The DMV Blog

Regardless of how law abiding you are, you will get pulled over for some sort of traffic violation eventually. No one wants to be ticketed for a traffic violation, so you would probably like to know how to avoid getting a ticket in the first place.

You should know that there are two major types of traffic tickets: tickets for moving violations and tickets for non-moving violations. Moving violations include speeding, failure to obey traffic signs or lights, illegal turns, or doing anything else illegal while your vehicle is in motion. Non-moving violations are for offenses like parking your car illegally. No one can help you if you don’t know how to park.

Want to avoid traffic tickets? Follow the tips below.

1. First of all, make sure that nothing about your car draws an officer’s attention. Flashy and bright colors, (particularly red), additional sound or light modifications draw attention. The neon running lights, thumping bass, straightened exhaust pipes, and glass packs might make points on your license which is bad.
2. When pulled over, we often don’t say anything at all, for fear of saying the wrong thing. However, silence is often a sign that you’re hiding something. Be your natural self and act properly. Police officers have a dangerous job, and they know that any routine traffic stop can turn life-threatening. If you can put an officer at ease, it make his/her job a little less stressful and he or she may thank you for it by letting you off with a warning.
3. Traffic enforcement cameras can sometimes be detected with radar detectors. In most places, if you’re wearing a hat and sunglasses, when your picture is taken, your ticket can be dismissed in court. A number of legal challenges have been posed to automatic ticketing systems, many successfully, so if you are unlucky enough to be caught by one of these systems, you have a good chance of beating the citation in court.
4. Try to avoid the fast lane. Use the far left lane to pass when necessary, but try to stay in the middle lanes when possible. Here’s why – If a police officer is lurking in a cutout along the median strip (or coming at you from the opposite direction on a divided highway) the speeder in the far left lane is the one most likely to be noticed. Drivers who receive speeding tickets are often those who go with up to 10 or 15 over the limit and remain in the far left lane.
5. Changing lanes frequently, tailgating or otherwise driving aggressively is never good. By doing so, you’re just asking for someone to call the police and give them a description of your vehicle and registration number. Instead of being rude and dangerous be smart, use your signals and be courteous to fellow drivers. It’s much safer, and it will also help you stay unnoticed.
6. If you don’t want to get pulled over, act accordingly to the speed limit signs, and stick to the speed limit. Drive within 5-10 mph of surrounding traffic. Police officers are usually looking for drivers who are going noticeably faster than the other vehicles on the road. If you’re within a pack of cars all going 5 to 10 mph over the limit, you probably won’t be the one that gets pulled over for a speeding ticket. The police officer has to pick one car. If you go with the flow of traffic, it probably won’t be you. And if you don’t speed in the first place, it definitely won’t be you.

The above mentioned tips can help you avoid getting in trouble with the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), thus avoiding to get a traffic ticket. However, in case you do end up with a traffic ticket, but you feel that you shouldn’t have, it is highly recommended to get a professional who can help you deal with the unpleasant situation. So, if you don’t want to accumulate demerit points on your driving record and have your driving license suspended get in touch with a traffic lawyer and fight your ticket.

For more information see:
www.dmv.com/traffic-tickets
www.cvb.uscourts.gov/faq.html
www.tixnix.com

We all agree, driving on snow and ice is difficult. Winter is that time of year when you need to be extra cautious on the road. To prevent you from any kind of unpleasant moments during the foul weather the  dmvblog gives all the drivers some very useful tips.

Prepare for your drive

Get your vehicle winter-ready with a maintenance check-up. Don’t wait for winter to have your battery, belts, hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, tires, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers, and ignition system checked. Make sure your vehicle is mechanically ready for winter conditions. Keep your fuel tank sufficiently full, at a quarter tank is recommended. Make sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid in the reservoir that is rated a minimum of -40°C temperature range.

Adjust your speed

When driving in challenging conditions, slow down. Decreasing your speed will allow more time to respond in a difficult situation. The type of vehicle you are driving, the quality of snow tires your car is equipped with, and your abilities as a driver should all be considered in the speed adjustment.

Stay alert

Studies have shown that 80 percent of all accidents could be prevented with only one more second to react. In many situations, this second can be gained by looking far enough down the road to identify problems before you become a part of them.

Use grip the right way

When roads are slippery use all the grip available for one thing at a time. Brake only before the curve when the car is traveling straight. Taking your foot off the brake before you steer into the curve allows you to use all the grip available for steering. Don’t accelerate until you begin to straighten the steering wheel when exiting the turn. By doing this you can be 100 percent effective at each maneuver.

Lights and wipers ON

If daytime visibility is less than perfect, turning on your lights allows you to see, and to be seen by others.  When traveling in snowy weather, remember to clear taillights, signal lights, and headlamps regularly.

Use snow and ice tires

Bare in mind that an all-season tire is a compromise, and can not perform as well as a snow and ice tire. To ensure your safety and control while driving in winter, use the best snow and ice tires available.

Go with low beams during a storm

Leave your headlamps on low beam when driving in snow or fog. This practice minimizes the reflection and glare, improves visibility, and reduces eye fatigue. When oncoming cars approach, focus on the right side of the roadway to help maintain good night vision.

Driving is the most dangerous work activity that most people do. Research indicates that about 150 people are killed or seriously injured every week in crashes involving someone who was driving, riding or otherwise using the road for work purposes.

Employers must assess the risks involved in their employees’ use of the road for work and put in place all reasonably practicable measures to manage those risks. Such measures are likely to more than pay for themselves by reducing the organization’s accident costs, many of which will be uninsured, such as lost employees’ time or just doing the paperwork.

One common risk is when an employee makes or receives calls, sends text-massages or is using a mobile phone while driving. A research study shows that using a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone while driving is a big distraction, and substantially increases the risk of the driver crashing. High mileage and company car drivers are more likely than most to use a mobile phone while driving.

Some employers provide mobile phones or reimburse the cost of work-related calls made on private ones. There are good business reasons to do so. There are also good health and safety reasons for lone workers and employees who travel in areas where getting help may be difficult but, this should not mean that employees should use the phone while driving.

Drivers who use a mobile phone, whether hand-held or hands-free: are much less aware of what is happening on the road. They fail to see the road signs and are more likely to tailgate the vehicle in front, and not to forget that they feel more stressed and frustrated. When people use the hands-free phone while driving that does not reduce the risk because the problems are caused mainly by the mental distraction and divided attention of taking part in a phone conversation while driving.

In order to avoid accidents the employers should first ensure all employees, including senior managers and line managers understand that the organization expects everyone who drives for work to drive safely for their own, and others’ benefit. Furthermore the employers should ensure that their workers and their safety representatives are fully consulted about the organization’s policy on Mobile Phones and Driving and that this is reviewed periodically in joint health and safety committee meetings.

And finally you can always find out more about safe driving by enrolling in a certified traffic school, where an experienced instructor will make sure you are driving safely. These courses are often offered for in-class or practical learning but there are also dmv certified online traffic school courses available in numerous states across the country. Make sure to do your research before choosing the right program for you and your business as the requirements for commercial driving are often much different than those for the average driver.

The expression “the right tool for the job” is very good advice for other circumstances besides construction, and one such circumstance is driving an automotive vehicle. A truck filled with expensive china will need to be driven with more caution then a truck filled with fertilizer. Similarity, race-car driver will drive differently when he is racing as opposed to when he is driving to pick up the groceries. That some driving situations require more caution and alertness then others might seem obvious, but it is something many people forget once they are driving.

One common example of driving in a way that doesn’t suit your goals is tailgating the car in front of you. Tailgating can only make sense in one situation, an honest-to-goodness car race. Aside from the extremely unlikely event that you are in a race there is absolutely no reasons not to keep the minimum following distance, usually two seconds, away from the car in front of you. For a race-car driver, a second or less can mean the difference between a first or second place, and the consequences of crashing are reduced due to safety mechanisms. For someone driving on the highway in order to get groceries the consequences of being in a crash are many and severe, things like increased insurance rates, possible traffic fines or prosecution, demerit points on your driving record, vehicle damage, injury to limbs and even death are all possibilities. But what are the benefits? Arriving a couple minutes faster? That is a huge disconnect between the risk being taken and the reward being received.

Tailgating is just one example of not driving in the right way for what you want to do, but there are many others, such as running red lights and cutting people off. When you are driving as part of your daily routine then the main concern should be to drive in such a way that the chance of an accident is minimal, and if one does happen you will not be at fault. Driving in a safe way might not seem exciting, but, on the other hand, having high insurance rates is not very exciting either.

In order to find out more about safe driving it’s probably a good idea to enroll in a dmv certified traffic school. Some driving habits are obviously dangerous, while others can seem like a good idea but will actually increase your chances of getting into an accident. An experienced instructor at a driving school is an excellent way of determining if you are driving in the safest way possible.

The CDC reports that car crashes are the #1 killer of teens in the USA – About 3000 teenagers dead every year. Compared to adult drivers on a per mile basis, teen drivers are four times as likely to get into a car crash. This stark difference between older and younger drivers is caused by many factors, ranging from a simple lack of experience to the innate tendency of teens to misjudge risks. In some cases, accidents happen because teens don’t know how to respond to a given situation even in theory, let alone in practice. This was one of the reasons why Joshua’s law was passed in Georgia and why it is a good idea for new drivers, teen or otherwise, to attend traffic school.

Joshua’s law was passed in Georgia after Joshua Brown, a teen driver died in a single vehicle collision while driving alone on a wet road. Since these are precisely the conditions under which an experienced, or at least knowledgeable driver would have survived, the law attempted to make better drivers out of teens. Under this law, Georgians under the age of 17 must complete an online driver educations course or attend live driver education classes. Either way, they have to gain some sort of theoretical knowledge of what to do in dangerous situations.

Georgia is no exception to the rule, the federal government recommends that states adopt a graduated licensing system and a lot already have. A key component of such systems is driver’s educations. In states that have graduated licensing attending a driving school is mandatory for teens and the only choice is which school to attend. In states that do not have graduated licensing and don’t make attendance mandatory it is a different story. Teens are unlikely to attend traffic schools on their own volition and this is why parents need to make themselves familiar with the accident statistics that teens face and take action.

Scientific studies about teen behavior consistently show that young drivers have a sense of invincibility and attribute automobile accidents to fate rather than personal choices. With such an attitude it is clear that giving teens statistics about accidents or the benefits of traffic schools are bound to fail to persuade them to enroll in driver education. If there are also no laws on the state level about teen driver education then it is the parents who need to take charge. Parents need to know how well their teen can drive and make them attend a traffic schools if they lack basic knowledge. This advice is sound even if there is state level mandatory attendance, since teens can manage to get through classes without absorbing the necessary material. There are a lot of preventable vehicle-related teen deaths in the USA, and until parents take charge for the safety of their young drivers this unfortunate situation will continue.

To find the licensing requirements in your state visit .

To quote the famous rapper Ice Cube before heading to the DMV “yo gotta check yo self”. Because if you don’t have all your s@&T together before you leave then you are most likely going to “wreck yo self” waiting in line twice.

The tale is as old as time. A poor soul travels to his/her local dept of motor vehicles to sort out a driving related issue. Maybe its a drivers license thing, maybe its a vehicle registration thing, perhaps a title transfer it doesn’t matter because that poor soul is now waiting in line for a good long while waiting to be served. But, low and behold once our poor soul reaches the counter it turns out that he/she either forgot or didn’t realize they needed the proper documentation. So they are pointed to a row of incomprehensible forms stationed on the wall where they must find and fill the correct document (which is likely only available in spanish) before taking a number and once again waiting in line.

So let it be a lesson to all of you out there. Check what you’ve got to accomplish before you leave home. Its usually pretty easy to find what you need to do by using either the state dmv website or a 3rd dmv guide. Then download and print the docs you need before you leave and save yourself some hassle.

As most people in California already know, the California DMV is extremely difficult to deal with. Given the long lines, government cutbacks, short hours and other issues it tends to be a huge hassle to get anything done there. Fortunately TheDMVBlog now has a tip for all those who are looking to save time on their next vehicle registration. It turns out that there are 3rd party companies that provide DMV services quickly, effectively and most importantly – ONLINE.

You can complete a CA DMV vehicle registration online and make the process is much quicker and easier here. Companies like this can quickly and effectively clear parking and ticket infractions from your license in order to allow the registration to be implemented easily online. To complete this by using standard California DMV services would require multiple trips to the DMV as the state services will not allow users without a perfect driving record to perform online transactions such as vehicle registration.

For more information on how to effectively deal with vehicle registration related issues in the state of California you should refer to a dmv guide. See the following – California Vehicle Registration Guide for an extensive look at specific issues related to registration including:
Vehicle Registration Renewal
Guide to California vehicle registration renewal. What is required for renewing your vehicle registration in CA, where and when to renew your vehicle, fees, mailing address, forms, etc
California Vehicle Registration Replacement
CA Vehicle registration replacement information for lost, stolen or damaged vehicle registrations. Step-by-step guide to getting a new copy of your vehicle registration.
California Car Registration Fee Calculator
California car registrations fees vary depending on a number of factors including the make and model of the car, the date of late registration, traffic tickets, etc. DMV.com’s car registration fee calculator can help you figure out how much it will cost to register your vehicle.
The California Vehicle Code
The California Vehicle Code is important for anyone registering their vehicle since it contains all the rules and regulations that drivers and vehicles are subject to while on the road.
California Car Registration Plates
This article is an overview of license / car registration plates. It covers the regulations for displaying and mainting your plates as well as information on vanity, disability and vintage vehicle plates.
California Custom Car Registrations
There are different procedures for registering a custom or vintage car in the state and you can find that information in this article.

This blog is designed to be a comprehensive resource for those looking for DMV / Department of motor vehicle information. The driving and driver regulating bodies in the US are governed by the individual states so each state will have separate rules and regulations when it comes to driving. Whether its known as the DMV, RMV, OMV, BMV or DOT (among others) these state agencies dictate what it takes to get on the road. Besides the government departments many states have private companies that provide DMV services such as vehicle registration and titling as well as traffic schools and driver education.

The DMV Blog will help to eliminate some of the headache and hassle that goes along with the dept of motor vehicles. There are many tricks and tips that will help save time and money if you look in the right place – we know those places.