safety measure that drivers should follow in parallel of vehicles parked along the roadway. We as motorists can all relate with the grueling sensation of a driver attending to a vehicle malfunction or a flat tire on the shoulder of a road or highway. Times like these can be so frustrating that you might need a “shoulder” to cry on; especially under that scorching Florida sun. Therefore, if you are driving on a lane next to a parked vehicle on the side of the road or highway, please also follow similar instructions as in the “Move Over Act”; move over by changing lanes if possible or slow down. Too many motorists attending to vehicle malfunctions are killed by speeding vehicles crashing into them and killing them on the spot. So let’s please invoke Driver Empathy; that could be you changing that flat tire as vehicles are zooming at high speeds just a few feet away from you.

So please move over or slow down- and help protect those who help protect us and also those who drive with us.

Labels: emergency vehicle, florida driving laws, move over america, move over law

In recent years texting while driving has become a heated topic throughout the country. Currently, about 135 billion text messages are sent or received in any given month in the United States. That number represents an 80-percent increase since 2008. So, it's no wonder that law makers are starting to take notice.

In 2010, bans on texting while driving will go into effect in New Hampshire, Oregon, and Illinois. Florida may also be added to that list. If a proposed bill is passed, Florida’s ban could go into effect on October 1, 2010. Including the three previously mentioned states, 19 US states and Washington DC currently have bans on texting while driving in place. Six additional states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington) ban drivers from talking on handheld cell phones while driving. Drivers in those states are still allowed to talk using a hand-free device such as a Bluetooth. No state bans talking on a hands-free device while driving, however some experts predict there may be pushes for such bans in the future.

Florida's proposed ban on texting while driving is moving quickly through legislation. In March, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously pushed forward a bill that would make texting while driving a secondary offense. A secondary offense allows law enforcement officers to write citations after they have pulled you over for another primary offense. For example, a driver could be pulled over if he or she is caught rolling through a stop sign while texting. In that situation, the officer would issue a citation for the primary offense (failing to stop at the stop sign) and the secondary offense (texting while driving).

In the proposed bill, the first offense will result in a $30 fine. If a driver is convicted of a second offense within five years the fine will be raised to $60. Some law makers are unhappy with the secondary offense classification of the proposed bill. They feel it should be a primary law because texting while driving is a distraction to drivers and puts other, innocent drivers at risk. Texting while driving has been named the cause of several fatal accidents across the country in recent years. These accidents and the desire to prevent further fatalities is a major driving force behind the movement to ban texting across the country.

Research has shown the majority of the country supports a ban on texting. However, research has also shown that a large portion of people who support a ban are also guilty of texting while driving. It seems to be another "it can't happen to me" situation. Similar to the way people think when they drink and drive. That is, until it does happen to them.

Whether or not Florida is the next state to ban texting while driving or not, Florida drivers should put down their phones and pay attention to the road. Drivers need to abandon the "It can"t happen to me" philosophy and realize that texting while driving is distraction and dangerous.

Read more about the Cost of Texting and Driving.

Labels: driver safety, florida driving laws, texting, texting and driving, thanksgiving traffic safety, traffic fines

If you’ve gotten a traffic ticket lately, you may be trying to decide whether or not going to traffic school is a good idea. With the economy in flux and people worried about every penny they spend, it may seem like a good idea to just pay the fine and forego the extra cost of a traffic school. But sometimes spending a little extra money can save you a lot more money in the long run. In order to help you make the decision, here are a few things that you might want to consider.

There are several consequences to getting a traffic ticket and each much be weighed when deciding whether going to traffic school may be beneficial. Some are obvious, but others are not so obvious.

Fines – This is the most obvious consequence of a traffic ticket. Fines differ from state to state and from county to county.

Points - Driving infractions usually have a point value added and, if you accumulate too many points in a set period of time, your license will be suspended.

Insurance – Insurance companies are very risk-averse and won’t hesitate to increase your insurance rates once they are informed of your traffic ticket. Many states have laws that prevent insurance companies from raising their rates for a driver who attends driving school.

Safe Driver status – Some states reward drivers with a safe driving record with a “Safe Driver” status which allows the driver to renew less frequently than those without the safe driver status.

What type of driver are you? When it comes to traffic tickets, there are basically two types of drivers:

Moderate drivers - These drivers rarely get a ticket but, due to inattention or stress, may find themselves driving a bit too fast and see those dreaded blue lights in the rear view mirror. A driver in this position probably isn’t worried about accumulating points and may decide to just live with the points, assuming that they probably won’t get enough points to risk having their license suspended. While true, these drivers could see their insurance rates go up, eventually costing them much more over the long run than the cost of a driving school. Those drivers may also lose their safe driver status, requiring them to renew their license more often.

Aggressive drivers – These drivers probably get at least two or more tickets per year. One more ticket could put this driver over the point limit, resulting in a suspended license. After completing their suspension period, these drivers may be required by the state DMV or court to attend an extended driving school before they can reinstate their license. The advanced school is much longer and costs much more than a typical driving school. While their insurance rates are probably already pretty high, attending the driving school will prevent them from going up any higher. In an already tough economy, losing your license could turn a shaky job situation into a no-job situation.

Drivers tend to develop negative driving behaviors over time and a traffic school provides a chance to re-evaluate your driving behaviors and look at them from a different perspective. They also can provide you with some valuable tips for avoiding those negative behaviors and, at the same time, update you on new driving laws that you might not be aware of.

Obviously, the best choice is to not get a ticket to begin with. Drivers should be aware that the stresses of the economy can increase your chances of getting a ticket. Stressed drivers tend to allow themselves to be distracted from the very important job of paying attention to their driving. Stress may also lead to aggressive driving behaviors that cause drivers to take more chances than they might otherwise take. Being aware of these issues and trying to put the distractions of the economy aside when you are behind the wheel will make you a safer driver, and safer drivers tend to avoid getting tickets.

Lowest Price Traffic School offers online traffic school for tickets and driver education courses required to obtain a Florida learner's permit. DMV approved and lowest price guarantee.

Labels: aggressive driver, aggressive driving, defensive driving course, distracted driving laws, florida driving laws, traffic school, traffic ticket