joe.apex's blog

This month Texas Highway 130 recently opened with a speed limit of 85 MPH, which is currently the highest in the U.S. This apparently flies in the face of conventional wisdom that higher speeds result in more deaths. The reality is that appropriate safe speed is not a constant and varies with many factors, which have changed over the years.

While driving down the highway the other day I noticed new sound barrier walls being installed. It's hard to argue against the idea of lowering road noise but these large walls seem very expensive. And they don't seem to lower the road noise in the cabin of my car. So, as I'm driving along I begin to wonder if there's a better way to reduce this noise. Low and behold, I do a little research and the term "Rubberized Asphalt Concrete" (RAC) shows up prominently.

Anyone who has driven a car when they were tired knows that their ability to drive is impaired to some degree. What they don't know is the degree of impairment or how dangerous it is to drive when you're drowsy. Since it is much more difficult to determine after a crash that the driver was drowsy when the crash occurred, the reported rate for drowsy driving understates the associated level of danger. This is a topic which is often not covered in most driver training courses, including online drivers ed.

Driving at night has a unique set of challenges. The best way to understand these is to examine a night time driving image and point out the various items that give rise to these challenges. Gaining awareness and then applying night driving techniques can increase the level of safety while driving at night.

Fall is a great time of the year. Depending on where you live, the changes can be minimal or quite dramatic. Fall in the Northeast brings brilliant colors as the leaves change their appearance. The Northwest is preparing for the return of the rainy season. In most areas the temperature begins to fall from those summer highs and in some areas night time freezing temperatures occur. Along with the beauty of fall comes road conditions that can be a challenge to safe driving. Take note of the tips in this article and you can become a safer fall driver.

Motorcycle use is continuing to climb and so are rider crashes. There are now over 4 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. and that number is increasing. The attraction of riding a motorcycle is due to many factors, including decreased operating cost, ease of maneuverability, and the pure pleasure of riding a bike.

Anyone who has driven on a freeway anywhere in the U.S. knows that 18-wheelers and other large trucks are a part of the traffic. What they often do not realize is that 18-wheelers are not simply "large cars". Not only do 18-wheelers have very different characteristics than cars but their drivers operate with a different set of constraints as well.

There is no question, given the statistics available today, that the first year of solo driving is the most critical. The crash rate during this crucial time in a teen's driving career will never be worse. The reason is that it takes experience behind the wheel to create a big enough "database" of hazardous situations in order to be able to recognize and appropriately respond to them when required. And there's only one way to get that experience and that is to drive.

The big issue in recent times, as most everyone is aware, is distracted driving caused by texting while driving. There are laws prohibiting texting while driving in most states which are slowly helping to stamp out this problem. In addition, all online drivers ed courses teach about the dangers of driving while texting.  However, texting is only one form of distracted driving and the real emphasis should be on “distractions", which is a collection of items drivers should be aware of while driving.

Over the years a great deal of data has been collected on car crashes and with a little statistical analysis researchers can provide correlations that can increase driving safety. In this case we're going to look at various times when crashes are more likely to occur. This type of analysis can be a key piece of online drivers ed providing guidance for when to be extra careful.