<strong>Author Bio from Marion Bachman</strong>

Hello internet world! My name is Marion Bachman and I'm thrilled to be joining the team as a guest blogger with Myimprov.com. To me, driving and urban transportation aren't simply a means of getting from one point to another, they're the backbone of commerce that propels our country into the future. My goal is to bring interesting, informative and thought-provoking articles and news about driving as it relates to traffic and driving on America's roadways. First though, here's a bit about me personally and why I'm such a "traffic geek."

I was born in Detroit, MI on April 3rd, 1982. My father ran a small chain of newspaper stands and my mother was a stay-at-home mom, at least when I was first born. From the time I was 2 until I was 5, my mom finished college and got her BA in Urban Planning. Watching her accomplish her goal while I was so young taught me that I could accomplish great things if I worked hard enough for it. Maybe because it was Detroit, or maybe because I had older boy cousins, in those years my toys mainly consisted of cars and car-related playsets. I didn't mind that at all! Not only did my mother find time to play with me, but she would also demonstrate the things she learned in school, using my toy cars. I began to see how road systems fit together to make our society run efficiently.

Since my mom finished her BA before I entered grade school, my parents put me into a private school right from the start. She got a job with a large private retail company, overseeing placement of new store locations. It was her job to make sure their stores had ideal placement and were easily accessible from nearby roadways. She would always drop me off at school in the morning and pick me up in the afternoon. Sometimes, after school, she would have to return to a job site, so I would come back with her. I loved being on the job with her and the company. Her co-workers became my second set of aunts and uncles, teaching me all that I was eager to learn. This continued on throughout grade school and into high school. During my senior year I was working as my mom's assistant and spending most of my free time at job sites where sometimes I could contribute to the planning process. I was accepted to three major colleges out of high school, and I chose to attend school in southern California. I earned my degree in Urban Planning and Development in four years and enthusiastically returned to Detroit. I was offered a full time position with the company my mother worked for, which I happily accepted. I spent the next four years working alongside her again. She was excited to see all of the things I had learned in school and together we were very effective in what had become both of our chosen profession. After those four years, both of my parents retired. I couldn't have been happier for them. Their hard work put them in a very good place financially, so they sold the house and moved to Florida.

I did enjoy the company I worked for, and that my mother had just retired from, but I wanted to move on. I began the job hunt and quickly found a new position. I spent the next five years working for a different retail company, doing the same type of planning that my mother did years before. However, I grew tired of the same environment and decided it was time for a more sizeable change. At that time, I began resourcing out some strong leads in the New York City area and decided to move east. I knew I didn't want to be directly in NYC, so I moved to Scranton, PA. This is a wonderful city that is close enough for me to commute and do freelance planning in a multitude of locations. Doing freelance work has allowed me to get better at my job by continuously working in different environments, always solving problems in new and interesting ways.

It was during this time that I became involved with Improv Traffic School, which has a very effective defensive driving course in the state of New York. I consulted on their curriculum, especially the parts dealing with traffic patterns, road signs, effective driving techniques and regional laws. It was an exciting opportunity to be able to apply my understanding of urban planning in a different way that would directly benefit so many people. Since then, I've consulted on all of the courses that they offer. The most exciting part has been consulting on the new Teen Driver courses for California and Florida, two places dear to my heart! I've learned a lot about the laws of the different states, not only their similarities but their differences and how it all applies to drivers both in their home states and when they travel. It's always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the laws of a state you're going to visit - remember that ignorance of the law is no excuse!

I'm really enjoying writing articles for Improv, and still do freelance projects as well. Freelancing also permits me to have a bit more free reign over my time off. In my free time I enjoy skiing, jazz music, Tai Chi, and visiting my parents in sunny Florida.