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Drive Safer: Get a FREE Phone Headset!
Feb 6, 2009

Distracted driving - especially for teens and young adults - is a major cause of vehicle accidents.  Mobile phone use while driving is at the top of the list of distractions, and while I'd love for there to be a way to disable phones while the car is in motion (like they do for GPS navigation systems), using a headset while on the phone will significantly reduce the distraction level.  It would be much like talking to a passenger, and while not as good as no distraction, is a much-improved reduction in risk factor.

Entering the onine world is FreeHeadset.org, which offers free headsets to people with the intention that it will reduce the occurance of motor vehicle accidents due to cell phone use.  You still have to pay for shipping, which they were able to reduce down to $3.94, but considering the usual price for a headset, I think that is more than fair.

Please - if you simply cannot resist the urge to use the phone while driving and you don't have a headset - visit  http://www.freeheadset.org and order a headset for your mobile phone.  Most importantly, once you receive it, use it!

They also have a Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6675985745

Regards,
Mrs. Malee Holland
Founder, Drive Aware for a Safer Traffic Environment

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Posted: Feb 6, 2009 12:16pm
Charter for Compassion
Nov 10, 2008

Join the world at www.charterforcompassion.org to write the Charter for Compassion. The Charter brings together the voices of people from all religions. It seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world. The Charter is a result of Karen Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize wish.

On November 11, 2008, Charter for Compassion will become publicly active.  All religious and secular beliefs are welcome. Members will also be able to upload video.  You may watch the video and join here:

http://charterforcompassion.org/

There is also a Charter for Compassion group on Facebook.

Please, if you are multilingual, we need help translating the mission statement video into other languages.  You can help with that here:

http://dotsub.com/view/767c68bb-db0f-4bf3-87bb-dfce18217f68

 

You can read about Karen Armstrong and her 2008 TED Prize here:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/162

Thanks for your support.

Regards,

Malee Holland

 
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Posted: Nov 10, 2008 6:32am
DriveCam Video Clips
Apr 16, 2008
Nothing wakes you up to the hazards of driving like seeing videos of actual driving mistakes:

http://www.drivecam.com/drivecam-videos.asp

(You will need to view it on Internet Explorer and plug in ActiveX if you don't have it)

Some of the clips come with an event analysis document. This is much more useful than the randomly-caught videos added to YouTube.
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Posted: Apr 16, 2008 4:16pm
My Issue With Rubbernecking
Mar 2, 2008
Most of us get frustrated whenever drivers slow down to gawk at an accident or someone getting a ticket (or a pretty lady holding up a sign for something). There have been explanations about why people do it:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/390267/rubbernecks_exposed_why_people_gawk.html

I used to love watching horror films when I was younger. I'd never flinch at any gory scenes, but eventually, the slasher-type gore-fests became rather mundane and monotonous, so now I prefer more suspense-based horror movies. When Faces Of Death came out, however, I was appalled and insulted. I refused to watch it. It was one thing to watch dramatized make-believe stuff, but someone real who was loved and had parents and people grieving was having their final moments exploited as entertainment fodder, and I wasn't about to let someone profit from me with something like that. Likewise, something about rubbernecking somehow to me is an affront to the unfortunate people's dignity.

Documentaries are a different matter. I will always watch those, about things like the Holocaust, unethical and animal abuses. It is very painful for me to watch those, but it is important to know what really happens so that people will always remember what can happen and do what they can to prevent it from happening again.

My main concern with the type of voyeurism involved in an activity such as rubbernecking is the potential for apathy. Some things you shouldn't get used to, or you might not be affected enough to give a damn and do something about when it really matters. Like when one poor man was getting beaten half to death and begged for help and only 1 man came to his aid in a crowd of onlookers. I don't want us to become barbarians again, a throw-back to when "civilized" Rome watched gladiators kill each other for sport and watched Christians get eaten alive by hungry lions.

Besides, your risk of getting into an accident greatly increases when you are distracted while driving, that includes rubbernecking:

http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/personal_injury/car/statistics.html

"Car accident statistics indicate 98 percent of reported accidents involve a single distracted driver. Rubbernecking was the highest percentage of single distractions, followed by driver fatigue, looking at scenery or landmarks, passenger or child distractions, adjusting the radio or other music form, and cell phone use."

Someone actually invented a product that is supposed to help prevent it:

http://www.rubberneckless.com/index.htm

In any event, show some class, stop ogling, and keep your eyes toward the direction in which you are traveling, OK?? Here, you can even pledge not to rubberneck, at this website:

http://www.stoprubbernecking.org/index.html

Here is a story about rubbernecking that was local to Florida that I noted on C2NN:

http://www.care2.com/news/member/155416174/657830
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Posted: Mar 2, 2008 5:31pm
Watch Video To Help Fight Autism
Jan 9, 2008
I also noted this on C2NN, but I wanted to add it to my shares to make sure you get the opportunity to watch this video!

http://www.care2.com/news/member/155416174/595590

For every view, Five For Fighting will donate 40 cents to Autism Speaks.
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Posted: Jan 9, 2008 12:59pm
The Right Time, The Right Place
Sep 20, 2007
Yesterday, I was driving Penny to her Safe Start water survival class at the YMCA in Lake Nona (Orlando, FL), which shares a building with Northlake Park Community School (pre-K through 5th grade). The main road on the way there, Narcoosee, has a posted speed limit of 45 MPH. I won't lie: I usually go about 5 miles over the speed limit in a 45-50 MPH zone as long as there aren't many other cars around. About 1/2 a mile from the turn onto the road leading to the school, a man zooms by me and a truck in front me at what must have been at least 70 MPH, changes lanes and turns at the same road we soon after turn at.

Despite his rush, we pretty much arrive at the school at the same time. He pulls up in front of the building and goes in to pick up his child as I park my car in the lot. I get Penny unloaded and into her carrier and walk toward the building. He comes out and ushers his daughter into the car. Aloud I said, without any hostility, "Wow, you were going really fast back there! Maybe you should give yourself more time!" He glanced toward me as he quickly hops into the driver seat and shuts the door. Another parent walking near me gives me a pat on the shoulder, smiles, and says that it really has begun to look like a highway out on Narcoossee lately.

You might not have the gumption for this approach. It may seem too forward, even risky. I have to choose my battles, of course. If you decide to try this, I suggest that you should always try to be kind but straightforward, and reserve this type of commentary for when everyone involved is not actively driving, and certainly try to gauge the temperament of the person and the environment you are in before proceeding. If the other person ends up looking for an argument, immediately apologize and move on. The goal is awareness, not a battle of wills. Even if they don't appreciate your "observation," they may think twice next time around to avoid scrutiny. Or they may not. It might be worth a try, right?
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Posted: Sep 20, 2007 2:31pm
National Teen Driver Safety Week
Sep 18, 2007
Focus: Safety
Action Request: Canvass
Location: United States
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in the United States. The 110th Congress passed a resolution on September 5th to make the third week of October "National Teen Driver Safety Week" in order to increase public awareness of teen driving issues and promote safer driving by young adults.

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/hc165_eh.xml

A national survey conducted by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia showed "a national need to increase overall awareness about the safe use of electronic hand-held devices, the risk of nighttime and fatigued driving, the importance of consistent seatbelt use, and the practice of gradually increasing driver privileges over time as a young driver gains more experience under supervised conditions."

Please spread the word to friends, family and neighbors about the need to help our youngest drivers drive safer.

Here is the URL for the "Keeping Young Drivers Safe" program sponsored by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:

http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=86589
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Posted: Sep 18, 2007 11:28am
The Link Between Bad Road Manners and Road Rage
Aug 31, 2007
There has been research done on the relationship between road rage and bad road etiquette, and it has shown a definite connection (see post on links for more information). The usual scenario is that the person not at fault who experiences the rude behavior gets angry. While it is important to help people with anger management issues get a grip on their aggressive tendencies, it is equally important in the quest for incident prevention to reduce the likelihood of these people getting outrageously miffed in the first place.

In case any such rude persons might actually be reading this (which chances are beyond remote), I will beseech them to wit:

Those among the die-hard assertive A-types may have the hardest time with this idea, but honestly, you're really not losing your "cojones" by being a courteous driver: Think of it as successfully completing the task of transit in the most efficient way possible by conquering the gauntlet of potential-for-rudeness pitfalls. If you're just plain nasty and truly enjoy it, then wait until you are not in or near any cars to be an ass, such that any fall-out from your dirty-rotten-scoundrel antics hopefully won't involve tons of metal and gasoline.

A note to those of you who are in a vehicle that has any information about your business on it: You're still an ambassador for your business even if you're not on the clock as long as you are in your company vehicle and everyone else on the road knows what business you work for.  It's usually not the employees but the owners and independent contractors who drive rudely.  I have a mental list of companies that will never, ever experience my patronage due to inconsiderate driving by someone in their company vehicle.

I've noticed that sometimes, the passenger and not the driver will be the one who gets verbally rude on the road (they'll roll down their window and basically cat-call you). I remember doing that once when I was ten: I heckled at someone out of the passenger window and the day camp driver who was taking me home immediately put me in my place. If you have relatives or friends who indulge in this heckle-and-run tendency, suggest that they either choose a more appropriate time and place for a public opinion outlet or they can stay out of your car. They're not really doing you a favor.

Not all incidences of road rage can be avoided by becoming angels on the road, but if most people were as nice in their cars as they are face-to-face, I'm sure it would greatly reduce the occurrences of these terrible escalations of temper on the road that lead to violence and tragedy.
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Posted: Aug 31, 2007 6:30am
Links About Driving: Behavior, Perceptions, Advice
Aug 16, 2007
Here are some information resources about driving that you should view:

http://www.drivers.com/topic/3/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/aggdrv.html
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Aggressive%20Web/index.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art41062.asp
http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/
http://www.nsc.org/issues/drivsafe.htm
http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/DefensiveDriving/Space/Space.htm
http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/Attitude/Road_rage/RR_1.htm
http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=57

Imported from external blog

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Posted: Aug 16, 2007 12:07pm
Why I started Drive Aware
Aug 16, 2007
Maybe it's only because I'm now a mother of a small child and I am more protective and sensitive to the goings-on in my immediate environment, but I feel like the road has become an increasingly more suspicious, vindictive, and angry place.   It seems like so many drivers move along the roadways with the attitude, "I don't care about anyone else as long as everyone else stays out of my way."

I'm not perfect, either. I'll get frustrated with some rude person on the road and want to have my "say" with them at a light or in a parking lot. I went to defensive driving courses, driver's ed, I even read Zen Driving by K.T. Berger: FIDO (Forget It and Drive On) is easier said than done. It's hard to remain objective when another driver nearly runs you off the road, or crawls up your rear end in traffic. I need help! All of us as a culture of drivers need to help each other, if only in the form of conscientious driving behaviors and perceptions. Ideally, we should be able to provide information to our loved ones and to members of our communities (in relatively safe circumstances), because these growing problems with "road rage," bad road etiquette and lackadaisical driving judgment are inconvenient, costly, and in the worst cases, deadly.

I don't really want to get up on a soap box and rant to the public, I just want to somehow be able to nudge a little sense back into the people who get into their cars every day with the world weighing down on their shoulders, and everything other than the immediate task of getting from here-to-there safely buzzing in their heads. Yes. "sense" is the right word; keep the information sensible. If you know where to look, you can find all kinds of information on the internet and published on paper, but who's looking for it besides you and me?? How do we get appropriate information in front of the people who need to know it so that they are aware of it without it seeming like we're shoving it "in their face?"

Even from my own loved ones, the defensive response is "I'm a great driver!"

It just isn't enough to merely have driving "skill" in order to stay safe on the road.

I am open to ideas.
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Posted: Aug 16, 2007 11:17am

 
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Author

Malee Holland
female, age 44, married, 1 child
Orlando, FL, USA
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