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Feb 05
Casey Feldman was a special girl. Cherished by family, loved by friends, teachers, and professors, Casey was passionate about theatre, chorus, journalism, and life.
On July 17, 2009, Casey was hit by a distracted driver while walking in a crosswalk, and died 5 hours later. She was 21 years old, with her whole life ahead of her.
Tragic stories like these never get any easier to hear, and they are making headlines more and more as the distracted driving epidemic grows increasingly out of control.
Casey’s parents, Joel Feldman and Dianne Anderson, started the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation in hopes that informing the public about the dangers of distracted driving would someday make it so no other parent would have to hear that the death of their child could have been avoided if his or her killer had simply put the phone down when they got in the car.
Joel and Diane have also been very humble and courageous in recognizing that, as parents, it was up to them to set a good example of safe driving habits, and they could have done better.
“Before my daughter Casey was killed by a distracted driver, I drove distracted all the time: making and receiving calls, eating, programming the GPS while driving and reaching for objects. My family and I changed the way we drive only after Casey was killed…parents all across the country are texting, eating, sending emails, putting on makeup and making phone calls with their children in the car. Our children are the most important people in the world to us, yet we take chances driving with them in the car. How can we ever explain that?”
Full ArticleBy admitting they could have set a better example, Casey’s parents compel other parents to examine their own driving behaviors and clean up their act for the sake of their kids, and that is exactly what we need. Parents and role models teaching safe driving by example is the beginning of a widespread social consciousness of the sheer recklessness of distracted driving.
It's not too late to start driving safe.
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Jan 29
The age old battle between men and women over who is the safer or better driver may have some new ammunition. The results are in: these distractions affect men and women behind the wheel in the following ways:
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Jan 25
A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about what a surprising impact parents' driving habits have on young drivers. Today we came across this video by BeSmartBeWell.com, which really "drives home" some of the main points on this issue... well worth taking a look:
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Jan 23
Dear Cellphone,
We've been together for so long, I can't remember life without you. Our relationship has grown a lot since the early days- in the beginning, all you could do was send and receive calls, but now you do so many great things for me, things no one ever imagined you could do! You wake me up in the morning, you remind me when I have a doctor’s appointment on the other side of town in 20 minutes, you allow me to chat with my friends about everything and nothing in the grocery store parking lot. You are the source of endless “I told you so”s to friends with your easy access to a world of information, and provide me entertainment any time I want (Angry Birds); You are the music humming in the background while I work. I can tell you to do things, and even though you get mixed up sometimes, you try to listen.
You are improving on these things and learning to do countless others all the time, not to mention you’re getting thinner and better looking every year!
Though I love having you around all the time, I’ve realized that you can sometimes be pretty controlling. I allow you to control a lot of my attention; I need to be able to make the decision to ignore you if my focus needs to be elsewhere. You can still be there for me, but I don’t want you trying to tell me that, for instance, my mother in law sent me a text, and expect me to read it while I’m driving (that one especially had better wait until I’m alone and very calm). I’m just saying I need to be able to say “no” if you try to tell me things that would distract me, and could risk my life and the lives of those around me. You really don’t always know what’s best for me at every moment, and sometimes I forget that.
That is why, from now on, we need to establish some boundaries… I will wait until I turn off the car to look at you or hold you. I will refrain from any activity with you that could put me or others in danger. Yes, you do a lot for me, and I appreciate that, but you have to realize that you can’t command my attention at all times! I wish I could say I don’t need you, but I do. Trust me, this is for the best.
Love,
G.
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Jan 15
We'll have to wait and see if it's more dangerous than the technology we already have!
New technology is introduced every day; some of it signifies groundbreaking developments, making life easier or tasks more efficient. Unfortunately, many of these exciting new advances can double as dangerous new distractions when coupled with driving.
You may have seen the following article regarding the Consumer Electronics Show last week, discussing new technologies that will soon be available in consumer vehicles. A few of these innovations raised some flags for us here at ORIGO™ due to their potential to distract drivers, and, as the article states, may give the NHTSA a fit when they find out about them (I’m sure they already have!).
“On display (at the Consumer Electronics Show) is an explosion of in-car apps, Internet services -- even behind-the-wheel video conferencing -- that is bound to send government officials screaming about driver distraction. And with more advanced technology, including self-driving cars, rapidly rolling out, rulemakers are finding it hard to keep up.”(full article)
Yes, you read correctly- that last part is about self-driving cars. Based on this article, I wouldn’t count on seeing one of those anytime soon, so for now let’s focus on minimizing the amount of distraction caused by these other potentially dangerous gadgets, including the cell phones we already carry everywhere we go! It doesn't take a space-age touch screen to cause a wreck!
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Jan 07
Though your teenager may pretend to ignore you, they may be paying more attention than you think, especially when you’re behind the wheel.
Actually, parents’ driving patterns are observed by their children from an early age, and may have something to do with their little passengers’ driving behaviors further down the road (so to speak!). According to a recent study involving 400 teams of teens and parents, the adults had no idea what an impact their driving had on the youngsters, or how frequently their teens performed dangerous activities like eating or texting (proven to be the most dangerous behavior on the road) while at the wheel. The study showed that parents who exhibited distracted driving behavior were more likely to have teens with the same issues.
Years of observation of your behavior in the car can make or break a good teen driver. According to Dr. Tina Sayer, principal engineer at Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center,
"Driver education begins the day a child's car seat is turned around to face front."
Monkey see, monkey do. So if you see your young driver fixing his or her hair, eating, or (*gasp*) texting, make sure you can say they didn't learn it from you! Whether your kid turns out to be a good example to other teens, or turns out to be part of the dangerous problem we have on our hands right now with distracted driving running rampant is up to you. Model responsible behavior at the wheel for the sake of your teens and the safety of our roads!
Modeling safe behavior ties neatly into what we are doing here at ORIGO™ to stop handheld cell phone use, the #1 killer on our roads today. The ORIGO™ solution is not just for parents to “impose” on teens to force them to drive safe. It is a choice the whole family can make to ensure that they can all resist the temptation to perform these dangerous activities while driving, and set a good example for the little ones wiggling in the car seat or the bigger ones with the iPods blaring who are still more impressionable than they’d ever let on. The most dangerous thing we do every day is getting behind the wheel of a car.
Let’s work together to make it a lot safer.
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Jan 03
Okay, calling him the "world's dumbest driver" may be a little harsh, but this video depicts a very serious issue. If sending/recieving a text while driving takes the driver's eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds (the equivalent of driving the length of a football field, blind, at 55 mph), we can't imagine how long this driver is speeding down the road without even looking where he's headed during his movies-on-the-go.
Josh can't be the only one doing this irresponsible activity, and we know he isn't the only one texting while driving (6,000 people were killed last year by distracted drivers). For your safety, and the safety of all those you share the road with, put the phone down when you get behind the wheel, or better yet, put it in your ORIGOSafe™ and eliminate the ability to use dangerous handheld functions while the car is moving.
Josh, we hope you have wised up!
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Jan 02
It probably goes without saying that at ORIGO, we spend a good portion of our time learning about distracted driving. Unfortunately, we’ve discovered that some people seem to think it’s okay to do just about anything while driving. Yes, we’ve come across all the usual suspects: Hair Brushers, Fry Munchers, Makeup Dabbers, Newspaper Browsers, Frantically-Texting Knee-Steerers, even a guy who watched entire Netflix movies on his phone while speeding around town! We thought we had just about seen it all…Until this showed up in our newsfeed:
“Police in the Saarland region of Germany pulled over a Ford Mondeo wagon last week for going about 80 mph in a 62-mph zone. Inside they found a Staples shopping spree in the front seat: a laptop with docking station, a router and wi-fi antenna tied to a cellular data stick, a printer and a power inverter to keep it all humming. The driver had taken some precautions toward distracted driving by mounting his cellphone to the windshield for hands-free use.
The setup looks messy and dangerous -- but as American police are finding, writing a ticket for distracted driving requires a tough level of proof. The German authorities didn't cite the Mondeo driver for any violations, because they didn't see him playing Michael Scott behind the wheel. I hope he's not one of those readers who needs to print out his emails to read them.” -Justin Hyde, Motoramic
Yes, this is extreme, but the biggest problem of all is that it doesn’t take a set up like this to cause a deadly accident. In 2012, 6,000 people were killed in the United States due to texting on a single cell phone while driving.
When you text and drive, you endanger yourself and everyone on the road. Next time you get behind the wheel, put the phone down, or better yet, in your ORIGO™.
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Dec 31
We can't believe it's already 2013! Let's celebrate! Responsibly! You know better than to drink and drive, but unless you saw our last post, you may not know that texting while driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving. Here's an idea: How about making a New Year's resolution not to text or use any other handheld functions of your phone while driving? Think about what a difference even one person with full focus on the road could make. Unlike resolving to quit biting your nails or stop eating fast food, putting a stop to texting while driving is a resolution you can keep, because you care about your safety and the safety of others! Let's work together to make our roads safer in 2013!
Happy New Year!
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Dec 26
It’s a Fact: Texting while driving has proven to be even more dangerous than drinking and driving. Almost 6,000 deaths are caused each year due to texting while driving. Switzerland-based Zurich Insurance Group introduced an ad campaign last month to raise awareness about the dangers of this hazardous activity.
Look familiar? You might have seen a similar comparison between the dangers of texting at the wheel and drinking and driving in an ORIGO™ video we made a few months back. The good people at Zurich Insurance Group have definitely got the right idea. We need to raise awareness about the dangers of texting, and all other handheld cell phone use, while driving. The change begins with you. When you get behind the wheel, give the cell phone a rest.