Stop Playing in the Street - Keep Kids Alive!

A recent phone call prompts this blog. A resident was concerned about the safety of children playing in the street since this is a common occurrence in hisneighborhood. Speaking to parents directly has done little good.

The number one parenting tip from Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is to not allow children to play in the street - it is not a playground and puts both children and motorists at risk. No motorist wants to be behind the wheel and hit a child.

With this in mind, what are your thoughts about drafting "Stop Playing in the Street" ordinances in your town? Please offer your comments, and please be civil in doing so.

Thanks!

In safety,

Tom Everson

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

Stop! Take 3 To See - Keep Kids Alive!

The reality behind this recent headline in the Denver Post begs we as motorists to take Stop Signs at face value . See Pregnant woman hit by car, baby does not survive.

Studies from Safe Kids Worldwide indicate that almost 90% of motorists do not correctly observe stop signs. The result? 200 pedestrian deaths and 17,000 injuries each year. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is committed to educating drivers about how to correctly stop at stop signs through their Stop! Take 3 To See campaign. Find out more at Stop! Take 3 To See. Contact us at kkad25@kkad25.org to start and educational campaign in your town.

Your comments are welcome.

“Don’t let the 2 minutes you ‘save’ be the last 2 minutes of someone’s life.” David Townsend (Tia’s dad - Tia died when struck by a motorist who ran a stop sign while she walked with a friend in a marked crosswalk)

In safety,

Tom Everson

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)

www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

World Wide Candle Lighting - Keeping Memories Alive

December 12th -Join the The Compassionate Friends
Worldwide Candle Lighting in Memory of all Children Who Have Died

Excitement has been building as the fourteenth Worldwide Candle Lighting December 12, 2010 approaches. The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, creating a virtual wave of light, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries. Learn more about how to get involved at The Compassionate Friends.
A vital piece of the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is support of families who have experienced the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident. Visit our on-line memory wall at "Run to Remember." Should you know of a loved one you would like to add to our memory wall and include in our 2011 "Run to Remember", please e-mail Tom@kkad25.org.
Our family looks forward to joining yours in the Worldwide Candle Lighting this coming Sunday, December 12th.
Lives Will Be Saved!
Big News from Our Friends at Kids and Cars – see No More Backing Blind

“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
That children may live, remember to make your year-end tax-deductible donation today at Donate to Keep Kids Alive. Checks are also accepted. Please send to:
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144
Your generous giving keeps kids living.

Little Deeds do Indeed Keep Kids Alive!

I recently came across an essay entitled "Little Seeds, Little Deeds" by Margaret Silf. She shares the story of a 6-year-old girl who heard the prime minister of England speaking of the belt-tightening necessary to help bring the country out of recession. The girl had just lost a baby tooth and had received a pound coin (about $1.60) from the tooth fairy.

Touched by the prime minister's words of concern she taped her coin to a letter and sent it to David Cameron with the request to use it "to make the country better and pay for jobs." Not only had the little girl been touched, but her action touched many deeply. Cameron sent the coin back inviting her to spend it on something nice for herself.

Silf goes on to note, "this story touches a deep truth. A 6-year-old gives away all she has so that someone else might benefit. She has it completely right. Miracles happen when we put the common good before our own personal gratification."

What does this have to do with safe driving?

Every little thing, if we are honest.

The miracle today, or any day, can be a life saved simply because we each choose to do a little deed. A little deed can be:

• Stopping at a stop sign (200 pedestrian deaths and 17,000 injuries are attributed to running stop signs)
• Observing the speed limit (33% of all traffic deaths are directly caused by speeding)
• Not tailgating (29% of crashes are the result of following too close)
• Not drinking and driving, driving while intexticated or using a cell phone in any way, or any behaviors that take our eyes of the road, our hands off the wheel, or impair our judgment in any way
• Making sure we and all our passengers are buckled up (deaths from traffic incidents could be reduced by 60% or more if only all drivers and passengers were buckled up)

As this holiday season unfolds, be part of a miracle. Engage in one or more little deeds behind the wheel that helps keep the miracle of life alive for your family, for friends, for neighbors, and for people you may never meet wherever you travel.

"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
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

A License to Live - Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

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:

• Buckling up, and making sure all passengers are buckled up, each and every trip - no matter how short or how long. Buckling up increases the likelihood of surviving a crash by more than 60%. Seat Belts- FASTENATING!^®.
• Putting aside distractions - cell phones, personal grooming items, food, reading materials, etc. Make driving the sole focus and purpose for being behind the wheel.
• Observing the speed limit - or go slower in the presence of pedestrians, cyclists, kids at play, or due to bad weather. Be Aware! Drive With Care^®
• Stopping at each and every stop-light and stop-sign. Stop! Take 3 To See^® - make sure the coast really is clear before proceeding. 200 pedestrians deaths and 17,000 injuries each year are the result of drivers running stop signs.
• Not tailgating - leave 3 seconds distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead of you. Remember, "It’s Not A Race! Create Space™." 29% of crashes are a result of poor space management.
• Taking the message "Don't Drink and Drive!" seriously. Even with the emphasis on this message for decades, still we read about alcohol-involved fatalities every day. We cannot stress this message enough.

Each day will present you with hundreds of opportunities to exercise your license to live. The life saved may be your own or someone you love.

Remember, “Don’t let the 2 minutes you ‘save’ be the last 2 minutes of someone’s life.” David Townsend (Tia’s dad – Tia died at age 11, when struck by a motorist who chose to go around the stopped car in front of him while she and a friend were walking across the street in a marked crosswalk.)

In safety,
Tom EversonKeep Kids Alive Drive 25 - A Non-Profit "For Action" Organization 501(c)(3)
402-334-1391

Visit our blog at KKAD25 Blog
Make your tax deductible donation today at www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org. Click KKAD25-Donate Now!
Your generous giving keeps kids living. Thanks!

Keep Kids Alive during the dark months ahead

Dear Friends in Traffic Safety,

Children face greater risk during fall and winter. As 2010 draws to an end, more motorists will find themselves driving to and from work in darkened conditions, both in the morning and the evening. Sadly, tragic news involving children will soon fill local newspaper headlines and television broadcasts. As fall fades into winter, the season is right for drivers to exercise extra caution during throughout residential areas and their daily commute.

Statistics show that children are at greater risk of being in a serious traffic accident after 3 p.m. during the fall and winter months. Extra-curricular activities often end near sundown and darkness can reduce perfect vision to just 20/50. The probability of a fatal crash is three times higher between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., researchers say.

Do your part to Keep Kids Alive during the dark months ahead. Drivers should inspect their vehicle to ensure that headlights are in proper working order, and keep windshields clear of debris that could limit visibility. Parents can remind their children to walk in groups, use sidewalks whenever possible and to cross the street only at a crosswalk.

By following these simple steps, you're doing your part to keep children out of accident news today and into 2011."

Learn more at Find My Accident

In safety,
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org

Keep all Kids Alive this Halloween

Dear Friends,

According to a study over a 20-year period by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, four times the number of elementary and middle school-aged children were killed by a car or truck on Halloween when compared to all other evenings.

Please sound and send out the Halloween alert in your community to "Be Aware! Drive With Care," Stop! Take 3 To See" at every stop sign, and every point along the road where children are, or might be, crossing. And, slow down, scan the roadways and sidewalks for children of
all ages out and about. The life saved may be that of a neighbor child.

And remember, "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
402-334-1391
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org