Heart of License Route

Free Preparation Tests for Florida

2009-09-18T18:48:00.003-05:00

Licenseroute.com now also includes free preparation tests for the state of Florida. Now you don't have any excuses for not passing your written test for a drivers license on your first try! Please, check it out today! It is all free!

If you like open source, freedom and free things on Internet, you might want to read this article: You Think 'Free' is Only About the Price? It's Not

Nevada Added to the List of Free Tests

2009-08-15T08:17:00.005-05:00

I have now added Nevada to the list of free preparation tests for your and your friends' written drivers license exam.

So far, you can find free tests for California, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas.

More states will follow!

I have also created a fan page on facebook, where you can join, ask questions and add comments.

Please enjoy.

Valet Waste does not improve environment

2009-08-03T13:04:00.004-05:00

One week after Valet Waste started their doorstep pickup, the dumpster in this apartment complex looked worse than ever.

Which only proves that they do not care about your environment.

They just transport the trash bags from one place to another. And they will charge you a couple of dollars per bag.

A couple of dollars, huh? Well, the more garabage you produce (more bags), the cheaper it gets. Per bag.

But that is not at all what we want. Is it?

If you feel that this is a waste, join us on facebook: Valet waste - A Waste of Money

A Waste of Money - Revisited

2009-07-31T22:12:00.006-05:00

Must share this with you:

"...Anne Kunick, Valet Waste's marketing specialist, figures properties can expect to make anywhere from $120 to $200 per unit per year based on the amount they bill back to the residents, which can range anywhere from $20 to $50 a month, depending on the property, region and management company..."

So out of the $20 bucks I am suppose to pay, $10 goes straight in the pockets of the apartment complex. It sounds like a real scam to me.

But this is really the best:

"...And the residents don't seem to mind the additional charge, which is wrapped into their rent because participation in the program is mandatory..."

They really DO think that we are too lazy to bother. Or are we just stupid americans?

Facebook user? Join the group: Valet Waste - a waste of money

Valet Waste - a Waste of Your Money

2009-07-30T17:49:00.007-05:00

As a nation, Americans generate more waste than any other nation in the world.

55 percent is contributed as residential garbage.

Education and awareness on how garbage is handled is increasingly important. From all perspectives.

The other day, my apartment complex introduced doorstep trash collection services. Meaning they will pick up my garbage outside my door. Five days a week.

The service might sound great. At first. But remember, the bill is always passed down to you. Somehow. And it ends up to 20-30 dollars a month. And this is on top on any garbage service that was already there.

So, 20-30 dollars a month or a service you probably didn't need or even want in the first place?

I know, I don't want it. I got less than 100 yards to the dumpster. I can still walk once a week. Why pay somebody five bucks per bag for this?

In short, valet trash collection services, in general, do not offer any environmental or residential value.

Honestly, take a minute and think. Don't you agree that your 20 dollars a month can be spent more wisely? If you don't, comment below, and I will give some ideas where your money is really needed!

Or, if you are a facebook user, join this group:

Valet Waste - a waste of money

Texas Preparation Tests

2009-07-22T19:36:00.006-05:00

New Preparation Tests for the state of Texas have now been launched on Licenseroute.com. It is a great complement to the free tests already existing on driversprep.com.

The database consist of more than 400 questions, divided into 30 different areas.

With these tests there is no longer any excuse for failing the DMV written exam.

Talk and Drive... as bad as Drink and Drive?

2009-07-07T12:18:00.010-05:00

On Jan. 19, 2004. David Teater's 12-year-old son, Joseph, was killed in a traffic accident. The driver was distracted by a cell-phone conversation and drove through a red light.

A study estimates that 636,000 traffic accidents each year - about 6 percent of all accidents - are caused by drivers using their cell phones, resulting in an estimated 2,600 deaths. The number is, of course, increasing.

Studies also show that it doesn't really matter if you use a handheld cell phone or hands-free devices. Your head is in the call. And that is what matters. If fact, as a driver you are just as impaired as you are when intoxicated at a blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 percent.

Still many many governments are reluctant to pass restrictions because they say there isn't enough research. Or they say that other distractions, such as reaching for the glove compartment, changing the radio station or putting on makeup, also cause accidents. Should they ban that as well?

And to a point they are right, don't you think? The whole idea with a drivers license is that you, when licensed, are suppose to be responsible and capable of making the right decisions behind the wheel.

But, why then, do we have laws against alcohol and drugs? And why do so many people talk on the phone while driving? We are suppose to be intelligent people, aren't we?

If driving while talking on a cell phone really is as bad as or maybe worse than driving drunk (which studies at the Utah University has shown), can that be accepted and tolerated?

I, for one, do as I do when I fly. I turn mine off. Even if it is just a short ride.

License Route Launched on July 1

2009-07-01T12:21:00.008-05:00

I am proud to announce the launch of licenseroute.com today. It contains complete preparation tests for your California DMV written exam. More states will follow this summer and fall.

Now, if you already have a drivers license: When's the last time you took a written drivers test? When you were 16? How do you think you'd score if you took it again today?

Why not challenge your friends?

And if you currently are studying for your drivers license, this is a perfect way of making sure that you will pass! There are many sites with free questions, but nowhere else you will find as many as on licenseroute.com.

If you like the site and the free tests, let everyone know by joining us on facebook. A simple way of saying thank you, don't you think?

And if you didn't like it, let us know by sending us a mail.

Contact DMV?

2009-06-30T11:50:00.007-05:00

Sometimes things just get ridiculous. I scanned the webpage of California DMV. Trying to figure out how many questions the written exam consisted of. And how many correct answers were needed to pass. Couldn't find the answers. So I used the contact form on their site.

As always, you get an auto reply from the system. You always do. But who ever reads those?

Well, with California DMV you must. Because you have to reply. And when you do, you get another auto reply directing you to a webpage that the system think you are looking for.

Meaning, this is a totally automated contact system!

No real live person will ever read or answer.

For awhile I was speechless. Who needs that? Ever heard of search function?

And it makes you wonder. Since it is a totally automated contact system, why was the first auto-reply needed? When all you got was just another auto-reply.

Now, I might be a stupid person since I used the contact form three times and missed the information that it was totally automated. I just couldn't imagine that anybody would set up something like this. When I use a contact form, it is because I want to get in contact with someone. Phone is not always an option.

So the question is, who designed this? And with what purpose? To keep customers away and not to bother the staff?

Could it be that they don't want your questions. Or want to answer any of them?

30 days in Jail for DUI Manslaughter

2009-06-23T12:14:00.005-05:00

Donte' Stallworth pleaded guilty to driving drunk and killing Mario Reyes, 59, who was rushing to catch a bus across a Miami causeway early one morning in March. Stallworth's blood-alcohol level was 50% over Florida's legal limit. He was also driving 50 mph in a 40 mph zone.

The punishment for DUI manslaughter was 30 days in jail. And after his release from jail, he must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation...

Wait a minute... 30 days in jail!?

Stallworth reached a financial settlement with the family. But even a remorseful drunken driver with stellar character and deep pockets deserves a punishment that is something more than a slap on the wrist.

This sends the wrong message.

It is not OK to drink and drive. It it is not OK to buy yourself out of 10 years in prison.

Criminal defense attorney Roy Black said the following: "If you cannot afford to settle the civil case and help out the family you have damaged, then you are going to get a longer sentence. That's unfortunate, but it's a fact of life".

May be. But is it the legal system we want?

Common Cause of Road Traffic Accidents

2009-06-18T16:33:00.004-05:00

The most common cause of road traffic accidents is probably driver error.

Driver errors range from driving too fast, following cars too closely, unsafe overtaking, running a red light and many other careless mistakes. But also over-correcting.

In theory, the recovery is basic: stay calm, decelerate, don't brake, and then ease back onto the roadway or your lane. Theory is of course one thing, real life something else.

In January, 16-year-old Joseph Gerald Hart died in North Carolina after being in a head-on crash with a delivery truck. He had run off the road and over-corrected trying to get back on.

Driving schools have started to give students hands on experience in off-road recovery.

If you already have your license: repeat theory. You can never get too much knowledge.

Another common cause of accidents is swerving out of one's lane. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 15,574 people died in US traffic accidents in 2007 because a driver swerved out of their lane.

Source: www.wral.com

California Drivers among the Worst

2009-06-13T18:13:00.007-05:00

California motorists are ranked as the fourth worst in the country in the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.

Even worse are drivers in New York, New Jersey and Hawaii. The best drivers are found in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana, Kansas and South Dakota. Texas ending up in the middle.

This is the fifth annual survey. And it indicates that the number of drivers with knowledge of basic road rules is decreasing. Scary, isn't it?

20.1 percent of licensed Americans would not pass a written driver's exam if taken today. That is roughly 41 million drivers. In other words, there is an alarming number of licensed Americans that lack knowledge of basic rules of the road.

As an example, more than eight out of 10 drivers could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light.

Think that older people are the worst? Forget it. With age comes wisdom. The older the driver, the higher the test score. Drivers 35+ years old were most likely to pass. The group with the highest failure rates was young people, like me. 18 to 24 years old.

When we launch License Route soon, it will be a great opportunity for everyone the check their knowledge. A great idea, isn't it?

Please join me in my effort to make the roads a safer place. All over USA.

Source: GMAC Insurance

First Time Car Buyers

2009-06-12T17:17:00.005-05:00

I have visited CarBuyingTips.com several times during the years. In fact, I thought this site was as common knowledge as google.com is today.

But I was wrong. Several of my friends say they never heard of it!

CarBuyingTips.com has a huge amount of information. Unless you are a senior with a lot of own experience (and mistakes), this is the place to go!

You will find valuable advice and car financing strategies for first time car buyers, teens, high school students and their parents. A lot to read? Yes, it is. But believe me, you will thank me afterwards!

I love advice such as this: "If you cannot squeeze that car loan into 48 months, do not buy that car, you are heading down a path of destruction". It is so true. No fun still paying for a car that is five years old. No fun at all.

And of course, you will learn everything about dealer scams and tricks to watch out for, and how to deal with aggressive salespeople.

Friends, who lived in Europe and arrive in USA, can't really believe what they see. In some respect, we have the worst car salespeople all categories.

Not saying that everyone is aggressive, though. Carmax, I think is a great exception.

The site also has some short and good information about teen driver safety. If you are about to take your driver license and buy your first car, please read the pages for first time buyers.

DUI Checkpoints

2009-06-10T20:02:00.003-05:00

DUI Checkpoints are a vital component in the fight against both impaired and unlicensed drivers.

DUI Checkpoints and Crime on the Road is a blog dedicated to give you public safety press releases as well as information about accidents, alerts and traffic arrests.

You will also find information about coming DUI checkpoints where you live.

The following is an example of their current lead stories:

On Saturday, June 6, 2009, the Long Beach Police conducted a DUI checkpoint at Pacific Coast Highway and Daisy Avenue.

During an eight-hour operation:

488 vehicles were screened.
5 people were arrested for DUI.
23 drivers were unlicensed or had a suspended license
48 drivers were issued traffic citations.

If you live in Salinas, California you will learn that there is a DUI checkpoint scheduled for this Friday, June 12th.

Be careful out there! Don't Drink and Drive!

Long Hot Summer in Montana

2009-06-09T07:27:00.006-05:00

Expensive doesn't always mean good...

A $28 million system in Montana fails to meet expectations. In fact, longer processing times have been the norm since the Montana Enhanced Registration and Licensing Network, or MERLIN, was launched five weeks ago.

Offices are going over budget because of the overtime for this. And my guess is that MERLIN in the end will cost a lot more than $28 million.

Money that could have been better spent?

Source: Great Falls Tribune

Texas New Driver License

2009-06-08T12:39:00.006-05:00

A new Texas driver license and identification card with enhanced security features was launched in April.

It is all part of the combat against counterfeiting, photo swapping, tampering and other types of fraud.

But currently the licenses are being piled up in Austin. Instead of the 10 days it used to take to receive a license, it might take a month – or more.

Some of the delay was expected, says Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman. But the main reason is that a computer virus recently infected critical computers.

Virus protection? Someone?