License to Live: How to teach your teen to drive

Sunshine Bjugan, age 17, is about to put a 3,000-pound hunk of metal into motion. She's feeling the full weight of that responsibility.

"Just the fact that so many car crashes are everywhere, and I'm afraid I'm going to be one of them," said Bjugan.

Today, she and her mother have company. Rich Hanson, an expert driving instructor, is in the back seat, observing. 

Hanson said many parents go through a struggle when they first sit in the passenger seat next to their child behind wheel. 

"Mom knows how to drive. But mom doesn't necessarily know how to describe driving," said Hanson.

We asked Hanson to take us for a lesson and and analyze driving video to help parents learn how to teach their kids to drive.

We start with what seems like a simple move, stopping. Hanson said just telling your child to stop is not enough. You need to explain how to press the brake for a smooth stop.

He said you also need to explain to your teen exactly where to stop.

For example, tell your child to stop at a line, like a line in a parking lot. When your teen sees the line appear under their side mirrors, they should stop. Hanson said that will put the car in the right place.

Another move that may seem simple is the turn. But Hanson said just telling your child to turn is also not enough. He recommends turns with targets.

Find a target, something that your child should turn toward. In a parking lot, that might be a car or a sign. Have your child turn their head and look at the target before they turn.

Hanson said it is similar to hitting a golf ball.

"The golf ball is going to go where you look and it's no different with a car. The car is going to go where you look," he said.

Your child should then steer the car toward that target, what Hanson calls a "precision turn."

Now it's Bjugan's turn to learn the precision turn. 

"We had the buses there, a whole bunch of different things in the parking lot, and the reality is, if it's not a precise turn, she's going to swing out, clip the car, clip the bus, clip the dumpster," said Hanson.

Hanson gives her the instructions and soon Bjugan is making precision turns.

"Turn your car toward that target," Hanson told her. "Perfect."

Bjugan said she can feel the difference between just turning, and the new precision turn she has learned, to help her keep that 3,000-pound hunk of metal in the right place.

"It keeps you more focused on where you're supposed to be, rather than not really knowing, you're just turning the car and you don't exactly know where you're headed. Whereas the target just keeps you on target," said Bjugan.

Hanson said parents can get this information and more in the Oregon Parent Guide to Teen Driving, free from the DMV.

He also recommends practicing with your teen 20 minutes each day and starting with very simple skills, just one or two at a time.

Hanson and the Oregon Parent Guide to Teen Driving recommend connecting with a driving instructor or driving class to help your child learn. The guide says teens who took formal driver education courses were less likely to be involved in a car crash, get a traffic ticket, or end up with a suspended license.

Hanson said many parents make the mistake of driving to the DMV with their teen to get their learner's permit, then handing their child the keys and saying, "Drive home." He said that can be traumatic for both the parent and the teen and can help contribute to bad driving habits that may cause problems for the teen later on.

Other advice from the Oregon Parent Guide to Teen Driving:

Practice as much as possible, even after your teen gets their license. Practice with only you and your teen in the car, so neither of you is distracted. Stay calm and focused!

In the beginning, practice during the day, when it is light, and, if possible, during dry weather. Then gradually move into wetter conditions and night driving. 

Start in an empty parking lot or on a remote road. Start with very basic skills and add new skills slowly.

Use a driving log to keep track of your teen's practice and progress. Include the date, the topic of the session, the total time spent, your teen's initials and your initials. You'll find an empty log sheet in the Oregon Parent Guide to Teen Driving.

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Both sides in the controversy over the Illiana Expressway on Wednesday said they plan to school presumptive Illinois governor-elect Bruce Rauner about the proposed 48-mile bi-state expressway. "As far as the Illiana, he's always said he needed more information," said Virginia Hamann, president of No Illiana 4 Us. "So we want to educate him on it. It's an unstable project and really just a runaway train." Even when pressed during the campaign, Rauner was at best non-committal on the road, telling the Daily Herald he felt it would be an important economic development engine for Will County but that he didn't want taxpayers left "holding the bag." "That's an easy thing to say, but you have to balance that against the actual need and how public-private partnerships work," said Crete Village President Michael Einhorn on Wednesday of Rauner's earlier comments. The Illiana Expressway would run from Interstate 65 just northeast of Lowell to Interstate 55, near Wilmington, Ill. It has an estimated $1.5 billion price tag. Einhorn has advocated for the bi-state expressway since 2000. The Crete official said he realizes Rauner has a lot on his plate. But he hopes south suburban officials can make their views known on the project, which they contend will alleviate congested local roads and spur economic development. Officials also hope the governor will give careful consideration to continuing progress on the proposed South Suburban Airport, Einhorn said. The Illinois Department of Transportation has already bought 3,500 acres of the 5,800 acres needed. "It's pretty hard in my book to just flush a lot of this down the drain," Einhorn said. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence are strong proponents of the Illiana Expressway, just as was previous Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who actually initiated the project. Pence may have Rauner's ear as a fellow Republican, but that does not guarantee Rauner will get on board. Indiana and Illinois already have estimated they may have to pay up to a combined $270 million to investors in the form of milestone payments in 2018 and 2019 for getting the road built. In addition, private investors will reap annual "availability payments" from the states, probably for decades. Officials in both states originally hoped private investors would pay the entire cost of the road in exchange for the right to collect tolls, but interested investment teams made it known early on that would not fly. It is the mounting taxpayer cost of the road that has opponents thinking Rauner may lend a sympathetic ear to their pleas. "I just think the new governor has enough of a mess on his plate, without having to worry about the Illiana," Hamann said.

Both sides in the controversy over the Illiana Expressway on Wednesday said they plan to school presumptive Illinois governor-elect Bruce Rauner about the proposed 48-mile bi-state expressway.
"As far as the Illiana, he's always said he needed more information," said Virginia Hamann, president of No Illiana 4 Us. "So we want to educate him on it. It's an unstable project and really just a runaway train."
Even when pressed during the campaign, Rauner was at best non-committal on the road, telling the Daily Herald he felt it would be an important economic development engine for Will County but that he didn't want taxpayers left "holding the bag."
"That's an easy thing to say, but you have to balance that against the actual need and how public-private partnerships work," said Crete Village President Michael Einhorn on Wednesday of Rauner's earlier comments.
The Illiana Expressway would run from Interstate 65 just northeast of Lowell to Interstate 55, near Wilmington, Ill. It has an estimated $1.5 billion price tag.
Einhorn has advocated for the bi-state expressway since 2000. The Crete official said he realizes Rauner has a lot on his plate. But he hopes south suburban officials can make their views known on the project, which they contend will alleviate congested local roads and spur economic development.
Officials also hope the governor will give careful consideration to continuing progress on the  proposed South Suburban Airport, Einhorn said. The Illinois Department of Transportation has already bought 3,500 acres of the 5,800 acres needed.
"It's pretty hard in my book to just flush a lot of this down the drain," Einhorn said.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence are strong proponents of the Illiana Expressway, just as was previous Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who actually initiated the project. Pence may have Rauner's ear as a fellow Republican, but that does not guarantee Rauner will get on board.
Indiana and Illinois already have estimated they may have to pay up to a combined $270 million to investors in the form of milestone payments in 2018 and 2019 for getting the road built. In addition, private investors will reap annual "availability payments" from the states, probably for decades.
Officials in both states originally hoped private investors would pay the entire cost of the road in exchange for the right to collect tolls, but interested investment teams made it known early on that would not fly.
It is the mounting taxpayer cost of the road that has opponents thinking Rauner may lend a sympathetic ear to their pleas.
"I just think the new governor has enough of a mess on his plate, without having to worry about the Illiana," Hamann said.

Fired pot-smoking school bus driver has felony record

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -

A Durham School Services bus driver fired for smoking pot inside his bus while on duty also carries a felony record, according to court documents.

The company and Shelby County Schools confirmed Sunday they fired 29-year-old Marsai Catron, of Orange Mound, after he was cited with misdemeanor marijuana possession.
What neither acknowledged is Catron also pleaded guilty last December to a 2009 aggravated assault charge. A judge suspended his three-month sentence and ordered Catron on probation.

Police also charged Catron with driving on a suspended license seven months before pleading to the assault charge. The suspended license charge was never prosecuted, according to court records.

"The Durham driver who was arrested for drug charges on Saturday has been fired," SCS Communications wrote in an e-mail. "This incident is a serious violation of the strict employment guidelines that are enforced as part of our contract with Durham School Services. The District is still investigating the incident."

No one answered the door at Catron's listed address, 1294 Lapaloma St.

SCS confirmed Catron had transported students from American Way Middle to Bellevue Middle for a basketball jamboree tournament Saturday. According to the police report, he was smoking marijuana inside the bus while waiting on the tournament to finish.

The incident happened just two days after WMC Action News 5 broadcast its investigation of Durham School Services. We petitioned for the personal information of each of its drivers in service of SCS and Shelby County's six municipal districts after drivers wrecked 11 buses in two months -- six before Oct. 1. Of the drivers in those accidents, three were held at fault. Two of them had criminal histories. One was driving without a driver's license or school bus credentials.

Even the bus drivers' union boss railed against Durham and SCS for a lack of oversight and transparency concerning the drivers' backgrounds.

"I'm concerned about the Durham screening process as it relates to who is selected to drive our children," said SCS board member Miska Clay Bibbs, whose district includes American Way Middle. "I believe that the process needs to be re-examined so that no one falls through the cracks. Our children are precious to us and need to be treated as such."

"They're going to have to crack down on them because it's getting serious," said mom Melissa Thomas, whose two boys are future American Way Middle students. "I need my children. I want them to live. (SCS) needs to make sure those criminal background checks are being done."

We asked Molly Hart, Durham School Services' spokesperson how Catron was hired with a felony history. She would not acknowledge the question in her e-mail response.

"The driver's actions were unacceptable and immediate action was taken," Hart said. "I can confirm that the driver is no longer employed by our company."

Concerning Durham's recent controversies, SCS board member Scott McCormick said Durham's driver performance is what's "unacceptable," and it may jeopardize the company's $103 million contract with the school district.

"I am not sure how our contract reads, but we, as a board, need to review the policies and procedures of our vendor's hiring practices," McCormick said in an e-mail. "My hope is that this will go before the appropriate committee and placed on the November working meeting's agenda."

Durham school bus driver arrested for possession of marijuana has been fired

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - After complaints of a strong smell of marijuana coming from a school bus during a middle school jamboree, a Durham bus driver was arrested for possession of the drug.

When police responded to Bellevue Middle School Saturday afternoon, they found Marsai Catron, 29, in possession of a baggie of a green leafy substance.  Shelby County Schools stated that Catron transported students from American Way Middle School to the jamboree at Bellevue Middle.

According to a statement from Shelby County Schools, Catron has been fired and noted that the incident was unfortunate. A SCS official noted:

    "This incident is a serious violation of the strict employment guidelines that are enforced as part of our contract with Durham School Services, and immediate action was taken as a result."

WMC spoke with SCS, who confirmed that Catron was the driver of the bus.

Guide to Dubai Tram traffic rules, fines

The moment Dubai Tram commences operations is near. Accessibility will be improved with the transportation network of Dubai getting more exciting.

The tram will cross over bridges, crawl through crowded streets and ride parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road.

For commuters, the introduction of Dubai Tram means a re-evaluation of road and traffic rules since Dubai Tram will criss-cross regular traffic at about 30 junctions, with crossings and intersections starting from Dubai Police Academy in Al Sufouh to Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence.

Additional road signs have been put up, road markings painted on the roads, barriers placed, additional traffic signs erected and new traffic fines have been approved.

In driving schools, the new traffic rules have been incorporated in the driving manual, as well as in the theory test.

Before the road is shared with Dubai Tram on November 11, Emirates 24|7 has identified the most important rules, signs and fines.

This is the first part, dealing with the rules and fines.

Tram - Right of Way

The main and most important traffic rule regarding Dubai Tram is its right of way.

The manual says: All users of the road shall give priority to the movement of the tram in the Tram Right of Way.

Exceptions to this rule:

- Emergency vehicles

- Official escorts

- Army vehicles when moving in convoy

Unless permitted by law:

- No person may obstruct a Tram in the Tram right of Way

- No person may carry out an activity in the vicinity of the Tramway, which is likely to cause the obstruction of a Tram in the Tram Right of Way.

Pedestrian Crossings

Specific rules have been incorporated for pedestrians. The manual says: No pedestrian may cross the tramway line except:

- At a clearly marked crossing point

- In the area designated in accordance with a by-law under this regulation as an area where crossing is allowed

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