It’s a Twister!

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

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Earlier this week, I was driving over to my friend’s house – a trip I’ve made many hundreds of times.  I had the windows down enjoying the spring day when…………. BAM!, a gust of wind blew a recycling bin right into the middle of the road.  Luckily, I was able to slow down and swerve around it without hitting it or slamming on my brakes endangering the drivers behind me. It really woke me up.

Just as I was thinking about how dangerous the wind could be, I turned down another block and had to swerve again to avoid hitting a basketball hoop that was knocked over. I’ve never been told to look out for flying trash cans or camouflaged fallen basketball hoops!

I’ve always been told about how dangerous driving in the rain and snow can be. No one has ever warned me about the wind.  As silly as it seems, a strong wind can be just dangerous as rain or snow.  Drive over a bridge or just down the highway through a strong wind and you can feel your car pushing and pushing to keep driving!  It’s kind of scary thinking a strong wind could be a match for a mom’s minivan, or that a stray newspaper recycling bin could endanger lives.

So as always, be aware of what’s going on around you, and don’t underestimate Mother Nature.

Drowsy Driving

22 Thursday Mar 2012

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It’s said that drinking and driving is the most dangerous combination and I completely agree.  But there is another hazardous combination that is less well-known and just as dangerous -Drowsy Driving.

Now it’s time for some Did You Know Facts:

  • 100,000 car crashes a year are caused by the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
  • In these 100,000 crashes 1,500 people die, and 40,000 are injured.
  • Almost 50% of these crashes involved drivers between 15 and 24 years old.

Drowsy Driving is more than just tired eyes and a clouded focus.  Sleepiness has the some of the same effects as driving under the influence. Just being awake for 18 hours has the same effect as having a blood alcohol level of .05%.  Being awake for 24 hours in a row impairs you as much as having a blood alcohol level of .10%.

So don’t take your fatigue lightly. Don’t drive after a long night of studying for mid-terms.  Don’t drive for nine hours straight as you vacation for spring break.  Take breaks, and switch drivers, and as always drive safe!

I Spy

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

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I Spy

License Plates

I’m Going on a Picnic

Car Bingo

Yellow Car

Nothing can take your attention away from a long car ride like a car game. And these are just a few of my favorites.  But while it has the uncanny ability to distract the passengers from the redundancy of highway driving, it can have the same distracting effect on the driver.
It’s a common belief that highway driving is safer having less traffic lights, stop signs, intersections, and pedestrians to give your attention to. In reality, with the frequent exit ramps, anxious drivers, big trucks, and high-speed limit, we need to pay even more attention while driving in these high-speed situations. Of course our thought is to just get to where we are going as fast as possible down the long stretches of highway, and we forget that highways are dangerous in a different way.  So while you are your friends are road tripping for spring break, keep these tips in mind:

  • Keep a safe following distance.  There should  be 3 seconds between when the car in front passes a road sign and when you do.
  • Break sooner, because it will take longer to stop when your driving 65 MPH.
  • Pay attention to where you are going. If you know what exit you need, you won’t have to frantically cut someone off to get on the off ramp.

Safe travels my fellow Spring Breakers!

Click It. It Saves Lives

08 Thursday Mar 2012

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You might have noticed a trend in my blogging (seat belts), and your probably wondering why they keep coming up. Let me tell you a bit more about these seat belts I keep nagging about.

  1. Seat belts save lives.
  2. Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use when compared to other age groups.
  3. As of January 18th, 2010, you are required by law to wear a seat belt when riding in a car, regardless of where you are sitting.
  4. My personal research shows it takes merely 1.5 seconds to put your seat belt on. Assuming it doesn’t get stuck and you have the right buckle (the center buckle always messes me up).

So if it’s that easy, why don’t we buckle up more?  If we sacrifice the second and a half it takes to put on our seat belt, and make our passengers buckle up as well we increase our survival rate in the event of a crash, and won’t get a ticket.

What are you waiting for?  One 1.5 seconds changes everyone’s lives.

 

Think Before You Ride

01 Thursday Mar 2012

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I’m constantly talking about being safer drivers, but let’s face it; most of us college kids don’t have the luxury of having their car at school. However, being a safe passenger is important too.

Of course, I am not recommending yelling at the driver to speed up or slow down or to use the blinkers (that’s our parents’ job).  As passengers we also have to make smart decisions. We put our lives in the hands of the driver, so we shouldn’t just trust anyone.  Think about these four things before you choose to get into your friend’s car:

Have they been drinking? Even one beer is over the limit for anyone under 21 (not to mention breaking the law!).

Are they driving legally? Ten kids in a car that seats five never ends well.

Do you feel safe with them? Trust your gut; you know how your friends drive, just be cautious.

….AND WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT.  It’s the law!

Is your Life Worth a Text?

23 Thursday Feb 2012

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People on TV and in movies are amazing drivers! They have intense car chases, total their car, and crawl out with a few bruises. They can speed and swerve and break the law yet they never get caught. Even when they do get caught,  they don’t get tickets. They never need to look where they are driving, because the car just knows.

However, we know that real people aren’t as lucky. Make a mistake in “real life” and you might not be as lucky. The reality is that a driver is 23 times more likely to get into a car accident while driving and texting.  With television and movies being as widespread and influential as they are, why don’t they depict this reality?

Finally, this past week on the popular teen show Glee, the dangers of texting and driving were exemplified, when the head cheerleader, Quinn, can’t resist the temptation of her constantly ringing cell phone.  She finally gives in and while responding with just three small words “On my way”, she crosses an intersection where another car crashes directly into the driver’s side, and the screen goes black.

Whether or not Quinn survives the crash is not as important as the message the show is giving. We are not untouchable. Terrible things can happen to anyone. We have to shake the idea that “it could never happen to me”.

So….

Don’t make calls while driving, not even with a Bluetooth and remember using a Bluetooth is illegal for provisional drivers.

Don’t fumble with your iPod.  Even though it’s not a phone doesn’t mean it isn’t a distraction.

Turn your phone to silent to avoid the temptation, because…….

NO TEXT IS WORTH YOUR LIFE.

Who is Driving The Car?

17 Friday Feb 2012

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Commercials are annoying. You sit through two full minutes of a little kid pretending to be Darth Vader and it ends with his dad pulling up in a Volkswagon. And while he is the cutest little thing, I learned nothing about the car except that this little boy likes Star Wars and thinks he has powers to start the car.  Car commercials have become more irrelevant and more frequent.  You can’t watch a thirty minute TV show without hearing about “Better this!” or “Faster that!” or “Our car has even more unnecessary technology than before!” Which gets me thinking….

Is this “safety” technology actually making us less safe drivers? Do we depend on the car’s intelligence over our own?  Do we really need cameras to show you what is behind the car when you put the car in reverse?  Just look!  You can see angles the camera can’t and you’ll be watching in real time! Everyone loves social media, but do we need a car to read our Facebook News Feed to us while we drive? No! You should update your status once you arrive safely.  The newest feature I’ve seen is a car that wakes you up if you fall asleep at the wheel.  If you are so tired you might fall asleep at the wheel, you shouldn’t be driving!

More importantly, the US Department of Transportation agrees with me ;-) .  Just yesterday, USDOT proposed guidelines for manufacturers to limit these distractions within the vehicle.  So trust yourself to make smart decisions, because human intelligence will almost always beat artificial intelligence. You don’t need a “smart” car to be a smart driver.  May the Force be with ALL drivers.

Is Your Car Your Home?

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

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I recall back when I was learning to drive a teacher tell me that we spend close to eight years of our life in a car. WOW!  Our car is our second home. My mom’s van has a TV, blankets, soccer balls, Frisbees, travel Scrabble, tissues, napkins, chargers and snacks – just to name a few.  My car is like a giant purse with sweatshirts, sneakers, cd’s, water bottles, pillow, books, and what every else you could think of.  And it just gets me thinking…

We get way too comfortable living in, and out of, what is primarily a mode of transportation – and a dangerous one. The more comfortable we feel in a place, the less careful we tend to be. It’s like how the first week of college everyone locks their doors when they leave to go to the bathroom, and a week or two later the door is left wide open without one single care.  And that’s ok, but when the first laptop or iPod goes missing, everyone is again on their guard.  So let’s not wait for an accident to remind us to be careful.

Pay attention when driving

Try not to fiddle with the radio

Don’t try to glance at who is calling your phone

Remember that just because you haven’t been in an accident, doesn’t mean you never will be.

Let it Snow!

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Disracted Driving, Safety

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There are tons of fun snow day activities. Sledding, skiing, tubing, making snowmen, snowball fights, and igloo building just to name a few.   Driving, however, is not one of them. What is only a ten minute drive on a normal day, can be a 45-minute adventure on a snow day.  Between the detours to avoid the worst parts of the roads, the decreased speed limits and my nerves, I tend to limit my trips or stay at home.

Snow is the most dangerous weather condition to drive in. We must worry about losing traction, black ice, and skidding. It’s best not to drive at all in snowy weather, but when push comes to shove, we must be safe.  With snow forecasted to begin tonight and last into the morning, I thought I would share some tips I often refer to for those times I need to drive in the snow.

  • First and foremost, make sure the roof of your car is clear of snow.  Aside from it being the law in NJ, it really makes a difference when driving.
  • Wait to go out after the plows and salt trucks have done their jobs.
  • Brake slowly to avoid skidding and prevent the brakes from locking.
  • Increase the space between your car and the car in front of you. There should be three times as much space as you normally would leave.

So my hot chocolate and popcorn is stocked in the pantry and all the Harry Potter movies are ready for the movie marathon… Let it Snow!

Getting Around on Two Feet

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Greenable Environment, Pedestrian Safety, Safety, Useful Tools

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So after the longest winter break in the history of college winter breaks, I’m back at school. Being in college is like being on a resort, except it’s cold and you have to make your own bed.  Okay I guess it’s not really like a resort in any way but one: everything you need is a short walk away.  So I’ll be going green for a while by biking, walking, and taking the occasional bus ride to class.

I have experienced a weird phenomenon during my last semester on campus, one that I had never experienced before: cars stop at crosswalks. They actually let pedestrians cross the street safely! Crazy stuff right? But I’ve also noticed that the students here take this for granted.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a group of kids just start crossing the street without even a glance.  Admittedly, I have also picked up this bad habit.

So, my goal for this week is to be a safe walker.

Listen to your inner child and look both ways before crossing the street.

Don’t cross when the signal says stop. Don’t try to outrun a car.

And just because we may have the right of way in a crosswalk, doesn’t mean we are royalty. Give a wave to the driver to thank them for stopping.

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