#WarOnCarDeaths is Not Trending

Today I was about to post something to FB in regards to the Ebola outbreak. My husband and I agreed it wasn't the best idea.

I never want to see anyone in pain. So I always want to make sure I never offend or belittle another situation where someone is dying or dead.

My point was essentially that Ebola, while terrifying, is all over the news yet car crashes are not and they are killing nearly 110 Americans daily.

I tweeted and here is the exchange.

@FixTheToaster imagine a condition that kills 35000 Americans a year. Instead of WarOnCancer we'd have #WarOnCarDeaths. Unless: money.

— Vannevar Bush (@VannevarB) August 2, 2014

This person gets me. I love that hashtag #WarOnCarDeaths.

I have written about how car crashes are like cancer but we don't fight them like cancer.

Anyways, loved that person's hashtag. 

Being the Only Road Safety Advocate at BlogHer

I went to BlogHer last week.

I wrote about it how it pertained to my other projects here and here.

In regards to Fix The Toaster, I was the only road safety advocate there.

Car crashes are the #1 cause of death to kids.

Something is not adding up, right? People responded well to it but.....who knows. All I know is the media is currently forcing Ebola down our throats and yes it's awful and scary but around 700 have died since February, I don't know something like that.

And a little over 700 Americans die weekly in America.

To mostly preventable car crashes.

I came home feeling like as if I didn't connect as much as I wanted to on that level. In my email inbox was an email from a mom who lost her daughter to a preventable car crash.

My heart went out to her and I know there is a space and a need for this conversation.

And a rage that should be taking place but somehow is taking forever to get going.

Safe Kids & Thunder Clap

The Fix The Toaster event is coming up on August 17th. I'm really humbled and thrilled that a speaker from Safe Kids has made arrangements to be at the event.

The space is 1/4th filled, get your ticket. Really it will be good.

I'm also excited to be starting a Thunder Clap, should be approved in 24 hours so get ready for that. Just something that interests me. Another way to get the message out there.

Again, I'm off to BlogHer this week. Any road safety enthusiasts, let's talk.

The De-Humanizing Way News Heads Talk About Car Crashes

Thanks to all who joined my Twitter party last night.

One topic that stuck with me or should I say the way people responded to, was how morning news anchors talk about car crashes. Or even DJ's on the radio.

"4 car collision on the 10 West, you will want to avoid that like the plague. We've also got an overturned vehicle on Robertson, but they are getting that cleared up really fast. So don't worry LA, enjoy the beautiful weather we have out there!"

I can't watch or listen without being unable to get the irony.

These are people talking about people and they don't even humanize the situation. Would you talk about cancer victims this way?

Someone bitten by a shark this way?

I think of Elizabeth Banks character from "The Hunger Games" making these announcements. Only it's news anchors all over, every single morning. 

Wake up news heads.

We need a mental shift to happen and you have to help humanize car crashes so people get that these are preventable and it's sad. 

Not that is is an inconvenience.

NEW: Fix The Toaster PSA

Well, here is the PSA that my husband I shot yesterday, I edited today and done before dinner. Hopefully it gets the point across.

Of course I would love to cover tailgating and speeding but a mom's only got so much time. 

Enjoy and please share.

I'm headed to BlogHer next week and I look forward to talking to writers about my passion for road safety.

This video is about Things That Aren't OK

New PSA, In the Works

During nap time and camp time I shot a PSA today.

The first visual I posted was met with some criticism but I assure you smoking while pregnant is just an example, to me, of something we used to do. A lot of us. Like my grandma. 

But now we know better.

Yet, we know better, in regards to distracted driving and we still do it.

Some editing to happen and the PSA is on the way.

Free Decals For Your Trash That Encourage People to Slow Down

I have had a few community meetings encouraging other like minded neighbors as to how we can encourage others to slow down.

One source of great resource has been Keep Kids Alive Drive 25.

Their first national sponsor, Geico, is helping provide them with these decals that go on your trash can. The thought being that when these go out people read the signs and slow down.

I have purchased these signs and have them staked in my front yard as well as other neighbors. 

They do slow people down.

For more information click here and you can get some for your neighborhood.

Stop Shooting Videos & Photos While Driving

Lately I have seen some prominent parent bloggers shoot some selfies while driving and also make short funny video while driving.

Image from http://news.boldride.com/2014/03/selfies-causing-more-drivers-to-have-accidents/45766/

I've also seen these people talk about how important it is to make sure you install your car seat correctly.

I'm sure that these people care about humanity but once again there is a massive disconnect between how what we do behind the wheel matters.

Stop making videos and snapping photos while you are driving.

It is promoting un-safe driving.

Twitter Party Next Thursday July 18th at 7:00PM PST

Please join me for a Twitter party next Thursday, July 18th at 7PM PST. Let's talk about road safety.

Use the hashtag #fixthetoaster 

Some people say my site's name is weird. Then I explain what it's about and they get it. This is a picture of a man on a horse leading two other horses down Hollywood. That looked weird. But if I asked him perhaps it wouldn't be so weird.

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Hope you'll make it.

I will be heading to BlogHer in two weeks. Please let me know if any of you road safety advocates will be headed there.

Fix The Toaster is Headed to BlogHer

Fix The Toaster is headed to BlogHer in two weeks.

I'm very excited to talk to moms about road safety issues and hopefully meet some other like minded women.

Please let me know if you will be there too.

Fix The Toaster Event - August 17th

If you are in Los Angeles please join Fix The Toaster August 17th from 3-5PM to talk about road safety.

It is a free event.

It will be informative, interesting and important. I have a ton of great sponsors lined up. Such as Uber, Club Mom Me, Pretzel Crisps, Orchard Flats, Angel Cake Pops, Faavoredby and Beauty Mom Me.

I'll have experts and survivors give short talks, sharing their experiences and knowledge followed by at 20 minutes Q&A hosted by contributor Shannon Noel of Mommy Tonk.

Please get your FREE ticket here.

Weather Related Car Crashes

Found this article which states

Summer Road Tripping

Yesterday I drove my 3 kids, my nanny and her son to the beach. We live about an hour away with traffic.

My nanny and I share similar fears and beliefs about driving.

Our goal was just to get there safely. And we did. When we left there was some traffic that slowed us down through downtown LA, which ironically I prefer. I'm not a huge fan of barreling down freeways with my kids.

On the way back we got home in 40 due to no traffic. 

Almost every event I take my kids to or my husband does I worry about the car ride. 

If you think I'm paranoid you should know I'm just informed. Car crashes are the #1 cause of death to kids. #1. 

You worry when your kids are playing in the backyard if you have a pool don't you?

A few weeks ago my family road tripped it to Utah.

I had to drink some chamomile tea for that sucker. As Fix The Toaster David Little can tell you it's difficult to know the stats and drive. But we did.

I couldn't believe  the one women driving on the freeway with one hand on her cell and the other hand plugging it in somewhere.

Then I couldn't believe the speed limits of 80 MPH in Utah. Seemed very backwards. At least I didn't have to get a drink ticket or join some kind of drinking club like I did 10 years ago in Utah but 80 MPH!

At one point a semi passed us going 90 MPH!

It felt insane.

I Googled it and it turns out this was just passed last Fall. Despite some officials fearing this would lead to more fatalities they passed it. Of fuck it, so a few people die, at least a lot of people will get to where they are going faster.

Our family rules are that whoever is driving does not use their phone. 

We don't speed and we don't tailgate.

There are a lot of families taking to the roads this summer and I can only plead and beg with you to drive safe.

If you are tired, pull over and get a freaking hotel room. We stayed at some hole in the wall in Nevada at a Best Western. We got two rooms and after camping with the kids and contracting the stomach virus while doing that the Best Western felt like the Four Seasons.

At our campgrounds a man pulled in driving a truck and his bumper sticker said:

"Guns don't kill people, people driving while using their cellphones do."

I appreciated it. 

Because while of course guns do kill people we humans are killing so many more due to the shitty way we are driving.

I still can not believe I see moms taking photos on Instagram of themselves driving!!!

Let me tell you something I understand the car gives good lighting but please stop doing that.

If you are going on a family road trip this summer please tweet or Instagram and use the hashtag #fixthetoaster and #drivesafe.

Myself and my producing partner for Expressing Motherhood, Jessica Cribbs, will be driving from LA to Michigan soon for her annual Rose Run. She packs up her 3 kids and drives cross country Curious to see what she sees.

Let's raise awareness.

Our roads are a war zone make no doubt about it.

Up & Running

The new site is up and running.

Some kinks here and there but I'm figuring it out.

I can't say enough good things about Squarespace. They made it easy.

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Selfies At Stop Lights = Still Not Kosher

Selfies while driving make me yench. Sometimes I'll come across parents driving and snapping a family selfie. It's obvious they are driving because behind them lies a highway with cars obviously moving. Taking a selfie while driving makes me want to yell at that person. To me it is the equivalent of letting a loved one just die of cancer, without a fight. Most people don't do that. Most people seek treatment.

Kendall Jenner, the teenager who is a Kardashian, took a video of herself driving. Incredibly selfish and dangerous.

http://youtu.be/fVXch3W2cms

The problem with selfies at stop lights is that you are picking up your phone when you should not be.

Your brain is being diverted into thinking and looking at your phone and not paying attention to the road before you.

Moms and dads, STOP touching your phone while you drive.

Your kid doesn't know if you are taking a selfie, calling someone or texting. They just see mom and dad using their phone while driving.

Car crashes are the #1 cause of death to young people.

Lead by example.

So no, to bring it back to the beginning, selfies at red lights are not kosher.

Waiting For Answers About the California Bus Crash

Yesterday a Fed Ex truck crossed over unto oncoming traffic and struck a bus. 10 people died.

We are all waiting to hear what happened.

I'm guessing, this is just a guess, excessive speed might have been a possibility but who knows.

It is a crash that has claimed headlines. Many crashes, scratch that, most don't.

But when a lot of people die in on crash they do tend to make the headlines. It has to do with our monkey origins. We tend to be more afraid when a lot of us die at once.

So despite the fact that around 100 Americans die every single day on our roads we will focus on yesterday's tragedy when 10 died.

It is tragic, it's just also tragic we accept the high amount of deaths.

I will be curious to see what they say is the reason to the crash.

I can only hope we will sooner, rather then later, begin to make drastic changes to end the high amount of fatalities. It's incredibly sad so many people had to die yesterday in a collision that possibly could have been prevented.

Drowsy Driving

Last night right before I went to bed I stumbled upon a young woman who lost her life in a car crash. Marina Keegan was a recent Yale graduate when she was a passenger in the car with her boyfriend and they were in a crash.

Marina just had a book of essays published, post-humous.

On the cover stands a beautiful, young woman and in the book are her young thoughts and hopes.

She had a job lined up at the New Yorker. She had been President of the Yale College Democrats. She had so much going for her, it is tragic.

As always though I wanted to know what happened.

According to the Daily News:

Her dreams ended on a Massachusetts road on Saturday when her boyfriend, Michael Gocksch, lost control of his Lexus. The ride slammed into a guardrail, shot across the roadway, hit the opposite guardrail and rolled over twice, police said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cape-car-crash-kills-yale-university-graduate-marina-keegan-article-1.1085418#ixzz2yUXVYVVR

I had to read a few articles. In one someone said her boyfriend "Lost control of the car." One of my least favorite statements.

As if cars were "out of control."

Finally, I just found what happened according to the Huffington Post:

State police said speed wasn't a factor and both were wearing seatbelts. Keegan's father has said Gocksch fell asleep at the wheel.

The reason this story is in the news now, despite her dying in 2012, is because her book was just published.

The headlines quickly skirt of her "tragic car accident."

It is National Distracted Driver Awareness Month, why not mention that car crashes are the #1 cause of death to young people and MOST crashes are avoidable.

I recently wrote about the handful of recent Harvard grads who had died in road crashes.

I can only hope that somewhere at one of these institutions filled with our young, promising people, is someone who is passionate about road safety.

This is from her last essay:

“We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.”

Driving drowsy is yet another form of distracted driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.

For more drowsy driving statistics check click here.