Like it or not, this Sunday, March 13th, we will “spring forward” by setting our clocks ahead one hour.  This comes as a bitter pill to swallow for many persons.  Others take it in stride, but those who are not “morning persons” won’t be too happy about it for a while.  Canada, certain states in the U.S., and Mexico are affected by this mandated time change, as well as many other countries in the world.  During World War I, it was thought that the time change would save energy for the war effort.  The ruling has been off and on through the years, but since the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we’ve been “springing forward.” 

Here are some ideas that might help you be prepared, ahead of time:

• Start getting ready for it now, this week!
• Get up a little earlier than usual these last few days so you’ll be ready for Sunday.
• Try not to take naps the weekend of the time change, so you’ll be able to go to sleep an hour earlier at bedtime.
• Change all clocks on Saturday afternoon.
• Think positive – get used to it as soon as possible.
• Make arrangements for your children to get to school or to the school bus safely, because it may still be dark in your area.  If they ride their bike, or walk, be sure they wear something reflective on their clothes or bike, and accompany them, if possible for the first few days after the time change. 

I have always wished that we didn’t have this time change and have always referred to Central Standard Time as the “real time,” but as years have gone by, I have learned to adjust to it better and realize that there is extra time to get things done before the end of the day.  This is  a good time to get geared up for chores that we usually save for spring, so start planning to do a few of these things.  It always makes you feel better once you’ve done them:

• Restock battery supplies.  Change smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, both now and after the time change in November, if necessary.
• List special tasks that you could do annually at this time of the year.
• Now’s the time to get ready for Spring Cleaning! (First day of Spring is March 20^th).
• Go through your old clothes and donate them to charity.
• Get the whole family involved in cleaning out closets and passing on clothes they don’t plan to wear to someone who can use them.
• Start sprucing up your yard.
• Begin an your exercise program.  You will have that extra hour of sunlight, so there’s no excuse not to do it! 

Waking  up a little earlier in the mornings this week  will allow you to drive without getting drowsy.  Statistics from past time changes have shown that a high percentage of drivers drove while sleepy, and some even dozed off while driving, if only for a few seconds, immediately following the time change.  Darkness in the early hours of the day can cause more driving accidents, so be alert.  

Whether the hands on the clock point to “real time” or Daylight Saving Time, the main goal is to make the adjustment as soon as we can.   It’s time to remember: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”  Make every minute count!

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This is the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s theme for Thanksgiving season, beginning November 16th and going through November 29th.   Law enforcement agencies will be cracking down, coast to coast, day or night, to enforce one of their main objectives: seat belt use.  During the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period, (November 26 to December 1st) of the 231 passenger vehicle occupant deaths that occurred in crashes at night, two-thirds, or 67% did not have their seat belts fastened (where seat belt use was known).  Forty per cent of the 156 daytime fatalities during that period were not wearing their seat belts.  The NHTSA says that regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

Several states have passed laws requiring passengers in back seats to also buckle up.  Drivers and passengers should be aware when they head out for the holiday (or any other time), that “Click It or Ticket” is a certainty if they are caught unbuckled.  Statistics show that nighttime is the most dangerous time on the road because seat belt use is lower.  Chances of death to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45% and the risk of moderate to serious injury is lowered 50% when lap and shoulder belt are used correctly, so why take the chance?

Along with the NHTSA, we want to share our hopes that you always use caution and follow the law when driving, especially during the holiday season, which begins November 16 and concludes January 3rd.  Don’t drive impaired, don’t speed, use cell phones with care, and please don’t text while driving.  Keep those youngsters buckled up properly and see that you all arrive at your celebrations safely.

We especially liked a couple of many posters the NHTSA has as part of their campaign:
“Forty-five million turkeys will die for Thanksgiving Day – Don’t be one of them!”
and  “Make sure the only belt left unbuckled this Thanksgiving is the one at the dinner table, not the one in your vehicle.”

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I just can’t wait to get on the road again!  Let me tell you why: as I am working my way down the list of “dangerous jobs”, truck drivers have one of the highest fatality rates among risky occupations.  Truck driving statistics show that 30 out of every 100,000 drivers die each year.  This statistic includes those driving buses and other large vehicles, as well.

So, the next time I drive down the highway, I will be more careful than usual.  My reason: reports show that many of the accidents that trucks are involved in are caused by other drivers’ recklessness.  Seventy per cent of truckers who crash do so because someone else got in their way.

The FMCSA has a “Share the Road Safely” website that explains how car drivers, motorcycle riders, and other vehicles can make our highways safer by creating a better highway situation with the larger vehicles on the roads.

Here are some of their suggestions:

• Pay attention to the road. Stay off your cell phone.

• When passing a truck, don’t pull in front of the truck until you can see it in your rear view mirror.

• Do not misjudge the truck’s speed at an intersection.

• Don’t drive between trucks.

• When you pull into oncoming traffic and see a truck coming, be sure you have room to accelerate sufficiently.

• Realize that when you are involved in a crash with a large truck, your chances of survival are low.

• Be careful when you see a truck is making a right turn.  It needs more space to complete the turn.  Most trucks have that warning sticker on the back of the truck.

• Trucks have “No Zones”, areas behind and beside the truck where the driver has limited or zero visibility.  You must be aware of this and keep yourself at a safe distance.

Big trucks are very intimidating.  Maneuvering those large vehicles can’t be easy; have you ever looked inside an 18-wheeler? The instrument panels and controls are pretty scary to a novice.  Most truck drivers are very skilled and extremely patient.  But when they need to stop their vehicle, it takes more time than a car.  That is why you must not risk causing them to have to stop abruptly.

There are many other reasons that truck drivers experience accidents: inadequate training, not enough sleep, fatigue, driving at night, and dangerous driving conditions, such as inclement weather.  Truck drivers are required to follow the regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association, which designates the HoS (hours of service) they may drive within each shift.

The next time you go to the store, think about how many different types of trucks brought the goods that you need for your family.  Let’s help them “keep on truckin” by driving safely ourselves!

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Effective September 1st, there are new laws for Texans to abide by.  State legislators passed several new laws; therefore, we feel it is our duty as good citizens to pass some of them on to our fellow Texans:

• Handheld cell phones are prohibited from use while in school zones, unless the vehicle is stopped or the driver is using a hands-free set. Fines will not be imposed until June 1st, 2010.  (Hopefully, this will get drivers used to the law and they will stop using them in school zones.)

• “Click It or Ticket” starts at a new level Tuesday, when all passengers in the vehicle are required to buckle up, even those in the backseat.

• Children 8 and younger who are shorter than 4’9” are required to be secured in a booster seat.  The same deadline of June 1 for fines applies to this law.

• Teen drivers under 18 will be prohibited from using cell phones while driving for the first year of their license.  (Previous law was for 6 months.)

• Penalties will be increased for misusing parking spaces for handicapped or placards for people with disabilities.

• All applicants under age 18 must take the driving skills exam to receive a driver’s license.

• Passengers age 5 and younger are outlawed from riding on a motorcycle except in a sidecar or during an emergency.

• A minor’s driver’s license will be suspended for failing a breath-or blood-alcohol test while operating a watercraft.

• The license of someone who drives while intoxicated with a child passenger is automatically suspended.

• Questions regarding rights and responsibilities in relation to bike safety will be added to the driver’s license exam.

• Convalescent homes, nursing homes and related institutions are required to have an automated external defibrillator (AED), and personnel trained to use one.

• Restaurants are required to list food and food-handling activities that involve bare-hand contact and to adopt some contamination control guidelines.

While we chose laws that involve the safety of others, we are hopeful that people are aware of these and many other changes, and will respect and abide by them.

Source: Ft Worth Star-Telegram

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We want to introduce you to the “Teens in the Driver Seat” program, implemented in Texas following the graduated drivers license (GDL) law passed in 2002.  In a recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute, the number of fatal crashes per 10,000 teen drivers fell by 33%, compared with federal data from 36 other states that have the GDL law over a period of 5 years.

The fact that the reduction in fatal crashes in Texas is unique is that the state has two obstacles to overcome when it comes to the law and teenage drivers: (1) they are not required to pass an on-road driving test, and (2) parent-taught drivers education is allowed.  Other methods of driver education are preferable than young drivers being taught only by their parents.

“Teens in the Drivers Seat” is a public-awareness program based at Texas A&M University.

So far, this campaign has been in 300 schools and reached more than 250,000 students statewide.  Everyone knows that teenagers listen to their peers far more than adults.  In TDS, students develop the messages and are the messengers.  An example: in one school, an obstacle course was set up in the hallway, and students sent text messages while rolling through the course in a chair, demonstrating how texting while driving causes distractions.  Many teen drivers admit that they talk on their cell phones while driving and one in four confess that they text while driving.

Students who have participated in TDS state that things they have learned are:

• Not to have too many people in the car while they are driving.

• Speed kills.

• Distractions can be very dangerous.

• Buckle up that seat belt!

If your state doesn’t have a similar program, check out Teens in the Drivers Seat on the Internet.  It has some very informative stories and ideas.  State Farm Insurance is a partial sponsor of the program.

Teaching our new drivers that driving is a full-time job and to pay attention 100% of the time they are behind the wheel, may be a life-saving lesson.

Source:
Ft Worth Star Telegram
TDS

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Week four of National Safety Month focuses on distracted drivers.  Is there truly anyone out there who can say they haven’t taken their eyes off the road to retrieve something that fell off the car seat, or attempt to comfort a fussy child, or get caught up in a vigorous conversation with their passenger?  Have you noticed some woman putting her make-up on while driving?

I was following a lady who was weaving in the road, and when I passed her, she was reading a road map while driving!  Guess what?  I’m just as guilty, as I took my eyes off the road to see what she was doing.  And what about the guy who’s reading as he’s driving down the road? How safe are you if you meet him on the highway?

Our vehicles now have so many complex DVD players, CD players, bluetooth and satellite navigation systems that it’s a wonder we actually have time to focus on the main thing – driving!  The National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers cause nearly 4 out of 5 motor vehicle crashes in the United States.  Now we get to one of the major culprits: cell phones.    In a survey taken by a major insurance company, almost 40% of teens and young adults admitted that they send and receive text messages while driving, and also said they hit someone while doing so, or were almost hit by another car whose driver was talking on their cell phone.

What are driving distractions?  Words that describe distraction are interruption, diversion, agitation, commotion, and disturbance.  Who of us, at sometime, haven’t faced any of these situations?  Our curiosity gets the best of us when something is happening away from the road, and we just have to take a glance.  Or if a song comes on the radio that we just can’t stand, we have to get it reach over to change it right away.  Are we always conscience of pedestrians and persons on bikes?  We can ask ourselves to think back to the close calls we have had, and I would bet everyone has had at least one.

Next time you get behind the wheel, think about your total commitment to safe driving.  Things that are going on in your life that might cause you to become sidetracked, are not worth losing your life over.  Try this:

• Visit with your passengers without looking at them. (They can still hear you.)

• Don’t eat while driving, and of course, don’t drink alcohol while driving (it’s against the law!),

• Put your make up on before you leave the house.

• Do your reading at home, work, or the library!

• Set your entertainment or navigation systems before you start.

• Strap in the kids and hope for the best.

• Turn the cell phone off.  Your messages will be on it when you arrive safely at your destination.  (In your heart, you know it’s the right thing to do!)

More and more travelers will take to the roads during the summer months.  Always stay focused on arriving at your destination safely.  That should be the #1 priority every time you start the car.  Don’t let distractions get in your way.

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Most of us began driving when we were teenagers………what a powerful feeling to finally get behind the wheel!  How great it was to see and be seen by our peers as we drove up and down the streets, by the high school, and pulled up to the local drive-in.  Many of us learned, as most kids do today as well, by the examples our parents set.  If their driving behaviors consisted of speeding, running stop lights, yelling at some other driver, not wearing seatbelts, drinking while driving, and letting personal upsets get in the way of safety, chances are their teenagers will have learned the same bad traits.  So, parents, think about what type of role model you are.

Stephen Wallace, National Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) say that high school drivers say they talk on cell phones while driving, and that they speed.  They probably text on their cell phones, as well.  It is the mission of S.A.D.D.  to provide students with the best preventative tools to deal with issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.  Originally founded as Students Against Driving Drunk, the group realized there are so many other issues facing teenagers that must be addressed.

Most states require some type of formal drivers education or training programs.  However, this is just a small part of the experience of driving that teenagers get.  Parental supervision furnishes more practice, and open conversations between parents and new drivers go a long way toward building a foundation of safe driving.  Parents should also consider the type of person their teenager is: one that is willing to take risks, or one that shows good judgment.  Will they also obey rules set down by their parents, and follow the regulations of driving?

It’s a great feeling for parents to be able to furnish their teenagers’ first car, but they need to let them know that if the rules are broken, grounding will be in effect.  It would be better to park the car for a week or so, than live with the results of a bad accident that could take their life, or the life of someone else.

We hope that this summer will be a safe one for everyone, especially our teens!  Drive friendly, and keep the roads safe.

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The National Safety Council is working to encourage businesses to adopt policies regarding their employees’ use of cell phones while driving.  They are also asking legislators in all fifty states to ban the use of cell phones and messaging devices while driving.

Accidents happen almost every day involving cars, but other means of transportation are just as dangerous, when in the hands of someone who is more concerned with a phone conversation or text message than doing their job.

Friday, May 8th, fifty people were hurt in a trolley collision!  The conductor admitted he was “texting” at the time of the collision.  Although the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bans operators from using cell phones, it seems this person who was responsible for the safety of others was using his cell phone anyway.

Last September, twenty-five persons were killed and more than 135 injured when a train collided head-on with another train.  The engineer was using his cell phone to send and receive text messages on both morning and evening shifts that he was working.  Reports from the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that during a two-hour period, he sent 24 messages and received 21; later that day, he received 7 more and sent 5- the last one less than 25 seconds before the crash.  The Federal Railroad Administration is developing a coast-to-coast monitoring system that will furnish a positive train control system to save lives by having the capability to intervene in the case of human error.  This system will take approximately five years before being ready.

Is there any cell phone conversation or text message that can’t wait until you get out from behind the wheel?  It seems such a simple thing: to call someone rather than wait until you are home, but think about the cost to yourself, or maybe others if you become distracted.  If you are a passenger in a car, bus, plane, or train, do you want your life to be in the hands of a person whose attention is diverted by some phone conversation?

The next time you get behind the wheel, we hope you will give this message some thought.  Pay attention to the road and other drivers.  That message can wait.

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Your ticket, that is, for running that red light and getting caught by a red light camera!
Another controversial subject, there are pros and cons of having this type of camera situated on poles at busy intersections.  According to the US Department of Transportation, running red lights is a major cause of crashes, deaths, and injuries at traffic crossroads.  These cameras take a picture of the perpetrator running through the red light, and then record the time, speed, and license number. Soon, the driver receives his/her citation in the mail.

Positive features of red light cameras are:

• Improving overall safety of busy intersections

• Furnishing an economic impact through reducing cost of crashes

• Financial gain for municipality, if they are found to be accurate, reliable, and applied fairly

• Cost effective tool to reduce violations

Causes of red light crashes may be:

• Driver behavior: talking to passengers, using cell phone, other distractions

• Poor intersection design and operation

• Vehicles with heavy loads failure to slow down and stop in time

• Poor visibility due to weather, or surroundings that impair vision

• Misjudging signal change by driver

Negative features of red light cameras are:

• Studies done by University of Southern Florida College of Public Health determined that cameras actually increase the severity and number of crashes, as drivers slam on their brakes to avoid going through the yellow light.

• Increase in rear-end collisions

• Design flaws in camera systems furnish incomplete data

Six cities in the U.S. that have been guilty of adjusting the traffic lights with shorter yellow settings, in findings by Motorists.org are:  Universal City, California, Dallas and Lubbock, Texas, Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Springfield, Missouri.  These citations bring in revenue to cities, but they need to play fair when it comes to controlling traffic.

If the yellow light is set for a shorter time, drivers from different areas, as well as locals, are caught unaware, therefore misjudging the timing of the light.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that 22% of all traffic accidents in the U.S. occur because someone ran a red light.  Statistics from these wrecks indicate that more than 800 people have been killed, costing an estimated $7 billion in property damage, medical bills, lost production, and insurance hikes.

Whether or not there is a camera looking down on us, we must focus on our safe driving habits and obey the law.  It is up to each driver to handle this responsibility with all seriousness, and not become a statistic.

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Here are some tips from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration for side-view mirror adjustment to assist you in the elimination of blind spots. The best way to adjust your side mirrors is to move the glass outwards so your field of view is of other cars and blind spots are eliminated.

These steps can help prevent accidents and help keep YOU safe whether you are driving a fleet vehicle, or your own personal vehicles:

1.    Set your rear view mirror as you normally would.

2.    Lean your head over all the way to the left so it touches the driver’s window. From there, set your left side-view mirror so you can see the back corner of your car.

3.    Lean over the same distance the other way, (your console or gear selector is a good reference point) and set your right side-view mirror the same way.

When you return your head to your normal driving position, you should not be able to see the back corner of your vehicle in either side view mirror.

To see if you’ve adjusted correctly for your vehicle’s blind spot, test it out in a parking lot or other location where you can safely and slowly pull up to a car. You should now always be able to see the car; it should move from your rear view mirror to your driver’s side or passenger’s side mirror with no break until you can spot it with your peripheral vision.

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