Administrative Law
The word “provisional” means teenager.
Your parents can ‘cancel’ your license at any time, because they are legally responsible for you until your 18th birthday. It can be restricted at two points, or suspended at three points.
As of July 1st 2008, you are not allowed to use a cell phone whilst driving. This is not the same law that applies to your parents – they must simply use a hands-free device when using a cell phone. Truly though, no one should talk on a cell phone while driving!
Rules of the Road
Road signs include:
- Regulatory (Stop, Speed, Turns – all these are red, white or black);
- Warning (merge, curvy road – all these are yellow and black; )
- Guide (hospital, park – these are blue, green and brown); and
- Construction (road work, road closed; fines are doubled)
- Always stop prior to the limit line when stopping at an intersection and make sure it is safe before proceeding. If there is no stop sign, a stop is not required except if it is unsafe to proceed.
- Yellow lines usually separate traffic moving in opposite directions (except for car-pool lanes or center-left-hand-turn lanes); white lines separate traffic moving in the same direction.
Defensive Driving
The Smith System incorporates the following:
- “Get the Big Picture” : Look 10-15 seconds ahead of your car at all times
- “Aim High”: Keep your eyes above the dash while driving.
- “Keep Your Eyes Moving”: See everything! (Side to side, near and far, etc.)
- “Make Sure Others See You”: Use headlights whenever you have trouble seeing others
- “Leave Yourself a Way Out!”: Choose your lanes wisely; never drive next to a wall or a curb.
Drugs and Alcohol
- .01% BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) in someone under 21 results in a one-year suspension
- .05% BAC is a DUI, and can result in a felony conviction!
- Alcohol affects judgment first. It is particularly dangerous when driving because it also affects hand-eye coordination, balance, depth perception and peripheral vision.
- More than 50% of the time a teen driver is involved in a fatal car accident, alcohol or speed had something to do with it. (This is the statistic the DMV uses. In reality, it is considerably higher !)
The Automobile
- Oil is the most important fluid in your car.
- A muffler quiets down the engine noise; it is illegal to alter the muffler to create more noise.
- A catalytic converter (smog control device) is required. It is illegal to move, alter or remove it.
- If your gas pedal sticks, switch to neutral, switch on your hazard lights, apply the brakes and pull to the side of the road (panic not necessary).
- If your brakes fail, 1) pump the brake vigorously, 2) downshift into a lower gear, 3) pump your emergency brake, and finally (if necessary) aim for something soft like a hedge, a bush, a guardrail, fencing — just not another car or pedestrian.
Safety
Seatbelts should be worn at the lap, not the waist.
Passengers under 20lbs or the age of one must be in a child safety seat, in the BACK seat, facing backwards. Passengers under 60 pounds and under six years old must be secured in a child safety seat, in the back seat of the car. Passengers over 6 years old or over 60 pounds are legal in simply a safety belt, but if a child seat is available, it should be used until the passenger is eight years old or 80 pounds.
It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure that all passengers are wearing seatbelts. For the passengers over sixteen, the ticket is $148 and would be issued to the occupant. For passengers under sixteen, the ticket is issued to the driver: it is a point violation and is considerably more than $148!
Do you have any questions? Please feel free to Contact us.