Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Behave Yourself! Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Safety,

Years ago Hank Ketchum created a vintage comic of Dennis the Menace using a grappling hook to scale the front door. His mom looks on in shock and shouts, "I thought I told you to behave yourself." Without hesitation, Dennis responds, "You told me to behave myself. You didn't tell me how to behave!"

This scene captures the essence and challenge of all Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® initiatives. In short, everything we do is directed toward educating motorists, pedestrians, bike-riders, and passengers to engage in behaviors that work to keep themselves and others safe. These include observing the speed limit, buckling up, stopping at stop signs, not tailgating, crossing the street correctly, and so much more. We are committed to working with all community leaders to create ongoing public education/awareness campaigns that engage all citizens in being taught, and to demonstrate that they have learned, roadway behaviors that create safer environments for us all. In short, teaching everyone how to behave themselves on and around roadways. (Teaching is a consistent, long-term commitment - like parenting. It is not a one-time or short term fix when addressing a behavioral concern, such as speeding.)

The challenge is that at times we ourselves may not believe that behavioral change is possible when it comes to driving, riding, or walking. We may believe that the only way to get people to drive the speed limit is through enforcement or by erecting lots of stop signs (although, in context, these have their place). We may believe that the only way to get people to buckle up is by writing tickets. We may believe that the only way to get people to slow down is by re-engineering all streets where drivers speed (which may well be most every roadway in America - and beyond).

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® believes that educating towards pro-safety behaviors begins by engaging residents in creating the kind of environment we would like to see on our neighborhood streets, as well as on our sidewalks, school zones, park areas, and our own front yards. Margaret Meade said it so well when she wrote:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
When it comes down to action, it is our behaviors behind the wheel, or while walking or riding a bike (skateboards and scooters included) that determine how safe we are, as well as how safe others are around us.
Some folks think that behavioral approaches to addressing traffic safety are ineffective; that the challenge is too overwhelming. In considering thinking such as this it is important to remember that throughout recent history, there have been visionaries who believed that we could indeed engage whole populations in changing their behavior for the good of the community. Take these two examples:

1. In 1968 the town of Haleyville, Alabama became the first in the world to initiate the 911 emergency response system. Since that time, all of America (and countries throughout the globe) have adopted the system. Someone believed that it was possible to engage and educate an entire national population in changing their phone behavior to call 911 in an emergency. 41 years later, we all have stories about how 911 has impacted our life.

2. In the '70s, if someone was committed to recycling, they would gather their newspapers, bottles, and cans and make a trip to the local recycling center. It took a little effort to do so. At some point, though, someone believed it possible to engage and educate whole populations of cities to start recycling right at home. And what happened? Cities began to implement community-wide curbside, or alley-way, recycling programs - even issuing recycling containers to all residents to encourage participation. Now recycling is commonplace in communities of all sizes throughout the U.S. Recycling cans even show up in school cafeterias, at airports, and at sporting venues.

The point is that someone believed, built upon that belief, engaged partners, and educated citizens to behave in a whole new way.

When it comes to traffic safety education, behavioral approaches work as well - when we are explicit about the behavior being taught, and when we work to actively engage citizens in making these behaviors community norms. Read about communities that have seen results when they organized, planned, and engaged their citizens in creating a behavioral difference. Visit:
With this in mind, you are invited to join the "traffic revolution" committed to creating safer roadways and reducing the death rate on roadways to zero - the only acceptable goal - none of us would choose to have a loved one die in a traffic incident.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® is the only campaign of its kind with a national scope. Our commitment is to engage people in neighborhoods, schools, businesses, civic organizations, and faith communities to work cooperatively with law enforcement, public works, neighborhood services, city planners, and elected officials to create safe driving environments for the benefit of us all.

No one wants to be the person behind the wheel who hits someone. Let's make sure we do all that is in our power to do as individuals and whole communities to make sure this does not happen today, tomorrow, next week, next year, or 10 years from now. Join the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® movement. Visit www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/campaign/to get started today. Personal support is just a phone call - 402-334-1391 or e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org away.

Let's start today!

And remember,

“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’
be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”
David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).


In safety,
Tom Everson
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
kkad25@kkad25.org
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Let's Get Clicking! Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friend in Safety,

Lots of Quick Links and Important Information to Share, So Let’s Get Clicking!
  • Keep Kids Alive in Morris Township, NJ
  • Seat Belts FASTENating! –Learn more at Seat Belts-Fastenating!
  • Our friend Bud Chancy with the Driving School Association of the Americas sends the following:
    37,261, represents the number of people, our loved ones, who died on America’s roadways in 2008. For more complete information, visit
    Fatality Facts and Traffic Safety Facts
    To take action to move towards Zero Deaths on all roadways, visit
    Get Started-Keep Kids Alive!
  • International Walk to School Day is October 7th – Take the first step with Stop! Take 3 To See. Also visit I Walk to School
  • Teen Safe Driver Week is October 18th – 24th. Take the challenge to create a culture of safe driving in your high school(s), and in your community. Click here to learn how!
  • Check out the latest at NOYS (The National Organizations for Youth Safety)
    Improve your driving skills at Ford Motor Company’s
    Driving Skills for Life site.
  • Janette Fennell, our friend at Kids and Cars, will appear tonight (Tuesday, 9.22.09 - 11 pm Eastern and Pacific/10pm Central and Mountain)) on the SpikeTV show “Surviving Disaster.” Janette will talk about what to do you or a love done become trapped inside a car trunk – something we don’t often consider. For more information, visit Kids and Cars.
    Did you know?
  • In the past year, KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® has supported traffic safety campaigns in 95 communities representing 25 states, 1 Canadian Province, and the Bahamas – all on less than $70,000.00 (a drop of over 40% from the preivious year). We do the very most with all that our donors and sponsors contribute. In order to make the difference we seek to make – through you, through neighborhoods, cities, schools, corporations, and civic organizations of all kinds, we need your financial support. Log on today at KKAD25 Donate to make your tax deductible contribution. Your generous giving keeps kids living. Thanks!

And remember,
“Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’
be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”
David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).


In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director & Founder

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)
402-334-1391
Tom@kkad25.org
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® and related logos and slogans (Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Stop Means Stop®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space©) are registered trademarks/copyrights of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, P.O. Box 45563 Omaha, Nebraska, 68145. No other entities may use these or similar marks without prior permission. Call 402-334-1391 for information.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

KEEP KIDS ALIVE IN TEXAS! (and throughout America – and beyond)

September 15, 2009

Dear Keep Kids Alive Supporters,

Just a note to remind you that in Texas two significant pieces of legislation have been enacted in the past few years to help create more “people friendly” environments on neighborhood streets – this includes people who walk, run, ride bikes, and drivers as well (no one wants to be behind the wheel and hit another person).

The latest, HB 2682, allows municipalities to lower the speed limit to 25 mph if the current speed limit is deemed unsafe. This builds upon HB 87 enacted in 2005 which allowed municipalities to lower limits on specified residential roads from 30 mph to 25 mph without having to do extensive engineering studies to justify the change.

HB 87 allowed the cities of Mesquite and Coppell to lower their limits. Each utilized KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® as a key educational component to engage residents in making the change a reality. Of the change in Coppell, Jason Crawford – resident and a traffic engineer with the Texas Transportation Institute, wrote:

"My community – Coppell, Texas – made headlines two years ago as it tackled this issue. As a traffic engineer by training, I was hesitant of this program and lobbied the City Council to consider other engineering, enforcement, and education alternatives so that ‘mobility’ was maintained. I have to say that since this program was adopted and the speed limits on our streets lowered (5 mph) I do feel like I am keeping my village’s children safer, that I am more alert, that I am more in control of my vehicle, that I do share those streets with pedestrians, that my ‘mobility’ has not been greatly impeded, and that streets are not for the sole purpose of drivers in vehicles trying to make their way as quickly as they can in our hurried world."

Jason Crawford, P.E
Texas Transportation Institute


No matter where we live, we are challenged to create environments that begin with how people live each day in their neighborhoods. This includes walking, running, children playing, and riding bikes as companion activities to driving or riding in a motor vehicle. The best plans to keep people safe begin with people themselves, not with motor vehicles.

Should your community be interested in developing a comprehensive, people-centered plan for creating safe environments on and around neighborhood roadways (and school zones), please be in touch with KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. We welcome opportunities to share our resources so that neighborhoods, schools, law enforcement, public works, civic organizations, and businesses can partner in creating safe roadway environments for the benefit of all of us.

And remember:
Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’
be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”
David Townsend (Tia’s Dad).


In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director & FounderKEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)
402-334-1391
Tom@kkad25.org
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org – Keep up with the latest at the KKAD25 Blog.

Reminder, donate to support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 at KKAD25 Donate . Your generous giving keeps kids living. Thanks!

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® and related logos and slogans (Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Stop Means Stop®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space©) are registered trademarks/copyrights of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, P.O. Box 45563 Omaha, Nebraska, 68145. No other entities may use these or similar marks without prior permission. Call 402-334-1391 for information.

Monday, September 14, 2009

It’s People Who Survive! Keep Kids Alive!

In this week’s “Speed-Reader”

  • It’s People Who Survive!
  • New Communities join KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®
  • Buy 100, Get 100 Free!

It’s People Who Survive!

A survivor is a person. Sometimes this fact can get lost in describing a person as a motorist, passenger, pedestrian, or cyclist. We need to remember that people are survivors; people hit while walking, running; or riding a bike; people who are driving or are along for the ride; people like you or me, our sisters or brothers, moms and dads, and friends.

When we think of survivors in a crash, we might think of those who make it out alive, or of family members who survive those who have died. Seldom might we consider the plight of a real-life survivor who has to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and take steps to make a new life each day. This comes home graphically in a recent story in the Austin American Statesman - Jacqui Saburido Tries to Find Peace.

Jacqui’s real life story serves as a wake-up call that the decisions we make when we get behind the wheel do indeed make a difference - sometimes in ways that we never intended. The lives of two of her friends were snuffed out by an underage drunk driver, and her life was irrevocably changed forever. It is the survivors who most need our support in the wake of a tragedy.

We are reminded that over 100 families each day need our support as the lives of 102 Americans will end today because of driving while intoxicated or intexticated (Caution! Graphic YouTube video Driving While Intexticated - The Grim Reality and Live from New York! More Driving While Intexticated), speeding, running stop lights and stops signs, and not buckling up.

In the midst of trauma to victims, their families, and friends, there are whole communities that continue to commit themselves to creating a culture of safe driving. They begin in the neighborhood or the school parking lot and reach out into the whole community. KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® has been privileged to support people who lead these efforts in over 1000 communities representing 48 states to date. Many of these people are the parents and spouses of those who have died.

Recent additions to the list of communities becoming actively engaged include:

  • Neighborhoods in O’Fallon, Missouri (With support of Public Works)
  • Neighborhood in Barrington, Illinois
  • Neighborhood in Chesterfield, Michigan
  • Neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska
  • Neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas
  • Neighborhood in Placerville, California
  • The City of South Daytona, Florida
  • The City of Johns Creek, Georgia
  • The City of St. Charles, Missouri
  • The City of Shorewood, Illinois

As we begin the school year and look towards International Walk to Month in October (see International Walk to School), now is the time to strengthen our “people safety” efforts to preserve lives in each and every community in America (and beyond). Give us a call at 402-334-1391 or e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org to find out how you can engage people in your hometown in being the solution to the problems we cause when we choose to speed, drink and drive, ride unbuckled, run stop signs and stop signs, drive while intexticated, and more. The goal is to make safe driving, walking, and riding the norm in your community. Visit Keep Kids Alive Start-up to begin today.


GET THE MESSAGE OUT! KEEP KIDS ALIVE!

Here’s how your community can benefit and save money at the same time.
Take the KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® message curbside!
Buy 100, get 100 free (while supply lasts)

  • KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® Trash Can Decals - Click Here! (Can request Spanish decals as well)
  • Be Aware! Drive With Care® Trash Can Decals - Click Here
  • Check Your Speed® Trash Can Decals - Click Here!
  • No Need To Speed® Trash Can Decals - Click Here!
  • KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® Static Cling Window Decals - Click Here!
  • Seat Belts-FASTENATING!® Bumper Decals - Click Here!

    Don’t let the two minutes you ‘save’
    be the last two minutes of someone’s life.”
    David Townsend (Tia’s Dad)

In safety,
Tom Everson
Executive Director & Founder -
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)
402-334-1391
Tom@kkad25.org
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/

Reminder, donate to support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 at http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/donate/ . Your generous giving keeps kids living. Thanks!

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® and related logos and slogans (Be Aware! Drive With Care®, Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed®, Stop! Take 3 To See®, Stop Means Stop®, Seat Belts-FASTENATING!®, and It’s Not A Race! Create Space©) are registered trademarks/copyrights of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, P.O. Box 45563 Omaha, Nebraska, 68145. No other entities may use these or similar marks without prior permission. Call 402-334-1391 for information.