TRUE OR FALSE? Next year, thanks to a new law, the line at the Department of Motor Vehicles will likely be so lengthy that it will wrap once around the block?
False. Unless Congress decides that there is a last-minute change in plans for a new national law called the "REAL ID Act," the line at the DMV will likely be so lengthy that it will wrap around the block several times.
Under the provisions of the "REAL ID Act," everyone, in every state, will be required to turn in their existing driver's license or ID card for a nationally standardized ID.
The law, which was passed in 2005 in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is scheduled to take effect May 11, 2008. The new "security-strengthened" ID will be required for every American who wishes to board a plane, enter a federal building or open certain bank accounts.
True or False? The man who wrote the first traffic laws was one of the first people to ever receive a traffic citation?
False. Amazingly, William Phelps Eno (1858-1945), also known as the "father of traffic safety," never actually drove a vehicle himself. He created the world's first city traffic code (for New York City,) invented the stop sign and wrote the first manual of police traffic regulations.
In 1921, he established the Eno Transportation Foundation in Washington, D.C., which was dedicated to improving all modes of transportation. However, Eno himself preferred horseback riding and never learned to drive. He thought the automobile was just a fad and used a chauffeur whenever he needed to travel by car.
True or False? In the near future, your car will decide whether you're sober enough to drive when you get behind the wheel?
True. Toyota is developing a car that not only will be able to determine if your pupils are dilated and your steering is erratic, but the steering wheel will be able to detect your blood-alcohol content through the perspiration emanating from your pores. Cars sporting this technology should be available as of the 2009 model year.
True or False? Some cities really need to update their local driving ordinances?
Really true. It is illegal to leave your car on the street overnight without the proper permit in Alhambra, to wash your car in the street in Downey, to sleep in a parked vehicle while in Cathedral City, and to put anything in your garage other than your car in Long Beach.
Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
