Karl Benz is credited with inventing the automobile in 1886 in Germany. John Lennon composed the song "Imagine" in 1971. "Towards Zero Deaths" was adopted by the Federal Highway Administration in 2009.
Could Benz have imagined there would ever be a need for a "Toward Zero Deaths" traffic safety campaign? We may never know the exact mind of Karl Benz, by we do know that worldwide over 4,000 million motor vehicle deaths have been recorded since 1899 (FHWA Data).
Given this staggering number of lives lost and the untold grief visited upon families of victims, can we today imagine what it would take to reach the goal of zero roadway deaths for even a day? If so, let's begin our efforts with the goal of one fatality free day on our nation's roadways.
Two key ingredients to reaching this goal are:
1. Education towards practicing safe behaviors behind the wheel, as well as as a passenger.
2. Putting these behaviors into practice.
Following is a basic list of these behaviors:
Could Benz have imagined there would ever be a need for a "Toward Zero Deaths" traffic safety campaign? We may never know the exact mind of Karl Benz, by we do know that worldwide over 4,000 million motor vehicle deaths have been recorded since 1899 (FHWA Data).
Given this staggering number of lives lost and the untold grief visited upon families of victims, can we today imagine what it would take to reach the goal of zero roadway deaths for even a day? If so, let's begin our efforts with the goal of one fatality free day on our nation's roadways.
Two key ingredients to reaching this goal are:
1. Education towards practicing safe behaviors behind the wheel, as well as as a passenger.
2. Putting these behaviors into practice.
Following is a basic list of these behaviors:
Walk around your vehicle to make sure there
are no kids playing behind or around it before I get in.
Hide your cell phone - where you can't reach it - so that it does not serve as a distraction as you drive (remember when no one had to worry about doing this? Cell phone use while driving is becoming the new "Drunk Driving")
Never drink and drive.
Stop at stop signs and taking 3 seconds to look left, look right, look left again - work hard to make sure the street really is clear of other moving vehicles, pedestrians trying to cross, and cyclists making their way along roadways.
Stopping to make sure intersections and crosswalks are clear before makes lefthand or righthand turns at traffic signals
Observe the speed limit, and driving slower when weather conditions or the presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists dictate doing so.
Be a thinker and use your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes.
Create 3-4 seconds of following distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you so you have time to react to the driving actions of others.
Click on Photo to Learn About Be Aware! Drive With Care®
Need help with an educational campaign? Contact us at:
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®
A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144
Omaha, NE 68144
It's About Kids! It's About Safety!
It's About Caring! It's About Time!®
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