Virginia Driver Improvement Program : Defensive Driving & Traffic Schools

The following was taken from the DMV's Brochure:

A Different Kind of Crash Course.:

Nationwide a vehicle crash occurs every five seconds. Roughly, more than 147,737 vehicle crashes occurred on Virginia's highways last year. The odds are one out of four that you will be involved in a crash during your lifetime.

To reduce these odds, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has created a different kind of crash course. Our Driver Improvement Program rewards safe drivers and warns potentially unsafe drivers in advance. It helps educate drivers who have developed risky driving practices and it takes dangerous drivers off the road. Here's how it works.

What does the point system say about you?

DMV uses a point system to rate drivers. You receive demerit points for unsafe driving and safe driving points for good driving.

Demerit Points are assigned when you commit a traffic violation. Different violations carry different point assignments, depending on the seriousness of the offense. For example, you will receive three demerit points if you make an improper U-turn. However, you will receive six demerit points if you speed 20 miles per hour or more above the posted speed limit. Demerit points remain valid two years from the date you commit an offense.

Safe Driving Points are assigned for each full calendar year that you hold a valid Virginia driver?s license and drive without any violations or suspensions. In some cases, you may also earn safe driving points by completing a driver improvement clinic. You can accumulate a total of five safe driving points and you may use these safe driving points to offset demerit points.

Demerit Points Can Add Up

Each time you commit a traffic offense, DMV adds additional demerit points to your record. This can add up to big trouble for some drive.

Six Point Violations

Reckless Driving/Speeding

Reckless driving - speeding in excess of 80 mph (11 years)
Reckless driving - speeding 20 mph or more above the posted speed limit (11 years)
Reckless driving - racing (11 years)
Reckless driving - passing or overtaking an emergency vehicle (11 years)
Reckless driving - passing a school bus (11 years)
Reckless driving - passing on the crest of a hill (11 years)
Reckless driving - passing at a railroad crossing (11 years)
Reckless driving - passing two vehicles abreast (11 years)
Reckless driving - driving two vehicles abreast (11 years)
Reckless driving - driving too fast for conditions (11 years)
Reckless driving - failing to give a proper signal (11 years)
Reckless driving - faulty brakes/improper control (11 years)
Reckless driving - on parking lots, etc. (11 years)
Reckless driving - with an obstructed view (11 years)
Reckless driving - generally (11 years)
Speeding 20 mph or more above the posted speed limit (5 years)
Driving Under the Influence
Driving while intoxicated (11 years)
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (11 years)
Driving under the influence of drugs (11 years)
Driving after illegally consuming alcohol (persons under age 21) (3 years)
Driving while intoxicated - maiming (11 years)
Involuntary manslaughter/alcohol (11 years)
Refusing blood/breath test (11 years)
Driving while your license is revoked for driving while intoxicated (11 years)
Driving while your license is revoked for driving while intoxicated - maiming (11 years)
Driving while your license is revoked for driving while intoxicated - involuntary manslaughter (11 years)
Manslaughter
Manslaughter (11 years)
Involuntary manslaughter (11 years)
Involuntary manslaughter/aggravated (11 years)
Habitual Offenders
Driving after being declared a habitual offender (11 years)
Authorizing person suspended for habitual offender and/or driving while intoxicated to drive (3 years)
Licenses/Permits
Driving on suspended license (11 years)
Driving while your license is suspended or revoked (11 years)
Driving while your license is suspended or revoked for non-payment of court fines and costs (11 years)
Driving under suspension or revocation before giving proof of financial responsibility (11 years)
Commercial Motor Vehicles
Driving commercial motor vehicle while disqualified (*)
Driving commercial motor vehicle with blood alcohol .04 or more (*)
Driving commercial motor vehicle with blood alcohol .08 or more (*)
Driving commercial motor vehicle under influence of drugs (*)
Driving commercial motor vehicle under influence of drugs/alcohol (*)
Refusing blood/breath test while operating commercial motor vehicle (*)
Violating out of service order (11 years)
Other Violations
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash - injury (11 years)
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash - death (11 years)
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash - property damage of $1000 or more (11 years)
Emergency vehicle violation - death (11 years)
Vehicular assault or willful stopping, impeding or damaging vehicle (11 years)
Blocking access to service facility (11 years)
Attempting to elude police
felony offense (11 years)
misdemeanor offense (3 years)
Passing stopped school bus (non-reckless) (3 years)
Operating unsafe vehicle (3 years)

Four Point Violations

Reckless Driving/Speeding
Reckless driving - failure to stop before entering a highway (11 years)
Speeding (5 years)
Speeding 10-14 mph above the posted speed limit (5 years)
Speeding 15-19 mph above the posted speed limit (5 years)
Speeding 10-19 mph above the posted speed limit (5 years)

Passing
Passing when unsafe (3 years)
Passing to the left of approaching vehicle (3 years)
Stopping/Yielding
Failure to drive to the right and stop for police/fire/emergency vehicle (3 years)
Failure to stop for pedestrian with white cane (3 years)
Failure to stop and yield right-of-way (3 years)
Failure to yield right-of-way (3 years)
Failure to yield when turning left (3 years)
Failure to yield to funeral procession (3 years)
Keeping to the Right
Failure to drive on right half of highway or street (3 years)
Failure to keep to the right when crossing an intersection (3 years)
Driving to the left of rotary traffic island (3 years)
Following/Signaling
Following too closely (3 years)
Failure to signal before moving from curb (3 years)
Improper signal (3 years)
Railroad Crossings
Failure to obey railroad crossing signal (3 years)
Failure to stop at railroad grade crossing (3 years)
Failure to keep to the right at a railroad crossing (3 years)
Failure to stop passenger-carrying vehicle at railroad grade crossing (3 years)
Railroad crossing/stopping (3 years)
Improper operation of crawler-type tractor over railroad crossing (3 years)
Railroad Crossings (Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers)
Failure to slow down/stop at a railroad crossing (*)
Failure to have sufficient space to drive through a railroad crossing (*)
Failure to obey traffic control device or enforcement official at a railroad crossing (*)
Failure to have sufficient undercarriage clearance at a railroad crossing (*)
Other Violations
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash, unattended property, damage in excess of $500 (11 years)
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash, property damage (3 years)
Emergency vehicle violation - property damage (5 years)
Emergency vehicle violation - injury (5 years)
Aggressive driving (5 years)
Failure to obey traffic signal (3 years)
Failure to obey lane directional signal (3 years)
Failure to obey highway lane markings (3 years)
Improper backing, stopping or turning (3 years)
Driving the wrong way on one-way highway or street (3 years)
Impeding/disrupting funeral procession (3 years)
Disregarding police officer's signal to stop (3 years)
Disregarding crossing guard/officer's signal (3 years)

Three Point Violations

Speeding

Speeding 1-9 mph above the posted speed limit (5 years)
Impeding traffic, slow speed (5 years)

Passing/Driving

Improper passing (3 years)
Improper passing on the right (3 years)
Improper driving (3 years)
Improper stopping on highway (3 years)
Changing course after signaling (3 years)
Coasting with gears in neutral (3 years)
Failure to give way in favor of overtaking vehicle (3 years)
Failure to give way when abreast of another car (3 years)
Driving through safety zone (3 years)
Driving over fire hose (3 years)
Unauthorized use of crossover on controlled highway (3 years)
Driving/riding on sidewalk (3 years)
Turning/Backing
Improper turn (3 years)
Improper U-turn (3 years)
Violation of right turn on red (3 years)
Violation of left turn on red (3 years)
Signs/Signals
Failure to obey highway sign (3 years)
Evading traffic control device (3 years)
Lights
Driving without lights/excessive lights (3 years)
Failure to dim headlights (3 years)
Parking without proper lights displayed (3 years)
Inadequate hazard lights (3 years)
Licenses/Permits
No Virginia driver's license (3 years)
No Virginia license plate (3 years)
Failure to obtain a driver's license (3 years)
No driver's license - vehicle/motorcycle (3 years)
Failure to have license revalidated (3 years)
Learner's permit violation (3 years)
Permitting unlicensed person to drive (3 years)
Driving in violation of restricted license (restrictions related to physical limitation, such as mechanical
control device) (3 years)
Commercial Motor Vehicles
Driving commercial motor vehicle with alcohol in blood (*)
Driving commercial motor vehicle without license (3 years)
Driving commercial motor vehicle with more than 1 driver's license (3 years)
Driving commercial motor vehicle without endorsement(s) (3 years)
Commercial driver's license/instruction permit violation (3 years)
Driving commercial motor vehicle in left lane of interstate (3 years)
Driving in excess of 13 hours in a 24-hour period (3 years)
Driving public passenger-carrying vehicle under age (3 years)
Driving bus transporting school children without a safety belt (3 years)
Driving school bus without license (3 years)
Driving school bus under age (3 years)
Other Violations
Failure to stop at the scene of a crash, unattended property (3 years)
Failure to leave the scene of a crash at the direction of officer (3 years)
Failure to report a crash, unattended property, less than $250 damage (3 years)
Following/parking within 500 feet of fire apparatus (3 years)
Emergency vehicle violation (3 years)
Drinking while driving (3 years)
Improper driving/riding motorcycle (3 years)
Driving with TV screen visible to driver (3 years)
Driving while using earphones (3 years)
Passenger restriction violation (3 years)
Drive in violation of curfew (3 years)

Please drive to arrive alive! Slow down. Give yourself extra time to arrive at your destination...Leave a little earlier.

Compensate for traffic, road work, construction, accidents and other unforseen circumstances!

Arrive Alive Driving Academy & 5 Safe Points Commercial and Non-Commercial Driver Improvement

A VIRGINIA DRIVER IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM ACADEMY
(757) 405 - 0389

About the Author:
Driver Improvement Program Administrator
http://www.5safepoints.com
This article was posted on September 23, 2005
Article Source: articlecity

Driving Tips - Driving in the City

Driving, especially in the city, during rush hour, or driving to a place that is unfamiliar can by a trying task. There are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to have a more pleasant driving experience. First of all, when driving in the city, make sure that you leave at a time that would be the least busy throughout the day. During rush hour, bring a book or along to listen to or to read or pick up a hobby that you can work on in the car to pass the time. When driving to a place that is unfamiliar, get the directions or locate the final destination ahead of time.

Driving in the city, especially for someone that has not grown up in one can be a scary and frustrating experience, if you are not aware of when you need to leave to get to where you are going comfortably on time. One tip in driving in the city is to leave much earlier than you normally would to get to your destination prior to morning rush hour traffic. The same applies to the evening. Wait long enough that you will just miss the rush hour in the evening. Listen to the radio to find out where there are traffic jams and accidents, so you will be aware of what is going on around you and so that you may avoid those areas.

For some people, they may wish they could avoid driving in the city all together, especially during rush hour. During this time, if you unable to leave early or late to miss the busiest time for traffic, bring a book to read, a best selling novel, the Bible, something to pass the time. Another way you may make your driving experience more pleasurable and fruitful is by taking up a hobby like cross stitching or drawing to pass the time. What a way to find that hidden talent and niche that you have been searching for all these years!

The best driving tip would be to know where you are going! If you are going to an unfamiliar place, make sure that you have a map, a companion, or some sort of system in your car that will direct you to the proper destination. If not, if it is possible, go the night before to an unfamiliar destination nearby to make sure you know exactly where to go the following day. If all else fails, go to a web site, such as mapquest.com in order to know every turn you are to make along the way.

With these driving tips, your driving experience is sure to be a much more pleasurable one. Avoiding the trouble areas, bringing something to do and knowing where you are going are just a few of the many ways you can make driving more than just a way to get somewhere. Make your next trip an exiting, stress-free adventure by keeping these tips in mind and don't forget to fuel up!

About the Author:
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Driving Tips
Article Submitted On: June 01, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

What To Look For When Test Driving A Car

Test Drive Checklist

Taking a car out for a test drive is essential before buying any new or used car. Don't let that new car smell fool you, not every new car is the right one for you. Use this test drive checklist before your next test drive.

Before the test drive ask yourself the following questions:

- Does the vehicle look attractive to you?
- Is it available in a colour you like?
- Is the vehicle easy to get into?
- Does the interior come in a colour you like?
- Is their enough headroom, legroom, etc. when the seat and steering wheel are properly adjusted? Sit in the front and the back.
- Are the gauges easy to read?

Once you are ready to hit the road, answer these questions as you are driving.

- Is the engine as quiet and smooth as you expected?
- Does the steering have a nice feel to it?
- Does the vehicle have adequate power for acceleration? How about with the A/C on?
- Does the vehicle handle well?
- How are the brakes? Does the vehicle stop safely? Try the vehicle on a variety of roads, including the highway.
- Does the suspension absorb road irregularities well? Is it too soft or too hard?
- Are the interior noise levels okay on the highway? Listen for the engine, wind and road noise.
- Try all of the accessories including the radio, heater, A/C, and power features to ensure that they operate to your liking.

Once back to the dealership, try to do the following

- Try parking the vehicle. Does it have any blind spots?
- Walk around the vehicle with the engine running. How does it sound? Also, take a look at the engine while it's running. Does everything seem in good order?
- Check the trunk. Is it large enough? Is the trunk opening large enough for balky items? - Do the rear seats fold down?

A great way to test drive a new car is to check if you could rent one from a rental company. This has two benefits. First, you can drive the vehicle for a longer period of time. Second, you can see how it has held up with a few thousand miles already on it.

Write down what you would like to look for before you test drive a new car. With all the excitement you may forget to look for something that is of interest to you. Test drive the competition as well. This will help you determine how well the vehicle you are interested in compares with its closest competitors.

Come prepared and you'll enjoy the experience and learn from it.

About the Author:
Peter J.H. Johnson is the chief writer for http://www.all-about-car-selection.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com