Teen driving has become a fad. The influence of the consumerist trend in teens is reflective of this fad. Of course, in leverage to driving their own vehicles, getting a driver’s license is the first item on their itinerary. How is the process of getting a driver’s license and what does the process entail? Before getting their own license, certain requirements have to be met first. These requirements are: (1) passing a knowledge test, (2) passing a vision test, and (3) passing a road test.

The Knowledge Test is a written exam.  Passing the exam entails some amount of effort in studying a booklet that contains pertinent information that the applicant should be very familiar about.  The Vision Test would gauge the applicant’s ability to use his vision while on the road.  it will ensure that his vision is on an optimal level that would be fit for driving.  The Road Test will require the applicant to measure his or her own ability by having someone accompany him or her while conducting the exam.

These are the tests that should be undertaken by a teen who wants to apply for a driver’s license. Other matters that he or she should tend to before applying for a license are identification requirements and fees.

Basically, passing the requirements for the license is relatively easy, but the license can get suspended once its owner does something against the rules set on traffic and driving regulations. Hence, a need to mind the rules is a prerogative.

School buses are the largest mass transit program in the U.S. Riding the school bus is a good option because it provides the best choice of safety for your child. According to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences, every year, more than 800 school-aged children are killed as passengers in other motor vehicles, or walking or riding bicycles, during “normal school transportation hours. These deaths could have been avoided had the students rode in school buses.

Getting intoxicated is given in any party or social event. This does not exclude the teens who are also out partying. In some cases, the teens, after a night of fun and enjoyment, forgets tbe hazards of drinking while driving and thus, learns to face the consequences—the hard way.

Car accidents that are due to drunk persons behind the wheel is old news itself. An easier way of enjoying parties with a tolerable amount of alcohol in your system without foregoing your own safety is to find a designated driver to go down the road for you. A designated driver is someone whom you can have an arrange a deal with; this person will agree not to have an intake of alcohol as he or she will be the one tasked to drive you and your other companions home.

Reports suggest that designated drivers have probably saved nearly 50,000 lives and spared many more thousands of people from suffering injury from drunk driving. This is a good track record and if maintained, this could well be the solution to lessening the accidents caused by drunk drivers.

Making 15 passenger vans safer for the occupants is not an impossible task. Changes in the design of the van like equipping them with dual rear wheels would probably be the most important step. Dual rear wheels are a chassis option already available on large pickup trucks offered by the major manufacturers, trucks that are not typically used to transport children. Another design change would be to widen the vehicle or reduce its height to increase stability and decrease the possibility that it would roll over. The drivers should also be required to have a commercial drivers license and specialized knowledge and training.

The technology to make 15 seater passenger vans safer for the passengers are available, but a determined nationwide regulation is also necessary to keep kids safer on the roads.

Passenger safety is the main issue surrounding the use of 15 passenger vans. These vans, which are a popular choice for transporting school children, are less expensive than regular sized school buses are also more prone to accidents because of its design flaws. High center of gravity and the number of passengers that it can fit makes these vans hard to control for the drivers, who are not required to have a special license as with bus and truck drivers. The majority of death and injuries happens when the van overturns because the vehicle itself lacks the structural integrity to keep the passengers safe. Though some states are trying to regulate the use of 15 passenger vans for the transport of school children, they have been ineffective in saving the lives of van occupants because they lack enforcement muscle.

15 seater passenger vans are an alternative for regular school buses in transporting students to and from school. Fifteen-passenger vans include the Chevy Express E3500, Ford Econoline E350, Ford Club Wagon E350, Dodge Ram Wagon B350, Dodge Ram Van E350, GMC Savana G3500 and GMC Express 3500. Although there are a lot of issues surrounding the use of 15 seater passenger van in transporting school children, it has remained a popular choice for parents. These vans are also used by other organizations, such as different church groups and sports teams for transport.

A new statewide push in Illinois has authorities leaving drunk drivers without wheels by the dozen and never giving them back. Illinois State Police recently called on police chiefs and prosecutors to pursue forfeitures in the worst DUI cases.  In Madison County, drivers with three offenses or more can expect to lose their vehicle, for good. Madison County’s already seized two dozen vehicles from repeat drunk drivers. There are currently a dozen more cases pending.

While traffic injuries are declining on the nation’s roads, 16 percent of all crash-related victims involve teens. Yet, teens only make up only 8 percent of the driving public. The problem, of course, as every parent knows, is reaching teens. At that age, we all felt invincible, that death was something that happened to old people - if we thought about death at all. But that attitude coupled with fast cars, alcohol and a rush of hormones can be a deadly mix. So, parents should take the time to talk to their kids about driving and being responsible while on the road.

In a few U.S. states, special aggressive driving laws have been enacted to protect people from road rage which happens 1,200 times a year. Road rage incidents are normally processed as Assault and battery, which is either a misdemeanor or a felony, whether or not there is a vehicle involved. If someone dies in the incident, it will automatically become vehicular homicide.

It is likely that those causing serious injury or death during “road rage” incidents will suffer more serious penalties than those applicable to similar outcomes from simple negligence. In April 2007, a Colorado driver was convicted of first-degree murder for causing the deaths of two motorists in November 2005. He will serve a mandatory sentence of two consecutive life terms.

• tailgating

• cutting others off in a lane

• stopping two or more vehicles for a fist fight

• sounding the vehicle’s horn or flashing lights excessively, also includes flicking the dome lamp on and off at an absurd rate

• intentionally “slapping mirrors” with oncoming vehicles at high speeds, destroying the other driver’s mirror as well as one’s own

• rude gestures (such as the finger and the mean face)

• shouting verbal abuse, including threats

• forcefully and quickly engaging the brake then gas in a repetitive pattern in a sick move to agitate other motorists as well as the passengers inside of one’s car

The best way to deal with these kind of individuals is to ignore them and just go along and pretend that nothing is happening. Confronting them would only fuel their aggressive behavior. Calling the authorities is also a good way to deal with raging drivers who have stoppped traffic and has already caused damage.