You get a little of everything in this blog...just random stuff I hope is helpful in some way.....
Once we are parents....we have an obligation to stay alive. That may sound strange but there are so many accidents that could be prevented.

I remember hearing for years "Speed does not kill (speaking of driving fast)...people do."
So during one of our career fairs at BYU we had a representative of the Utah Highway Patrol there to interview students who might be interested in that line of work. I had a chance to talk to him so I asked the question I ALWAYS have wanted to ask....DOES SPEED KILL? He said definitely yes because anything that happens to a driver on any road can be handled much better if the vehicle is traveling at lower speeds. If a dog runs out in front of your car and you swerve to miss it--will it matter if you are going 20 or 40? Yes, it will.  The higher the speed the more likely you will roll your vehicle.

Anyway, in a recent issue of THE UNIVERSE (a campus newspaper published daily at BYU) there was an article giving some interesting and helpful information on one of our newer road challenges--TEXTING WHILE DRIVING. I will cite some of it for you:

What are the five most common causes of ROAD FATALITIES in Utah?  (Even though you may not live in Utah I think you will find this helpful)

There were 219 road fatalities in Utah in 2013 according to  zerofatalities.org

11 were caused by "distracted driving"  (texting is an example of this problem)


12 by "drowsy driving"
28 by "impaired driving"
50 by "aggressive driving"
71 by "improper restraint"

A USDOT study reported drivers are TWENTY-THREE (23) TIMES  more likely to crash if they text while driving.  A single mother of three was hit by a distracted driver in 2013 while she crossed University Ave in Provo and died hours later.

According to the official US government website for distracted driving, "sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent---at 55 mph---of driving the length of an entire football field , blind."
A Provo PD representative said " Don't talk on the phone and drive because you just might be distracted."

Solution?  Get rid of the distraction altogether.  Leave your phone in your pocket while driving, give it to a passenger, or pull over if you need to use it.
Would you drive drunk?  Probably not.  It has been said many times that texting while driving is as bad as or worse than drunk driving."  Let's VOTE FOR SAFETY. Parents, your kids need you alive.  And your teen-age drivers will imitate what they see you do in driving  your car.  Do  you want them texting or talking to friends while driving?  Better talk about it with them and then set a good example.

Observations from your favorite local Orem self appointed safety advisor...Dr Jim MacArthur