V8 Moment in Regards to Road Safety - A Post from Contributor David Little

This is a post from  new contributor David Little.

Just my attempt to make my FB friends have a V8 moment when it comes to road safety.

Over the past few years I have made some great new friends. Who live all over the country. But these are friends I wish I didn’t have. We met because we were all affected by car crashes. Many of these folks have lost loved ones and it seems I am in a small group when it comes to survivors.Last night I wondered who else am I going to meet because of a car crash? I know I will, because just this week I met someone who lives in Los Angeles, that lost a best friend in a distracted driving crash.

Here’s something to think about. On average, about 35,000 people will die this year in motor vehicle crashes, and statistics suggest that about 80% +/- of those crashes will be caused by human error. My rough math says that's about 77 people a day.

77 people will die tomorrow, in a car crash that was fully preventable, and they don't even know it. Dad's, Mom's, children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers.

These folks are at work right now, they are at home getting ready to great kids coming home from school. They are preparing to get married, or go on vacation or retire. They would graduate from high school, or start a new job. Just average, everyday people, like you and me, and by Saturday, they will be gone.

Fix The Toaster New PSA

http://vimeo.com/78968274

Fix The Toaster Hits 100 Fans on Facebook

Thanks to all of our new fans on Facebook.

Fix The Toaster is passionate about car crashes, they make her nuts, just ask her friends and family. 

For some reason the topic of car crashes is met with skeptic looks when first broached in conversation but as you begin to talk about the high amount of people dying or being critically injured in car crashes, most of which are preventable you scratch your head and say, "Oh yeah, that is messed up." Or something to that effect.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Lead by example. Come on Moms!!! We have got to be better drivers. Slow down, get off our phones, stop tailgating.

2. Talk to your family and friends about driving safely. 

3. Organize a neighborhood meeting, like I have, and form a group that is determined to make your neighborhood safer for walking/biking/etc.

4. Stop saying everyone else in as asshole while you are driving. Most people I encounter are not assholes. I like most people, don't you? I think are infrastructure, speed and the way we drive is broken but let's fix it.

Safe driving all!

5 Teens Die in a Car Crash

5 more teens lost their lives due to a car crash.

According to WLOX they ran a stop sign. A preventable crash. 

Very sad for all of the families who lost their children in this horrific car crash.

Rage in America

There is rage in America. Obviously from today's horrific news.

Nearly 40,00-50,000 American die each year in car crashes and most of these are avoidable. These are officials who are saying these are mostly avoidable and yet we are not driving with care. We are driving and living with rage.

I think we need to focus on where this rage is coming from. Understand it and fix it.

Because once you connect yourself again with the ability to appreciate another human then you can help humanity by driving and being the most peaceful person you can be.

We can not control a lot of things in life but we, in particular parents, can control the way we drive to the best of our ability.

The leading factor in deaths for people under the age of 25 is car crashes.

Let's get enraged about that and change it.

Some Books To Understand the Way We Drive

Gary Kavanagh of Gary Rides Bikes gave me suggestions on books to read that help shed insight unto our culture of driving. One book I had heard of, "Traffic" by Vanderbilt.

If you are like me your first thought might be a book on traffic. Yeah right, I'd rather read Popsugar.com or Google random people.

I will do the reading for you and try to talk about it here. I am curious to hear what Vanderbilt has to say from "Traffic." I think we might disagree on a few things. Although I am now a late merger due to his opinion on that.

Here are some other book suggestions via Gary.

"Driven To Kill: Vehicles as Weapons" by Rothe.

"Fighting Traffic" by Norton.

Remorse

Have you injured or killed someone in a car crash? I would love to hear from you and post your thoughts about it on my blog.

If you just read that and gave a short chuckle and said she's lost it, I'm serious. I often think about the huge remorse one must feel after hurting or killing someone. I'm sure the message might help connect with people who don't connect with my message.

"I wish my life had a rewind button..."

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-TJd4qYJ58]

Your Odds of Dying in Train Travel vs. Car Travel

Just this week I got away from LA and took a trip for 48 hours down South. I chose to travel by my favorite means of traveling, by train.

The most dangerous part of my trip was the ride to the Metro Station.

No offense to my father in law. Just statistically speaking.

I hopped on the Metro, jetted downtown through a foggy morning grabbed some food and hopped unto Amtrak's Surfliner. Half of the trip down South you see a lot of industry. And then you hit the beach. It's an amazing train ride. As my husband commented, one that won't be around forever due to rising sea levels.

People on the train were drinking coffee, alcohol, texting at free will. A universal good vibe just exists on that train ride.

I love trains.

But I also love being able to get in my car when I'm not in the mood for public transportation.

I just hope that a major shift can happen in the way that we drive.

But it you are a big fan of drinking and texting while in a moving machine, may I suggest to you to just take a train.

**Interestingly enough here are your odds of being killed in a train crash versus a road crash, according to the Mirror UK. 

500,000/1 BEING KILLED IN A TRAIN CRASH.

DESPITE a number of fatal crashes, public transport is still the safest way to travel. Buses are even safer than trains, with the odds of being killed 13 million to one.

8,000/1 KILLED IN A ROAD ACCIDENT.

EVERY year 1,500 car drivers and adult passengers die in road smashes, while around 1,000 pedestrians and cyclists die in road accidents. Worldwide, over 3,000 people are killed in road crashes daily.

The Sarah Lily Grace Fund

I went to an event this afternoon in Pasadena, called The Sarah Lily Grace Fund. 

I mention it here on Fix The Toaster for two reasons.

One, I was beyond inspired at the cause that the father Matthew Badger fights for. I'm beginning to look at the way other organizations with a mission run themselves. I blogged about the afternoon via my Expressing Motherhood blog.

Reason Two: While walking my 6 year-old and holding my 2 1/2 year-old to the private home I was not shocked at the fact that a few angry people sped by us on the slick roads, pissed off that a bunch of cars were parked on their beautiful, what I am assuming can only be a very quiet street in Pasadena.

Matthew Badger has spent almost a year dedicated to this fund, spurned by the unimaginable loss of his daughters.

A beautiful afternoon on a rainy cool LA Sunday, surrounded by supportive artistic LA parents and their kids.

A Graphic Video About Texting And Driving

Wow. I just stumbled upon this video about texting and driving. I had to pause it at 1:00 as I truly feel like I might pass out. It is graphic.

But I applaud this video.

We are killing ourselves and other people, grandparents, moms, dads, hot single young women and men, babies. Over our greedy desire to text.

Warning this video is very, very graphic.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQB5Bl_2GKI]

Car Crashes are mostly Senseless & Preventable

I just looked up Ray LaHood on YouTube because I wanted to see this guy talk. The first video I won't share. I think maybe Ray needed a cup of coffee. Then I found this one for Distraction.gov

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYdxQLJfhBg]

I like what he says.

Most of theses accidents are "senseless & preventable."

That is from the lips of Ray LaHood our US Secretary of Transportation. I mean this guy has a HUGE job. He's fighting a war. I hear that he may be replaced soon. I wonder if Ray is crazed by the amount of preventable deaths that happen every. single. day.

Sweet lives cut incredibly too short by something 100% preventable.

Giving Tuesday

Today was Giving Tuesday. I only learned of it yesterday.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO7jxUQXIP4]

Here is their mission statement:

Mission Statement

#GivingTuesday™ is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations.

Though Fix The Toaster is not a charity I tweeted that I hoped people could give their heart today and drive as carefully as possible.

Self restraint and not thinking that world is "filled with assholes who don't know how to drive" is something we seem to be a hard time giving a second thought to.

Hopefully someone out there thought about it for a second and possibly it changed one of the hundreds of potentially life threatening choices we make daily in our cars.

But what a great free thing to give.

Jacy Good lost both of her parents to a distracted driver. Hear her testimony here. If only someone would have given their attention.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwAUkh_7pKA]

Some Car Crash Facts

I just Googled "unusual car crash facts" and came across an article by InfoBarrel. Here are the facts with my *thoughts. 1. About 40% of crashes that are fatal involve alcohol. If the accident takes place between midnight and 3am the percentage increases to about 75%.

***having been a waitress I can unofficially confirm that most people on the roads in the evening have been drinking. I used to be amazed at the amount of drunk or highly buzzed people getting into their cars at the valet line as I walked back to my car after my shift. So, there's my research there. Oh and just living life, I think we might be able to concur on this fact. Although MADD has done an AMAZING job at helping lower the amount of drunk drivers!

2. On average 15 pedestrian school children are killed by school buses each year. These deaths tend to take place between 3pm and 4pm on weekdays.

**This is news to me.

3. Survey's suggest that male drivers cause twice as many accidents as female drivers.

**I can say that the couple of times I have felt very unsafe have been with young male drivers. Either trying to show off for me, this was a long time ago, or show off for the other males in the car. I believe this one. Which make me wonder, ladies does a speeder turn you on or a safe driver?

4. Different types of car accidents include head on collisions, rollovers, rear enders, suicides, side impacts and more. The most deadly of these accidents are the vehicle rollovers.

**My best friend in LA died in a rollover in 2008 here. Sucks all around.

5. People between the ages of 16-20 face a higher chance of being injured or killed in a car crash over any other age group.

**disheartening, teenagers are such a different mentality. I kind of understand this one.

6. Most car accidents actually occur within 5 kilometres from home. There is a common misconception that car accidents occur while travelling to a vacation destination, but this is not the case.

**Easy to forget this one.

7. Car accidents are the most common and most deadly source of personal injury in the world.

**Hellooooooo world. Let's change this.

8. Cars that are more prone to accidents are sports cars and hatchbacks. Although cars that have a bigger engine that have the greatest chance in being in a car accident.

**Wondering what the variable is, the sports car or the driver of a sports car? Why do cars with bigger engine have the greatest chance of getting into a car accident? That requires a google or my human google machine, my spouse. OK just googled it and Freakonomics answered that. Here is what they say:

Ever since the SUV craze began in the late 1980s, we’ve all known that heavier vehicles are safer for those driving them, but more dangerous for others on the road. Which is why we all started driving them.

We show that, controlling for own-vehicle weight, being hit by a vehicle that is 1,000 pounds heavier results in a 47% increase in the baseline fatality probability. Estimation results further suggest that the fatality risk is even higher if the striking vehicle is a light truck (SUV, pickup truck, or minivan).

9. Each year, approximately 300,000 teens are injured in a car crash. In the United States alone 5,000 teens die each year. On average that equals to 14 teens a day.

**Very sad. Moms, we need to change this stat. Stat.

10. Your chances of getting into a car crash while talking on a cellphone increases by 400%.

**Get off your phone while driving. Get your friends of their phones. Get your mom off her phone and dad. Never, ever worth it.

How 9/11 Affected our Roads

An interesting article from The Guardian UK says that after 9/11 a lot of people were afraid to fly and therefore took to the roads. But according to Professor Gerd Gigerenzer, a German academic specialising in risk, has estimated that an extra 1,595 Americans died in car accidents in the year after the attacks – indirect victims of the tragedy.(Guardian UK)

He goes on to say something really insightful about how we humans operate:

"We have an evolutionary tendency to fear situations in which many people die at one time. This is likely a hold-over from when we lived in small groups, where the death of a small part of the group could place the lives of everyone else in jeopardy.

"That's no longer the case, but it is very difficult to elicit the same fear for the same number of deaths spaced over a year."

So maybe our evolution is to look at in regards to the fact that so many of us just glaze over the high number of car crashes annually. Around 40,000.

I love this part "But decision-making is defensive. Politicians would be held responsible if a plane had crashed when flying through the ash cloud. If people are killed because they are forced to take their car instead, they are not blamed."

I feel there is a culture of blame in the USA. Yet, we don't hold personal responsibility as closely when it is actually something we could change. We could prevent a lot of our car crashes. We might be slightly inconvenienced, slowing down or just letting someone who makes a bad move in their car have more space, realize they are just driving unsafely.

Explaining Fix The Toaster to My Mom

I let my mom know about Fix The Toaster.

She looked at me like, oh no, what are you doing now.

In trying to explain Fix The Toaster I explain I want to do what MADD has done for drunk driving but for basically just for all people driving cars. It literally sounds ridiculous to explain because it is so simple and basic, yet so many people are not doing it.

My mom laughed and said, "Sounds like you want to say, Just try to pay the hell attention when you drive!" We both laughed and she said that could be my new slogan.

Taking Action to Bring Attention to All These People Dying By Car Crashes

OK. So, I don't have all the answers about what to do. I'm trying to bring about discussion and awareness to the fact over 1/2 million fellow Americans have died in car crashes since 9/11.

What color ribbon do I wear for that cause? Oh wait. Nothing. We are currently accepting this statistic as a given because our roadways have become a place of battle. Literally we are killing ourselves and each other.

I did indeed put pen to paper though and wrote a letter to a local paper.

Here is it.

Chances are maybe one person will begin to think differently about the importance of driving their 5,000 vehicle close to 40 next to my 26 pound toddler next time we pass on the street.

Certainly the man who tailed me down our loverly quiet street yesterday didn't read it or doesn't really give a....

Well anyways, it's a start.

I encourage you to write your local paper. I'd love to hear about it!! Let's get this movement going.

Have You Liked Us On Facebook?

I hate to grovel but I'm told Facebook is a great way to spread the word about your organization. If you have an interested in lowering the amount of people dying in car accidents please help us spread the word of Fix The Toaster by liking us on Facebook.

Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today my two little boys drive back to me from the mountains. My husband will drive them as safely as possible. I can only hope that people around them will do their absolute best to pay attention to the road, not be distracted, drive responsibly.

I know of course that people will die on the roads today.

You might think I'm paranoid but the truth is the most dangerous thing you or your child does is get in the car and go somewhere.

About 780 people die in vehicular crashed every week in our country, an average of one every 13 minutes. (NHTSA)

Here is to hoping people will try their best to get there and let others do the same.

There are so many people excited to see one another walk through the door.

Crash vs Accident

I'm enjoying finding other people out there who are vocalizing their frustration with traffic safety issues. I just found man on Twitter, Gary Kavanagh @GaryRidesBikes, who had some insight into using the word accident.

He tweeted: "...accident muddles responsibility, but many knowingly take risks & break laws, & sometimes cars used as weapons intentionally."

He went on to say: "......I started to default to saying traffic collision, crash or similar language, but never accident..."

I had not thought about that. Every time I write car accident and really the whole purpose of this blog is to convince peoples minds and hearts that many of these are not accidents, the majority, majorly.

So I will use car crash or car collision.

Yesterday I asked where someone was who normally picks up out trash and the new guy said he'd been in an accident. What happened, I asked.

The car started to slide, it was raining and it flipped, he said. The way he spoke about it made it sounded as if the car was alive. I find a lot of people talk about car crashes that way.

The guy will be alright, he's injured and of course my heart goes out to him. I'm commenting more on the way the other guy spoke about the crash as if the car just lost it. Again, we have lost it.

Thanksgiving is One Of the Deadliest Holidays

Sorry, that is not a very uplifting title. But is is the truth and the truth seems to be ignored or accepted and that, to me, is ridiculous.

According to an article from Forbes:

In 2008, "502 people were killed on the road that day. On a typical day, 102 people die in traffic accidents. Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for AAA, says the combined factors of more than 50% more drivers on the road and higher-than-usual alcohol consumption contribute to its danger."

502 people died on Thanksgiving!!! In their cars.

That's nuts.

Yet, we don't talk about it. When I talk about it often I'm met with smirks. But when I keep talking people usually become somber and say, yeah, yeah, it is weird.

I hope you and your loved ones have a safe and nice holiday.

The facts are a lot of people will die in the next week in car accidents. But I guess that is currently the American way. My family will be on the roads as well. It is hard for me to put us in a car, zipping along, knowing the numbers in my head. On California freeways. But I don't want my fear to cripple me or my kids. So I will put my beloved treasures out there. And just hope. While of course, driving as safely as I can.