Welcome, California Affiliates!

We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., would like to take this opportunity to welcome our California affiliates to the TSC Affiliate News Weblog/Newsletter. We'll be posting periodically to keep you up-to-date on new products and developments at TSC headquarters, to offer helpful suggestions on managing and marketing your traffic school, and to inform you of industry related information that could affect you and your operations.

Because the blog is ultimately intended as a means to disseminate useful information to you, our affiliates, we're open to your input. Feel free to add a comment to any article you see here (comments are moderated).

Now Available: TLSAE Online and Driver's Permit Online

A few posts back, we promised that Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) was developing several exciting new products. We're back now to introduce our two newest offerings: the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) Course Online and the Driver's Permit Test Online!

Exciting New Products

TLSAE Course Online

Drivers who have never held a regular driver's license in any state, country, or jurisdiction, must complete a TLSAE course before applying for a temporary driving permit (restricted driver's license) in the state of Florida. As well, drivers under the age of 21 who receive a notice of suspension for driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.02 to 0.05 must complete a TLSAE course in order to reinstate their driver license on a hardship basis.

TSC has offered affiliates its classroom-based TLSAE curriculum for a number of years, and affiliates have been able to purchase an Internet TLSAE course through us as well. But this development will transfer TSC's high-quality classroom to curriculum to an Internet-based format. Now you'll be able to offer the same great TSC TLSAE course that you're accustomed to teaching in the classroom via the Internet!

Driver's Permit Test Online

Unlicensed drivers under the age of 18 who have completed an online TLSAE course now have the option of taking their Driver's Permit Test via the Internet. Our students love the ease and convenience of completing their driver's permit test online! The flexibility and convenience of this option allows them to skip the congestion, long lines, and waiting at their local DHSMV office. Instead, they're able to relax and pass the test from the comfort of their own home.

Great Package Options

We've also combined these products (along with our Practice Permit Test) into some helpful, money-saving packages. By offering these great package options, you can sell yourself as a convenient, one-stop source of authoritative information for young drivers!

How to Get These Programs

We're rolling out these new products to you just as fast as we can! Justin, our Web designer, will be contacting you shortly to discuss the transition to these new products.

The advantage to this change—aside from superior products for your students—is that you'll get your money right away! TSC subtracts the "seal" costs from each transaction, but all other money goes directly into your business account at the time of sale. You no longer have to wait for a check for payment from TSC for these products.

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and this year it couldn't come soon enough. A report recently published by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) hints at a spike in motorcycle deaths in 2012. Based on the preliminary data provided, GHSA projects that the number of motorcyclist traffic fatalities in the United States increased about 9 percent from 2011 to 2012. A variety of reasons for this upsurge have been suggested, but the fact remains that, in the words of GHSA's deputy executive director, Jonathan Adkins, "This is a bad situation that is getting worse."

Motorcyclists have the same rights and privileges as any other motor vehicle on the roadway. But make sure you stress to your traffic school students that they must safely "share the road" with motorcycles. Motorcycles are often overlooked by drivers. Motorcycles' smaller size makes them hard to see in the first place, and it makes it difficult to accurately judge their distance and speed. Quick acceleration and the need to frequently adjust lane position also make motorcycles challenging to track. But because most automobile-motorcycle crashes are caused by a motorist's failure to detect a motorcycle in traffic, it's easy to see why greater vigilance is vital.

Drivers are encouraged to:

• Check mirrors frequently, and always check blind spots before changing lanes.
• Watch for oncoming cyclists when making left turns.
• Expand following distances when behind a motorcycle. Motorcyclists may need to adjust their speed or location within their lane.
• Allow motorcyclists a full lane width. Do not share the lane.
• Avoid distracted driving. It's always dangerous, but motorcycles require even greater attention from motorists.

Traffic Safety Marketing, a communications resource sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, shares downloadable resources related to motorcycle safety. Let's get the word out!

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and, therefore, a perfect time to reinforce for your students the extreme dangers of failing to pay attention to the driving task. Driver distractions have joined alcohol and speeding as leading factors in vehicle crashes. A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found some form of driver distraction within three seconds prior to the event was a factor in nearly 80% of collisions and 65% of near-collisions. The real tragedy is that most distractions are self-inflicted, easily avoidable, and completely unnecessary.

FocusDriven is a sponsor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2013, and their website provides a wealth of informational resources and downloadable materials dealing with the hazards of the most common in-vehicle distraction today's drivers face: mobile phones.

Unsafe as they are, however, phoning and texting aren't the only distractions that tempt motorists. In-dash electronics, climate and infotainment controls, personal hygiene items/tasks, and food and drink all serve to attract drivers' attention.

As if that weren't bad enough, objects and activities outside of the vehicle can unduly divert drivers' attention from the road as well. Common outside-the-vehicle distractions include: collisions scenes, law enforcement vehicle stops, construction work, billboards/advertising, beautiful scenery, and searching for an address.

Remind your students to stay focused on the driving task at all times—in short, to keep their eyes and their attention on the road!

New California Laws for 2013

A new year brings new traffic laws to California. Several new laws took effect on Jan. 1, 2013. As a provider of traffic violator school (TVS) instruction, you should familiarize yourself with these changes so you can provide proper education and assistance to your students.

Internet Curriculum Update

As your curriculum provider, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) has already updated the Internet-based curriculum, and your students are using it now. You need to do nothing further.

Booklet Curriculum Update

Those of you who are offering the home study booklet must ensure that you are providing students with updated curriculum materials. Download from the CA Course Provider Administration website the latest final exam forms and answer keys, available now, and begin using those immediately.

The copyright notice is at the
bottom of the Table of Contents page.

The next order of books that you receive from TSC will be the latest edition. You may continue to use "old" booklets from your inventory. However, if the bottom of the Table of Contents page of a book that you are sending to a student does not have a 2013 copyright (see example picture), you must include a "new laws insert" (available for download from the CA Course Provider Administration website) in the packet.

Make sure that you ship the latest home study booklets (or inserts) and testing materials, as you will be responsible for teaching/testing students on this new material!

New Year, Hot Product

We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., would like to remind you about our great new product, Teach Your Teen to Drive…and stay alive. This parent-teen driving guidebook covers the supervised driving requirements in all 50 states (for up to 60 hours of behind-the-wheel practice). It's the perfect teaching tool for parents, and helps to eliminate the stress and anxiety associated with training a new teen driver. And it makes a great gift idea for family members and friends who have teenagers. This is a highly recommended product—especially for all driver training schools and traffic schools that offer classes to first-time drivers.

We have sold hundred of copies of Teach Your Teen since the product was introduced in the middle of last year, and the book has been ranked as high as #2 for its category on Amazon.com (click here to preview the book on Amazon)!

We have pricing with quantities of 10 books for as little as $6 per book (plus a shipping charge of $5), and you can resell them to your students for $15 – $20. Simply add a link for this great product to your website and sell a library's worth. (Remember: By DMV regulation, California affiliates cannot sell any other product prior to presenting the TVS course on their websites.) It also makes a perfect complement to a driver education program; you could offer the book to parents after their child's second driving lesson.

If you're interested in offering Teach Your Teen to Drive…and stay alive to your students, or via a link on your website, please contact our Director of Affiliate Operations, Gloria Verver, (via email or by calling 800 . 252 . 9488)!

Texting While Driving More Expensive Than You Think!

Texting while driving is one of the most important safety issues currently facing regulators, traffic safety experts, and drivers themselves. Drivers who have their heads down, staring at the display of their phone while mentally composing a message and typing on a tiny keyboard, simply can't devote adequate attention to the safe operation of their vehicles.

States are starting to catch on; in most of America, it's illegal to text and drive. Presently, 39 states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that forbid the practice. More importantly, the U.S. Department of Transportation is working with states to develop and train police officers on better methods for spotting drivers who are texting.

How will all of this affect the wallet of a driver who gets nabbed for texting behind the wheel? A recent article in The Christian Science Monitor points out that a citation for texting while driving is often far more expensive than people think. And the ticket is just the beginning, as a texting violation on a driver's record can lead to insurance premium increases.

Meanwhile, another piece from KSL5 in Utah suggests that bans on texting while driving might actually increase accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 3 of every 4 states that have enacted a ban on texting while driving have seen crashes actually go up rather than down. It's speculated that this is because drivers who are texting are holding their devices lower in an attempt to avoid detection.

In the end, the best bit of advice is to simply put down the phone when your driving!

National Teen Driver Safety Week October 14 – 20

Now's the time to prepare for National Teen Driver Safety Week, which runs from October 14 – 20, 2012! Promoting safe driving practices for teens is an important mission for providers of traffic safety education. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America, and, mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. Moreover, it is during these formative years that young drivers learn techniques that are likely to stick with them; safe driving habits that are developed early on will serve drivers well for the rest of their lives.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers parents, educators, and teens themselves a wealth of useful resources related to this event. Research shows that inexperience and immaturity combined with excessive speed, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving (mobile phone use, loud music, teen passengers, etc.), driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and drowsy driving are prime contributors to teen-related crashes. Fortunately, these are behaviors that can be modified through awareness and education.

Another great educational tool for teen drivers is Teach Your Teen to Drive…and stay alive. This parent-teen driving guidebook covers the supervised driving requirements for licensing in all 50 states (for up to 60 hours of behind-the-wheel practice), and studies suggest that parent-teen driving practice can significantly reduce the chances of a young driver being involved in a crash. It's the perfect teaching tool for parents, and helps to eliminate the stress and anxiety associated with training a new teen driver. If someone doesn't need it for their own child, it makes a great gift idea for family members and friends who have teenagers.

Take some time to review this helpful information, and let's all make a difference this National Teen Driver Safety Week!

Back-to-School Safety Reminders

With school starting up again, we encourage you to remind students in your classes to take extra care when driving in school zones and when encountering school buses. Children are small, unpredictable, and quick. Worse yet, they don't always exercise the best judgement. They depend on adult drivers to exercise greater caution for their protection.

The laws that regulate the operation of motor vehicles in school zones vary slightly from state to state (you can find the specifics in your lesson plans), but they always involve slowing down. Motorists should always obey posted reduced-speed limits in these areas, and should always follow the instructions of crossing guards. Codified regulations are no substitute for good, old-fashioned common sense, however: In these situations, drivers simply need to slow down and watch carefully for kids darting in front of the vehicle!

Likewise, the requirements for yielding to school buses, and the punishments for non-compliance, vary by state (again, refer to your lesson plan for the complete details):

• California: When approaching from any direction a school bus that is loading or unloading schoolchildren and has its flashing red lights (and stop signal arm, if so equipped) displayed, drivers must bring their vehicles to a complete stop before passing the bus. Drivers may not proceed until the flashing red light signal (and stop signal arm, if so equipped) cease operation. Drivers who approach a school bus while traveling in the opposite direction on a divided highway or multi-lane (two or more lanes in each direction) highway do not need stop for the bus, but should proceed with extreme caution.
• Florida: When approaching from any direction on a public or private road a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop arm, drivers must bring their vehicle to a stop and remain stopped until all children are clear and the bus has resumed forward motion. Drivers who are traveling on the opposite side of a divided roadway (separated from the bus by an unpaved space of at least five feet, a raised median, or a physical barrier) are not required to stop.
• Michigan: Drivers should be extremely careful around a school bus that has stopped to load or unload children:
  • When a school bus's overhead lights are flashing yellow, motorists should prepare to stop.
  • When a bus's overhead lights are flashing red, motorists must come to a full stop no closer than 20 feet from the bus until the bus resumes motion or the red lights are deactivated.
  • When a bus's yellow hazard lights are flashing, motorists should proceed with caution.
  It is not necessary to stop for a school bus that is stopped on the other side of a divided highway where the road is separated by a barrier, such as a concrete or grass median, island, or other structures that separate the flow of traffic. At an intersection where traffic is controlled by an officer or a traffic stop-and-go signal, a vehicle need not be brought to a full stop before passing a stopped school bus, but drivers must slow to a reasonable and safe speed no greater than 10 mph.
• New Jersey: When approaching from any direction on a public or private road a stopped school bus that has its red signal lights flashing and is loading or unloading passengers, drivers must stop at least 25 feet away and remain stopped until all children are clear and the bus has resumed forward motion. Drivers traveling on the opposite side of a divided highway (separated from the other side by a safety island or other physical barrier) are not required to stop, but should proceed at no more than 10 mph until they are clear of the bus and any children.
• New York: When approaching from any direction on a public or private road a stopped school bus that has its red signal lights flashing and is loading or unloading passengers, drivers must stop at least 20 feet away from the bus and remain stopped until all children are clear and the bus has resumed forward motion.
• North Dakota: When a school bus is stopped to load or unload passengers, and its flashing red lights and/or stop sign control arm are activated, drivers approaching from both directions must stop before reaching the bus. Drivers should remain stopped until the bus has resumed forward motion, until the bus driver signals other vehicles to pass, or until the bus's red lights are deactivated. Drivers traveling on the opposite roadway of a divided highway are not required to stop, but are advised to proceed with caution.
• Virginia: When approaching from any direction on a public or private road a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop arm, drivers must stop and remain stopped until all children are clear and the bus has resumed forward motion. Drivers traveling on the opposite side of a divided highway (separated from the bus by a physical barrier or an unpaved median strip) are not required to stop.

Make sure your students know the law so they can avoid citations and keep children safe!

New Florida Laws for 2012

The latest legislative session produced changes to a number of driving-related laws. The good news is that the vast majority of these changes were administrative edits and will minimally impact how driver education and driver improvement courses are presented to the public.

Nonetheless, revised insert sheets are available for the booklet and video/DVD version of Traffic Safety Consultants' 4-Hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) Course. Please include a copy of the appropriate insert sheet with each product that you ship. Note that the insert sheets are cumulative; if you've previously been shipping insert sheets, you may replace your old stock with this new version.

Please click on the links below to access the files you need. You may read/print them online or download them to you local computer for easier access whenever you need them.

• 4-Hour Booklet insert - English
• 4-Hour Booklet insert - Spanish
• 4-Hour Video/DVD insert

Make sure that you ship the latest home study inserts, as you will be responsible for teaching this new material to students!

With seasonal temperatures nearing their peak, now is also a good time to emphasize one of the legislative changes. The law regarding parents who leave young children unattended in the vehicle has been modified as follows:

A parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for a child younger than 6 years of age may not leave that child unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle for a period in excess of 15 minutes, or for any period of time if the motor of the vehicle is running or if the health of the child is in danger or the child appears to be in distress. (FSS §316.6135; emphasized text added)

Children (or pets, for that matter!) should never be left in a vehicle on a hot day—whether accidentally, or consciously and negligently while their parents run errands. While anyone can experience a memory lapse and forget a child (it's the most common reason children are left behind), that little slip could be deadly. Vehicles heat up quickly on a hot day, and a child might die of hyperthermia in just minutes!

Share with your students these helpful tips for avoiding a hot-vehicle mishap:

• Place your cell phone, purse/briefcase, etc., on the floor of the vehicle's rear seating area. When you retrieve them at the end of your trip, you'll notice your child as well.
• Seat the younger (or quieter) child behind the front passenger seat, where he or she is most likely to catch your eye.
• Keep a teddy bear or other stuffed animal in the car seat when it's empty. When you put your child in the seat, move the toy to the front passenger seat as a reminder.
• Make a habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle after you park to make sure there's no child back there.
• Ask your child's babysitter or day care provider to always phone you promptly if your child isn't dropped off as scheduled.