Families Crushed by Life Teach Us to Keep Kids Alive

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

A recent reflection invited me to think about how those who have been crushed by life; that is people who have experienced tragic loss of the lives of loved ones, possessions, homes, and more, often are the best ones to teach us how to discover great good in the midst of sorrow and heartbreak.

This resonates with me as I consider the great good that families bring into our world in memory of a loved one who has died in a tragic motor vehicle incident. These families have been crushed by what life, and death, has brought their way. Yet, in the midst of the deepest grief any of us could imagine, they work tirelessly to make sure that no other family experiences what they have endured.

These families include people like:

• The family of Graeme Preston, who in the wake of his death along with his friend, Kevin, established the Graeme Preston Foundation to support teens doing acts of kindness in their community to make the world a better place. The foundation was instrumental in supporting the success of the 1st "Keep Kids Alive 5K Run" spearheaded by students at Colts Neck, NJ High School to raise funds to begin Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 initiatives in Monmouth County.
• Barbara Foster, mother of Kyle who died after being hit by a car on Halloween night of 2003. With the support of friends and legislators, "Kyle's Law" went in to effect in May of 2005 allowing Texas municipalities to more easily lower residential limits from 30 mph to 25 mph. Remember, pedestrian fatalities triple in 30 mph zones vs. 25 mph zones. A 5 mph lower speed limit in residential zones truly can be the difference between life and death.
• Maria Caifa, mother of Jacqueline and Christina who died as a result of being hit by a state trooper who ran a stop sign at high speed during a pursuit. Maria introduced Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 to the Northfield, NJ community as part of the Memory Walk to raise funds to support the education of orphaned girls in Bangladesh.
• Sean Martin, father of Shaye, who has worked with and through the "Project Citizen" class at Miami Lakes Middle School in Florida to enact legislation that makes school zones safer for pedestrians and motorists alike. Shaye died as a result of being hit by a speeding driver while walking on the sidewalk to school. The legislation crafted by these students in cooperation with Miami Lakes city officials is now being brought to the Florida State House in an effort to create safer school zones Statewide. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has been privileged to support their mission.
• Shari and Rob Reynolds who began the C.A.R. Foundation to reach out to and educate teen drivers in the wake of the death of their daughter, Cady, who was hit and killed by a distracted teen driver who ran a red light. They have expanded their efforts through their involvement in the formation of FocusDriven.

This is just a starter list of the good brought in to our world by family members who could have been crushed by death, but rather chose to teach us all to live more fully, and to care more deeply in our behaviors towards one another. Today and everyday, can we accept their good works as an invitation to be considerate in all our actions on the road by not speeding, observing all traffic signs and signals, buckling up, not tailgating, and avoiding all distractions that interfere with our ability to drive - cell phones (for any and all purposes), eating, concern with the radio or any media device, and more.

May we each drive as if our life and everyone else's life depends on it. Because it does! And let's remember the words of David Townsend, who in memory of his daughter, Tia, who was struck and killed while walking across a marked crosswalk by a driver that pulled around a driver who had already stopped to let her and her friend cross - "Don't let the 2 minutes you 'save' be the last 2 minutes of someone's life."

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

Thanks to all who financially support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your support is needed all year long. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living. For more information about us, please click on our KKAD25 GuideStar Non-Profit Report.

Dying to Speed! Speeding to Death! Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

It seems as if some of us on the road are just dying to speed. Or, is it more accurate to say that we are speeding to death. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at least 1/3 of all fatalities in motor vehicle crashes are a result of speeding. Law enforcement officers will often tell us that that figure is low. Based on 2008 data, this means that over 12,400 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons die each year as a result of speeding drivers. This is over twice the number of deaths resulting from distracted driving behaviors - talking, texting, e-mailing on cell phones - which has become epidemic in recent years. Here are recent examples of the devastation caused by speeding.

• A Fatal Street Race Wrecks Northeast Community.
• Unsafe speed caused fatal bus crash
• One Dies In Fatal Speed Related Traffic Collision

This spring your community has a chance to make a statement about speeding, and about all unsafe driving behaviors, by participating in the 4th Annual Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day on May 1st. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day kicks off National Youth Traffic Safety Month and sets the tone for moving into summer with safe driving habits in mind and practice.

We remind ourselves that our driving behaviors begin right in the neighborhood on the street in front of our own home. If we commit ourselves in word and practice to observe the speed limit, and going slower due to children present or weather conditions, as well as all Stop Signs and traffic signals, we will contribute to creating a safer environment to benefit everyone in the neighborhood. The difference truly is you.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day is also an excellent time to kick-off or re-energize your traffic safety efforts. All the information you need to get started can be found at KKAD25 Start-up. The first 10 communities with a plan of action for Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day will receive a free starter kit of key chains, bumper stickers, and brochures to support your efforts. We welcome corporate sponsors – contact kkad25@kkad25.org or call 402-334-1391.

Let's replace "dying to speed" with a commitment to drive to appreciate all who love us and all whom we love. Let’s do all we can to keep ourselves and everyone around us alive.

“Don’t let the 2 minutes you ‘save’ be the last 2 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
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/

Thanks to all who financially support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your support is needed all year long. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living. For more information about us, please click on our KKAD25 GuideStar Non-Profit Report.

Distracted to Death - Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

I hope that many of you caught Oprah's show on January 18th highlighting the tragic results for families, and many others, of driving while texting, talking, or e-mailing on a cell phone while driving. This is a must view for all of us. Check out Oprah

The research has been done. Driving while talking on the cell phone leads to a 4X greater chance of crashing - the same as driving drunk at .08 blood alcohol level. Texting while driving leads to and 8X greater chance of crashing. Driving while intexticated is even a greater threat to all of us, especially when one considers that more people may be driving while texting than those who drive after drinking. Both behaviors lead to thousands of deaths and well over 1 million injuries each year.

In the midst of the fast and frantic pace of life, the plain and simple challenge is to view driving as a skill that takes our singular focus. It is up to each of us, as drivers, to make the decision each and every time we get behind the wheel to set the cell phone aside and transport ourselves and our passengers from point A to point B. In the process we must decide to observe all the rules of the road - speed limits, traffic signals, space management between vehicles, signalling our turns and lane changes - in order to keep others safe on the road as well.

To put it in a different context, could we imagine a quarterback of a football team trying to run a play while texting? Wouldn't we see this as ludicrous? The players focus would be anywhere but on the task at hand. And yet, many believe they can handle multi-tasking behind the wheel.

The invitation to us all today is to put down the phone and drive. Take the pledge to make your car a "No Phone Zone". Do it because it is absolutely the right thing to do regardless of what laws may permit in your state. More and more states will be enacting legislation to ban cell phone use behind the wheels. None of us has to wait for a law to force us to do what common sense should lead us to do each day. To do more, please visit FocusDriven and www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org.

In safety,
Tom Everson
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391
kkad25@kkad25.org
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/

Keep Kids Alive - Is Reckless Driving an Illness?

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

I recently came across the following:

"Physicians today distinguish disease from illness: disease is the defined condition someone has; illness is the disease and its effects on person, family, friends, and social roles."

With this definition in mind, it seems fair to ask, "Is reckless driving an illness?" I ask the question because in effect speeding, red-light running, tailgating, running stop signs, using a cell phone while driving can be considered a disease. The illness occurs in how these manifestations of disease effect the general public - creating dis-ease among other drivers, their passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Considering reckless driving as an illness puts unsafe driving squarely in the realm of public health. When we consider the fact that the leading cause of death for people 3 - 34 years of age are traffic incidents, all the more should we view speeding, stop-sign and red-light running, tailgating, driving while intexticated or intoxicated, and not buckling up as health concerns in need of a huge educational effort dedicated to changing behaviors. Recently we have been committed to such an effort relating to the H1N1 virus. Do we have the public will to do the same, and more, when addressing the epidemic of behaviors that characterize reckless and unsafe driving on our roadways?

Find out how you can begin to address the illness at http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/.

Don’t let the 2 minutes you ‘save’ be the last 2 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
http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/

Thanks to all who financially support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your support is needed all year long. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living. For more information about us, please click on our KKAD25 GuideStar Non-Profit Report.

MAY DAY! 4th Annual Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

There’s still a chill in the air around most of the country, and plenty of snow as well. None-the-less, it’s not too early to sign up for the 4th Annual Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day scheduled for May 1st to launch National Youth Traffic Safety Month. Click on Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Day for information on how to get started. Be sure to e-mail or call to let us know what you will do in your community. The first 10 communities with a plan of action will receive a free starter kit of key chains, bumper stickers, and brochures to support your efforts. We welcome corporate sponsors – contact kkad25@kkad25.org or call 402-334-1391.

“Don’t let the 2 minutes you ‘save’ be the last 2 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

Thanks to all who financially support the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. Your support is needed all year long. Donate today at KKAD25 Donate. Your generous giving keeps kids living. For more information about us, please click on our KKAD25 GuideStar Non-Profit Report.

A Sporting Chance to Keep Kids Alive!

Dear Friends in Safety,

The New Year is upon us. Football, both college bowl games and pro playoff games are all the rage. And God forbid that anything occur during one of these games that might cause our favorite team to lose - like a blown call on a catch, a fumble, or a touchdown. It's a matter of winning and losing. And who wants to be on the losing end?

For this reason, both college and pro football (along with basketball and baseball) have instituted video review processes to make sure they get the call right. The key is that the latest in technology is utilized. After all, no one wants to lose due to human error.

Yet, when it comes to applying technology to roadway safety, the response to usage is often vehement opposition. Why? We don't want electronic gadgets monitoring our speed, or red-light running, or our actions behind the wheel. It's too intrusive, and after all it's only a matter of life and death, not winning and losing.

If life and death matter more than winning and losing - and being alive each day can be a victory in and of itself- than the challenge of 2010 and the decade ahead is to critique and implement select technologies that will indeed preserve the lives of thousands in our country, and millions worldwide. These are our children, our parents, our sisters and brother, our friends.

But there is plenty of controversy when it comes to implementing technology to decrease traffic-related deaths. A quick scan of sites related to "traffic photo enforcement" brings up dozens dedicated solely to getting out of paying traffic tickets versus taking responsibility for our driving behaviors. Controversy is not likely to go away any time soon.

What are your thoughts when it comes to automated/photo enforcement of traffic laws in the U.S.? Please contribute your thoughtful responses by clicking on "comments" following this blog. And, please keep your comments civil. It is difficult to make progress by antagonizing one another.

A final thought: Is it possible for technology to matter as much on our roadways to get things right and keep folks alive as it does in getting the calls rights in sports?

"Don't let the 2 minutes you 'save' be the last 2 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
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org