Ordinary Americans doing extraordinary work in the call to end distracted driving

I wish it were more difficult to blog about distracted driving. But a quick news search every day turns up all too many articles with titles like "Cell phone use cited in I-40 crash that killed two boys."

I wish it weren't so, but the numbers are compelling; this is a very real and very dangerous problem. In the Syracuse, NY, area, our pilot enforcement project cited 2,300 drivers texting or using a hand-held cell phone during the first 10 days alone. Our Hartford, CT, pilot reported similar numbers. Those are just two communities. Multiply that out across the country, and the math is simply staggering.

Thankfully, ordinary Americans are working extraordinarily hard, really putting their hearts into personal efforts to help stop this deadly epidemic.

Kari Galassi and Jodi Brubaker of Hinsdale, Illinois, are two moms who saw the problem and began selling a tan-colored car window sign with "Get off the phone" over a marked out cell phone image. "It always irritated me," Brubaker said, "that you could see so many drivers paying more attention to their phones than the road."

In conjunction with last month's Oprah show on No Phone Zone day, the signs were featured on groupon.com and orders skyrocketed. Galassi reports,"They were only going to be featured for one day, but they really took off, and Groupon kept them up through the weekend."

Kari, Jodi and their kids share the message: Keep us safe

But Kari and Jodi aren't in it for the sales. "The great thing about Groupon," says Kari, "is that the web page, which had over 3,000 views, wasn't just selling signs. It had a lot of educational content about distracted driving. And the  Groupon demographic is largely twenty-somethings. You've got a lot of concerned moms like us and also high school service groups spreading the message to their peers. But in between, there's not much going on, so Groupon really filled a valuable public service niche."

The next step for getoffthephonesign.com is to get car dealers to include a sign with every car purchase. As Kari says:

"The signs are not not just for the other drivers to see. This is a habit, and it's hard to break; the sign reminds me to put the phone away and just drive. Plus, my kids see it when they climb into the car, so they're getting that safety message over and over again. New car owners can use that help, too."

East Junior High School student Maisie Langholff  from Wisconsin Rapids is one of those service-minded students Kari is talking about. Just yesterday, wearing T-shirts that say "Distracted driving kills" on the back and "Put it down" on the front, Maisie and her fellow Ambassadors presented facts and videos to their peers. "They're not up here speaking as experts," said Chris Bondioli, guidance counselor at East. "They're up here because they care about you."

That scene is being repeated around the country in places like Decatur, IL, and Sanford, FL.

In Wrentham, Massachusetts, students at King Philip High School's BeSmart Wellness Club took part in a driving while texting exercise and it was an eye-opener. Says senior Jenna Butera:

“I went into the course thinking that I was going to have no problem texting and driving at the same time. But, within minutes of doing the drills, I quickly realized that I, in fact, was incapable of texting and driving safely. I saw many of my friends go through it, too, and hit the cones every time.”

They recorded their experience as part of a video for their “OMG Drive Text Free! Take Action Against Distraction” campaign. And I'm pleased to report their campaign is one of 20 finalists in the National Organizations for Youth Safety "Act Out Loud" contest. This contest is being run in conjunction with National Youth Traffic Safety Month and seeks the best work to raise awareness of teen safe driving practices.

The finalists have all turned in remarkable projects, and I urge you to vote for your favorite submission by May 21 at www.actoutloud.org.

I am so proud of the work these extraordinary Americans are doing on their own or in groups to end distracted driving and prevent the horrible losses that we read about every day.

We know that deaths from distracted driving are 100% preventable. We know this. Just put that phone away as soon as you get in the car. That's all you have to do.

And, if you want to do more, like the folks above and the others too numerous to mention, then go for it. As the students from King Philip High School put it, let's all "Take Action Against Distraction."

Comments

[Diane Johnson]

Those of us who are advocates of ending distracted driving to make our roads safer for all appreciate any & all actions to increase awareness.

If anyone argues with you for any reason about the NEED to end distracted driving, encourage then to glance @

http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/CognitiveDistraction.aspx

Since this is such a comprehensive site, just tell them to check page 7 for effective reasoning that NO ONE IS SAFE WHEN A DRIVER IS ALSO USING A CELL PHONE!

To make it FUN, EASY, & FREE to remind drivers to "Turn OFF Cell B/4 Driving!", with 1 package of Avery 5260 labels, go to

http://myplace.frontier.com/~DriveSafely/

to print 720 safety reminder stickers + 30 site direction stickers so others can get their OWN 720 to stick on cells & drivers' visors, to wear & to SHARE, to "seal" snail mail, to give to children to pass the message to friends to reach parents, neighbors, & teachers.

SPREAD the "Turn OFF Cell B/4 Driving!" message &

STAY SAFE!

[Ben]

Which is more dangerous:

1) Driving a car while talking on a handheld cell phone?
2) Driving a car while talking on a hands-free cell phone?
3) Driving a car while drunk (0.08% bac)?
4) Driving an SUV?

As far as I can tell the first three are all about the same: they all increase your chance of causing an accident by about 3 or 4 times. I'm not sure about how much more likely you are to get in an accident in an SUV (I know they don't handle as well as cars), but the studies I've found show that driving a large SUV makes you 3 or 4 times as likely to kill anyone you hit (small SUV: 1.5 times, f350: 6 times). So I guess all of these activities are about equally harmful, aren't they?

[Gian]

Interesting video from the British Police (a bit scary, but so real...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNZJSA7SYdY

[Tom Everson]

The examples of ordinary people taking extraordinary action represents the heart of what makes the greatest difference in educating us all toward safe driving behaviors - taking grassroots action. Thanks for highlighting these.

Communities seeking to extend grass-roots efforts into a comprehensive approach to mobilizing residents to create safer roadway environments for the benefit of all - motorists, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists, please visit www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org.

[JV Marketing Unlimited]

Quite possible the best info I've read in while. So many people just blab on about things they no absolutely nothing about.

[andrew]

wow... big family in that car..... nice

[Michael E. Bailey]

It is such a great thing that now so many people are getting more concerned about cell phone use while driving. Hopefully, this will lead to better laws, and improved outreach, and soon. I saw in a news release by the National Transportation Safety Board last week that an accident in Kentucky that killed 11 people might have involved using a cell phone while driving. The driver of a semi truck left the lane he was in for unexplained reasons went across the median hit a van, and then stopped across the highway. The truck hit the northbound van and spun it around so it was facing south. 10 of 12 people in the van died and the truck driver died because he was burned in a fire in the truck after the accident. They did find a cell phone in the truck cab that had been used. In the van, the 2 survivers were kids that were in child seats and had minor injuries. Of the 9 adults in the van, they all died but only one was wearing a seatbelt. One infant in the van, in an infant's car seat also was killed. Its time for major action . Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Julian]

This is great! I am a twenty-something (birthday tomorrow!) and have bought multiple Groupons. Texting while driving is as dangerous as drunk driving - there are studies to prove it. Just talking on the cell phone is dangerous enough, think about taking your eyes off the road. Unfortunately, society has yet to fully catch up to the cell phone craze. I'm really happy your blogging about this, and more people are realizing they can't text while driving because it doesn't just endanger them, but others as well.

[penelope]

Kids these days are more sophisticated than kids 1-2 generations ago. While the previous generation had been weaned on the ubiquitous television with their parents complaining how much more street smart their kids were as a result, those same kids have now grown up to complain about the same thing about their kids. This time, they blame their kids’ tech savvy promiscuity on Nintendo and Playstation game consoles, cell phones, PDAs and the internet.

[Karen B. Jones]

Mr. Lahood:

Kari Galassi (from this story) contacted me regarding a related article of mine that ran on my blog and on Mamapedia Voices. She suggested that I send it to you. She thought you might want to run it, but I can't seem to find anywhere to send you a message directly. So, I'll just post a link to the article here, if you don't mind. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

The Original version is here on WordPress:
http://wp.me/pLP9Y-27
The Mamapedia version is here:
http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/please-promise-not-to-use-your-cell-phone-while-driving

[Samantha Reveley]

I am nuts about the social networks in the web or texting/chatting on my mobile phone but not to the point that I would risk lives in doing so. I have often wondered why with the staggering number of accidents due to distrated driving that most drivers would be so careless to continue with their habits.

[robert]

talking on the cell phone is dangerous enough, think about taking your eyes off the road. Unfortunately, society has yet to fully catch up to the cell phone craze.
very interesting information

[Pete Jenkins]

The thing with car manufacturers is that they keep cramming in more and more distracting devices from video players, satellite navigation and hugely complicated computer systems for controlling the cars.

In the old days there wasn't really that much to distract you apart from kids fighting in the back seat.

[Get Rid Of Headaches]

No way, it isn't possible that people are driving and keeping up to date with social networks at the same time. However bad it is with chatting on the phone whilst driving it is mad. These people don't care about other peoples lives if they are carrying on with this behavior. Thanks to sites like yours these problems are getting highlighted.

[windshield replacement]

It should be considered to be an law for drivers to avoid distraction while driving since there are many people who are victims of this type of incident. Using cellphones should not be allowed while driving because its one of the reasons why there are accidents that occur in roads. Drunk driving is probably the most common cause of accidents in the streets. If a driver is not responsible or disciplined then he or she should not drive along the way. But luckily we have already launched the law so I hope drivers out there will abide and have a safe driving.