Florida Driver Education
Driving Safe on Florida Roads
Broward County Florida Sheriff's responded to a shooting recently but it was a little unusual. The victim was a 1994 Chrysler LeBaron. Apparently the car had been giving the owner trouble for years and he decided it had outlived its usefulness. When asked what he was doing, he said he was putting the car out of its misery. We're thinking the misery may not have been limited to the car. Here are a few suggestions to deal with a car you're no longer enamored with.
First, consider selling it. Even if you get $300 (which is what my first car cost) that's better than spending time in jail. If you don't need the money, donate it. There are plenty of charities that will either fix it up or strip it down for parts. If it still runs a quick way to get it out of your site is just drive to a local junk yard. They'll give you a few bucks.
On a totally different topic, did you know that there are no seatbelts on school busses? Federal law requires that school busses less than 10,000 pounds have seat belts. But the heavier busses commonly over 25,000 pounds that transport most kids are not required to have any seat belts. If your first assumption is that adding lap belts would be a good idea think again. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did a study in 2002 and found that lap belts could increase the risk of serious injuries to the abdomen and neck.
Adding shoulder belts would add a layer of protection but the challenge is that many kids put them on wrong. Many kids slip the shoulder harness behind them making it useless and again increase their risk of injury. If your kids are big enough to be out of a car seat and use adult seat belts don't let them just use the lap portion. In a sudden stop this can cause injuries to the stomach. The good news is that a school bus is the safest way for kids to get to school - safer than mom's car.
