Go Crazy for Coupons!

Are you looking for a (nearly) free way to increase business? Coupons, passed out at the end of a class (or sent as an email to online students), are a great way to stimulate repeat and referral business. We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) have found that a discount of just a few dollars off of the tuition of a Basic Driver Improvement course can generate a substantial increase in registrations. If nothing else, it gets your name out there in front of the public!

The coupons don't have to be elaborate. Just make sure to include the name of your school, your phone number, and your URL. You might include some artwork and use some eye-catching colors if you want to spice things up a bit—but don't underestimate the simple power of black and white.

You can generate paper coupons inexpensively yourself on your office printer or at a local copy shop. Or, you can use the free business card offer from Vistaprint, an online printing service, to have them professionally produced.

TSC is always looking for way to help our affiliates market their traffic school, and we hope that you find this suggestion helpful.

New BDI Completion Requirements

New rules regarding the completion of Basic Driver Improvement courses went into effect October 1, 2009. The good news is that this change does not require Florida traffic schools to modify their operations in any way. Better still, the new regulations should increase the number of drivers who are required to complete this form of traffic safety instruction. This benefits not only providers of defensive driving courses, but — more importantly — the driving public!

The notification regarding the new requirements is as follows:

House Bill 481 modified F.S. 322.0261(4) to state:

The department shall identify any operator convicted of, or who pleaded nolo contendere to, a violation of s. 316.074(1), s. 316.075(1)(c)1., s. 316.172, s. 316.191, or s. 316.192 and shall require that operator, in addition to other applicable penalties, to attend a department-approved driver improvement course in order to maintain driving privileges. If the operator fails to complete the course within 90 days after receiving notice from the department, the operator's driver license shall be canceled by the department until the course is successfully completed.

Facts:

• The Department now requires any operator convicted of running a red light, running a stop sign, passing a stopped school bus, racing on a highway, spectator of racing on a highway, or reckless driving to complete a Department-approved 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course.


• All drivers, even CDL holders, are required to complete this course.


• All drivers, except CDL holders and those convicted of 316.172(1)(b), may elect to attend a BDI course in lieu of points; this election will also satisfy the requirements of s. 322.0261(4). Therefore, if the driver elects to attend school for one of the above violations, the Department will withhold points and count that election as having satisfied the requirements of 322.0261(4).


• If the driver does not elect to attend school, the Department will automatically generate a notice advising the violator that they must complete a BDI course within 90 days from the date of the notice. This notice is generated and sent to the customer upon conviction information received from the Clerk of Court.

Do It For the Kids!

October 18 – 24 is this year's National Teen Driver Safety Week. Now is the perfect time to remind the students in your driver improvement classes of the effects their negative driving behaviors can have on others — in particular, their children.

Most parents are certain that their kids don't listen to a thing they say. Research shows, however, that parental involvement is the single most important factor in reducing the risk of crash involvement for young drivers.

And the risk of a crash is considerable. Learning to drive could be the most dangerous milestone in a teen's life, as automobile collisions are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds. In Florida in 2008, 13,916 teen drivers were killed or injured in over 36,000 crashes. Teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, per vehicle mile driven. And it's not just teens who are injured or killed: young drivers pose a risk to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. (For more statistics, check out the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's latest Traffic Safety Fact Sheet on Young Drivers.)

Remind your students that, because teens tend to model their parents' driving behavior, they need to take a good, hard look at their behind-the-wheel habits. If not for their own safety, they should do it their children. After all, you never know who's watching!

»  You might also remind parents about your Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) seminar — aka the First Time Driver course — for teens. Nationally in 2007, 31% of young drivers (15 to 20 years old) who were killed in crashes had alcohol in their system!  «

Tending to Two-Wheelers

With the back-to-school season upon us, now is a particularly good time to remind your students to be on the lookout for bicyclists. Motorists often fail to take note of bicycles in the driving environment, and many drivers are annoyed by the slower speeds of bicycles. These are the wrong attitudes. Bicycles are considered vehicles, and cyclists have all of the rights and responsibilities of drivers.

The most common motorist-caused collisions between a motor vehicle and a bicycle occur when a driver fails to yield to a cyclist when turning or after stopping at a stop sign. This is usually because drivers overlook bicycles when they scan the driving environment, or because they misjudge the cyclist's speed. Drivers must remain vigilant, however, since their inattention can have serious consequences, as this recent article from the Fort Myers News-Press illustrates.

Drivers should remember these tips when encountering bicyclists:

• It is a primary responsibility of drivers to ensure the safety of bicyclists.
• Always afford bicyclists plenty of room.
• Never tailgate a bicyclist.
• When passing a bicyclist, reduce your speed and give at least a three-foot space cushion.
• Check your mirrors and blind spots regularly, especially when preparing for a right turn.
• Always be courteous and patient with cyclists — especially with younger riders who may not know or obey traffic rules.
• Check the left side mirror for bicyclists before opening the door of a parked vehicle.

Get Yourself an Upgrade!

Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is proud to announce a few small upgrades to its Affiliate System Administration Program™ (ASAP™).

You'll access the system as always through the ASAP™ portal at tscaffiliate.com. Effective Monday, August 17, 2009, however, the following enhancements will be live on the site:

Redesigned Log-In Page: The log-in page has received an aesthetic make-over. The page retains its front-end functionality, and you'll still sign in securely — using your usual user name and password — as you always have. It will just look much nicer (we hope!).


Blog Link: We have added a link to the ASAP™ Control Panel page that will give you instant access to the "TSC Affiliate News" blog. An indicator will display (for seven days) when a new blog entry has been posted. This implementation means that you will no longer be receiving e-mailed notices of updates from Rick, the blog's editor. To read the blog, just click on the link and the blog will open in a new browser window.

At TSC, we are constantly striving to improve the operational experience of our affiliates, and our dedicated IT team has been hard at work behind the scenes. We hope these changes will take what is already the traffic safety education industry's leading enterprise management software application and make it even better!

Driving While InTEXTicated?

Cell phones and other mobile communication devices have become a part of our everyday life. Indeed, they can save time, effort, even our lives. But misused, they can be deadly, too!

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute highlights these dangers (CNN article). Investigators found that reaching for an electronic device, dialing a mobile phone, and holding a phone conversation all caused the risk of a collision to rise. Not surprisingly, however, it was texting that caused the real problems. The study found that truckers who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to crash or to get into a near-wreck than undistracted drivers. The reasons are obvious: Even skilled multi-taskers have trouble concentrating on the road while composing a message, manipulating a tiny keyboard, and occasionally glancing at the screen—all while guiding a multi-ton vehicle through traffic.

While Florida currently does not regulate drivers' use of mobile communication devices, that could soon change. Under legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, states that do not ban texting by drivers could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

We shouldn't need Congress to remind us of the dangerous, however. Ninety percent of the sensory information needed to safely operate a motor vehicle is visual, and anything that draws a driver's attention away from the roadway for more than a few seconds is a serious distraction that could have deadly results. In short, remind your students: don't text and drive!

Click It Or Ticket

The first mandatory seat belt use law was enacted in New York in 1984, and adult belt use laws are now in effect in 49 states and the District of Columbia. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Traffic Safety Facts - 2007 Data: Occupant Protection, 26 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have laws that allow primary enforcement — and that number is growing.

On June 30, Florida's primary enforcement law went into effect. In the past, law enforcement officers could issue a citation for a seat belt violation only if they pulled a motorist over for another reason and then discovered that occupants were not properly restrained. With the new rule, a seat belt violation alone is enough to allow law enforcement to stop a vehicle.

Florida's Safety Belt Law specifies that front seat occupants — including the driver — must wear a safety belt. Occupants under the age of 18 are always required to be safely restrained, regardless of seating position. And seat belts must not only be worn, but they must be worn properly. The lap belt should be worn low and snug across the hips; the shoulder belt should lay snug across the chest, away from the neck and face. Vehicle occupants should never tuck the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back.

The specifics of the law notwithstanding, all vehicle occupants should always use their safety restraints. Research suggests that lap/shoulder belts can reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. For light-truck occupants, belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury by 60% and moderate-to-critical injury by 65%. Among passenger vehicle occupants over age 4, seat belts saved an estimated 15,147 lives in 2007; if all occupants over age 4 had worn seat belts, an additional 5,024 lives could have been saved.

Bottom line? Remind your students to always buckle up!!!

If you need updated materials, please contact Donna by calling 800.252.9951, or via e-mail at donna@trafficeducation.net.

Save Trees While Saving Lives

It seems like industries around the globe are trying to be more "green," and Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is no exception. The good news is that our new policy will not only save a tree or two, but it will save you time and money!

Effective July 1, 2009, TSC will electronically capture the seal fees of all 4-Hour BDI Internet students upon their registration. In the past, each affiliate collected these fees, and were then responsible to send TSC a check the following month. This new system saves you the time, effort, and expense of writing and mailing a check each month!

Help TSC to treasure the timber and axe the accountant!

If you have any questions, please e-mail Donna or call 1-800-252-9951.

The Red Light Course

According to the latest statistics (2007) 491,688 drivers were cited that year for running a red light or stop sign in the state of Florida—almost 1350 violations per day! Some of these violations undoubtedly occurred at empty intersections, and most were likely unintentional. But it's not difficult to imagine the serious damage that could be caused by a driver entering high-speed cross-traffic!

Because of the danger of such incidents, the State of Florida has instituted steps to crack down on drivers who—either intentionally or simply through a lack of attention—run a red light. Motorists who are cited for running a red light for the second time in twelve months, and who did not complete a traffic safety course following the first incident, are now required by law to complete a DHSMV-approved 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course.

We have updated our corporate website to alert prospective students that TSC's 4-hour BDI course will satisfy the new "Red Light Course" requirements. Those changes are reflected in the course listing on FunnyInFlorida.com's homepage (view homepage) and on the pertinent interior pages (e.g., view the Traffic School Book page). If you would like to add similar notices to your site, please email Justin from out IT Department for assistance.

Traffic School Rule Change

A rule change, effective Feb. 1, 2009, eliminates the 18% reduction in civil penalties for drivers who elect to attend a Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course to keep points off of their records.

Because the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) recognizes the great public safety value of having motorists attend driver safety education courses, however, Floridians can still attain several benefits by attending a BDI course:

• Points are not assessed to the driver's record, adjudication is withheld, and "safe driver" status is maintained.
• Insurance rates cannot increase and the driver's policy cannot be cancelled because of this violation, unless the violation was a result of a crash in which the driver was at fault.

Furthermore, effective Oct. 1, 2008, drivers may elect to attend a BDI course in lieu of points up to five times in a 10-year period (instead of five times in a lifetime, as was previously the case).

For further details about Florida's driver improvement program, you can refer to the DHSMV's driver improvement Web page.

Everybody Makes Mistakes

It's easy enough to do. Students can jot down the information you give them incorrectly. Or the calendar application on their smart phone could do something funky (computers!). They might even have mistakenly signed up for the wrong course. Whatever the reason, students may attend only the course that fulfills their needs—and, as an instructor, it's your job to ensure that they do.

Be aware that the DHSMV is constantly monitoring the operations of traffic safety education providers. Making sure that students have completed the correct type of course (and are issued the proper certificate) is one of their primary checks. Please be aware that an instructor may never combine two separate courses into one class—even if both sets of students show up. In the event that this happens, the instructor may teach only the class that was actually scheduled, and must send the other students away. Lesson plans are approved by the DHSMV, and must be taught as submitted; material from separate lesson plans may never be combined.