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:

• 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^®

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• 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.

Bring A License to Live to high schools in your community. Call 402-334-1391 or e-mail kkad25@kkad25.org

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.)

Safe travels,
Tom Everson
Keep 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!

Do You Drive Like a 16 Year-Old?

Do you drive like a 16 year-old?

If you are 16, this question should not bother you. You are young. You are a new driver. You are learning. The information that follows can be part of your learning experience behind the wheel. For those of us who have been driving for any amount of time at all, this question invites us to pay attention to the research and examine our own driving behaviors.

In his book, Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us), Tom Vanderbilt cites research related to cell phone use by drivers. For example, “Visual-spatial tasks…cause our eyes to fixate longer in one place than when we when we are asked to perform verbal tasks. The longer the fixation, the more attention we are devoting to the task – and the less we are giving to other things, like driving.” (Page 87)

What does this mean for us? It means is that when a driver is talking on a cell phone (a verbal task), it takes away from concentration on the road, and surroundings. In fact, one study noted that drivers talking on cell phones “tend to rigidly lock their eyes ahead.” (Page 88) This mimics the tendency of new drivers (16-17 year-olds) to lock their vision on what is in front of them, such as staying in their lane – an important task – but one which needs to be coupled with the use of peripheral vision. In short, our vision needs to pay attention to everything going on around us. Our brains are not wired to do this when we are talking on the phone (whether hands-free or not). Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking is a myth. Rather, we need to be mono-tasking - paying attention to that one most important thing - driving.

Vanderbilt makes the point, “Having your eyes on the road doesn’t do any good unless your attention is on the road too.” (Page 89) Given this, we can ask and wonder just how many loved ones die as a result of drivers paying attention to tasks that distract them from the real task at hand – driving.

When it comes to honing our driving skills, here are a few behaviors to practice as you mono-task behind the wheel.

...turn off all cellular devices - including hands-free - and set aside until you reach your destination

...observe all posted speed limits, and adjust downward due to presence of children at play, cyclists, road and weather conditions

...create space between your vehicle and others around you, so you have time to react to the driving behaviors of others

...use your blinker to signal all turns and lane changes

...stop - take three to see at all stop signs regardless of whether or not anyone is present - it is your chance to practice making complete stops so you are ready the one time that someone does seem to appear out of nowhere

...observe all traffic signals and traffic signs

“Don’t Let the 2 Minutes You ‘Save’ 

Be the Last 2 Minutes of Someone’s Life.”

David Townsend (Tia’s father)

Safe travels,
Tom Everson
KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - A Non-Profit “For Action” Organization -501(c) (3)
www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org
Make your donation today @ KKAD25 Donate

A "Fail-Proof" Life-Giving Resolution for 2014

A "Fail-Proof" Life-Giving Resolution for 2014

According to researcher Richard Wiseman, a full 88% of New Year's resolutions fail. However, as we welcome 2014, here is one fail-proof resolution that makes a life-giving difference all year long. You can't go wrong by making a monthly donation, for as little as $10.00 a month (less than the cost of a good takeout pizza), through the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Network for Good page

Know that your generous giving makes a life-giving difference all year long. Thank you!

Make "Mono-Tasking" Your Resolution for 2014 - And Beyond!

Listening to Tom and Ray on "Car Talk" this morning I was struck by a wonderful phrase they used as they lamented the growing legion of drivers who believe it is possible to multi-task behind the wheel. The phrase they used to describe preferred driver behavior is "mono-tasking." I wholeheartedly agree.

As drivers we make dozens of decisions based on the information our brains soak in each and every second on the road. Life and death truly does hang in the balance. Just ask the family members of the 90+ loved ones who die on American roadways each day. 

Perhaps the most critical questions we can each ask of ourselves are, "Who do you love?" and "Who loves you?" The answers to these questions should be all the reasons we ever need to make mono-tasking behind the wheel one of the most important New Year's resolutions we will ever make.

So, let's mono-task our way behind the wheel by:


...walking around the vehicle to make sure no children are hiding in blind spots

...turning off all cellular devices - including hands-free - and set aside until I reach my destination

...buckling up and make sure all passengers are buckled up as well

...observe all posted speed limits, and adjust downward due to presence of children at play, cyclists, road and weather conditions

...create space between my vehicle and others around me, so I have time to react to the driving behaviors of others

...use my blinker to signal all turns and lane changes

...stop - take three to see at all stop signs regardless of whether or not anyone is present - it is my chance to practice making complete stops so I am ready the one time that someone does seem to appear out of nowhere

...observe all traffic signals and traffic signs

...think of the ones I love, the ones who are waiting for me to return home safely.

...eat before you drive, or stop and take a break to do so

Again, ask the questions, "Who do I love" and "who loves me?" May the faces of all the loved ones you picture in your mind lead you to "mono-task" your way down every roadway you travel by making driving your top, and only, priority behind the wheel. In doing so, you will do your part to keep kids (of all ages) alive and to make safe driving behaviors a lifetime habit. 

Donate to support our mission at KKAD25 Donate

Your generous giving keeps kids living.

177 Reasons to Give Thanks in 2013

177 Reasons to Give Thanks in 2013

177 Represents the number of individuals (157), foundations (7), and corporations (13)* who donated a total of $52,369.00 to help grow the mission of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25^®in the past year. Their (your) generosity helped grow Keep Kids Alive initiatives in over 60 communities representing 24 states throughout the U.S. Many of these communities expanded their neighborhood traffic safety education efforts – New Berlin, WI for the 14^th year running. We also established Live Forward! connecting with the families of 75 loved ones who died in traffic-related incidents.

365 represents the minimum number of donors - individuals, corporations, and foundations - we would like to sign on to the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 mission in 2014. You can help jump-start this number through your donation today @ KKAD25 Donate. 11 of our donors do so monthly through the Network for Good. As always, checks are welcome at:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25

12418 C Street

Omaha, NE 68144

Your generous giving keeps kids of all ages living.

It's About Kids! It's About Safety! It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

With gratitude and hopes for safe travels in 2014,

Tom Everson
Executive Director/Founder
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 

*Corporations and Foundations Supporting the KKAD25 Mission in 2013

GEICO Philanthropic Fund

Plymouth Rock Assurance (A New Jersey Partner)

Ford Motor Company Fund – Driving Skills for Life

The Conor Lynch Foundation

Clear Channel Media – Omaha

Certified Transmission

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation

Remmeried Construction

Vintage Financial

Werner Enterprises

The Erika Joy Rowan Foundation

UPS

Leonard Becker Construction

Paxton Mitchell Foundation

Omaha Community Foundation’s 24 Hours of Giving

Mama’s Pizza – Omaha

Black Clover Fitness – Omaha

Central States Insurance

Volsted Media

Pella Windows

Guess the Story Behind these Photos

 

Can you guess the story behind these photos?

They are photos of the World Headquarters of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, including our 6' X 11' Home Office.  KKAD25 was born in our family's front yard in August of 1998 with the goal of establishing a nationwide neighborhood traffic safety campaign.

So what happened? 15 years later, we have worked with citizens, city leaders, schools, civic associations, and businesses in over 1,500 communities representing 49 states, 3 Canadian Provinces, the Bahamas, and Queensland State, Australia in implementing a wide variety of traffic safety initiatives. Along the way dozens of families whose loved ones have died in traffic incidents have connected with our mission in many special ways. 

With the support of our Board of Directors we have grown the mission on austere budgets that in recent years have varied between $55,000 and $85,000 per year. It is the generosity of individuals coupled with support from several corporations that have allowed us to observe 15 anniversaries. From the size of our budget, it goes without saying - although I am writing it out - that we squeeze the very most from every dollar donated to make the Keep Kids Alive  mission happen.

As we look toward year 16 we work for and hope to realize a genuine "tipping point" where funding will allow Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 to connect the dots across America, and eventually the world, to unite all of us as neighbors with a common commitment to creating safer roadway and roadside environments for the safety and benefit of everyone. You can help make this happen through your donation by December 31st (or even after) @ KKAD25 Donate. Checks are always welcome at:

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
12418 C Street
Omaha, NE 68144

Call or e-mail with questions or ideas for partnering.

And remember, your generous giving keeps kids living.

It's About Kids! It's About Safety! It's About Caring! It's About Time!®

Safe travels,

Tom Everson

Executive Director & Founder

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 

Five Words No Parent Ever Wants to Hear

A message from the campaign Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Five Words No Parent Ever Wants to Hear As parents, five words we never want to hear are, "I regret to inform you..." -especially if these are delivered by a police officer in the wake of a crash. And yet over 90 families hear words like these each day in the USA. Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 is committed to preventing roadway/roadside deaths and injuries. Our mission depends on the support of citizens committed to creating safe roadway/roadside environments in neighborhoods, and beyond. I invite you to be the difference to help us continue to make a difference in 2014. Make your tax-deductible donation today @ KKAD25 Donate Checks can be sent to: Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 12418 C Street Omaha, NE 68144 Its about kids! It's about safety! It's about caring! It's about time!® Your generous giving keeps kids living. Safe travels, Tom Everson Executive Director/Founder 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