Keep Kids Alive Drive 25: March 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A License to Live!

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

When you look at your driver's license, what do you see?

Is it simply a license to drive? Or, could it be a license to live?

Viewing it as a license to live opens up all sorts of possibilities about what we each can do to ensure that all our passengers, and all other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and kids at play we encounter on or around roadways continue to experience the gift of life at the end of each day.

What does a license to live look like? It looks like…

...walking around your vehicle to make sure there are no kids playing behind or around it before I get in.

...hiding 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 drinking and driving

...buckling up every trip and expecting all passengers to do so, no matter the distance of the trip

...stopping 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

...o bserving the speed limit, and driving slower when weather conditions or the presence of children at play, pedestrians, and cyclists dictate doing so.

...being a thinker and using your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes.

...creating 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.

Repetitive practice of all these behaviors, and more, is what helps us improve our driving skills each day. None of us will ever be the perfect driver. Yet, if we are driven by "a license to live" each time we get behind the wheel, we can make the life-giving difference each and every trip.

It's About Kids! It's About Safety!

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25®

A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3) 

402-334-1391 

12418 C Street Omaha, NE 68144 

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Make your donation to support the KKAD25 mission today @ KKAD25 Donate. A personal thank you note will arrive in your mailbox (not your e-mail box).

Monday, March 17, 2014

The Power of "No!"

Words have power. However, there are certain words that many of us do not want to hear. We ignore them. When we do so, we rob words of their life-giving power.

One such word is "no." 'No" connotes what we can't do, what we shouldn't do, what common sense and often the law says we shouldn't do. And yet, the word "no" can be one of the most powerful words we will ever experience in order to bring good into the world.

Consider this:

When we say "no" to…

...the constant chirping of cell phones while driving

…the urge to ignore stop signs and traffic lights

…the desire to break the speed limit

…tailgating

…temptation to leave that seat belt unbuckled

…all manner of distracted driving

…driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs

...we say "yes" to keeping kids, and, in fact, people of all ages alive on and along roadways. We do so because we free ourselves to pay attention to who is worth paying attention to; that is, every person in our own vehicle, in other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and children at play. Saying "no" gives you the power to say "yes" to life - for those you love and all those loved by each and every person who share the roads with you each day.

Learn how to mobilize your community to make a life-giving difference today @ www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Its About Kids! It's About Safety!

It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Focus! One Trip at a Time

None of us can predict what will happen each time we get behind the wheel. What we can do is to focus on those behaviors which we can control to help us to safely navigate each and every trip we take. Here are several behaviors to focus on each and every trip.

walk around your vehicle to make sure their 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")

don't drink and drive
buckle up every trip and expecting all passengers to do so, no matter the distance of the trip

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.

observe the speed limit, and drive 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.

Repetitive practice of all these behaviors, and more, is what helps us improve our driving skills each day. None of us will ever be perfect drivers - but, are we - you - driven toward perfection each time we (you) get behind the wheel? Our answer and subsequent actions can be a matter of life and death, possibly even our (your) own. Stay focused every trip!