CELL PHONES CAUSE CRASHES

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

CELL PHONES CAUSE CRASHES
ROCHESTER, NY: Colby C. was driving his pickup truck towards downtown on State Street at evening rush hour. There were numerous one-handed drivers with the other hand holding their right ear. These Kodak workers must have a lot of ear aches. No, on closer look they all had cell phones pushed against their heads. Probably calling home to say they were just leaving the "yellow box' and placing their dinner order with the kids who do the cooking because both parents work. .
When you consider that for some it takes 2 hands to "dial" these portables, there was a lot of inattentive no-hands driving going on. Of course, the more agile “cellers” can press the buttons with the thumb of the hand holding the phone. What an invitation to disaster. Some, I suppose, connected while waiting at the traffic light and were only doing semi-unsafe one-handed driving. Or they were using a no-hands earphone accessory which safety experts say is just as dangerous because inattention to driving is present still..
Driving while using a cell phone is unlawful in some states. Be safe, stop at the road-side to connect and to talk. Driving concentration drops 20% while pressing buttons and even 30% during engrossing talk. Newer research claims that unsafe driving habits continue for 4 minutes after the cell call is completed. Wonder if our auto radios have a similar effect?
Cell phones are a wonderful invention. No need to recite most of the benefits. The outstanding one for drivers is the ability to call for help when car trouble develops. This is especially needed when in strange areas.
One cold midnight, Carolyn D's diesel Rabbit lost its cooling water and the engine "blew" on unpatrolled I-181. She was located finally, cold and scared, at 5:00 am. That was before cell phones. Now she carries one in her purse most of the time. It is cheap insurance.
GHD62 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp

THEY DON’T BUILD THEM LIKE THEY USED TO

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

THEY DON’T BUILD THEM LIKE THEY USED TO
DETROIT, MI: Looking back at the new autos of 45 years ago, today's safety improvements are astounding. What is the expected today was just a gleam in a safety engineer's eye back then, if even that. Those who were driving that long ago probably had no thought of safety belts, air bags, side protective steel beams, safety glass, padding, collapsing steering columns, 5 mile bumpers, crumple zones, anti-lock brakes, halogen headlights, cell phones, ground positioning system, satellite radio and the list goes on. For more such discussion please go to my feature article “Then and Now” at this URL http://www.aarp.org/life/drive/drivered/Articles/a2004-06-22-thenandnow.htm

In 1966 there were 5.5 fatalities for each 100 million miles driven. By 1994 the safety improvements had reduced this to 1.7 deaths. None-the-less in '66 alone we killed off 50,894 persons (about the same number we lost in Vietnam). By '94 that had dropped to 40,676 despite the total miles driven having doubled. And by 2003 with number of miles driven increased again the number of fatalities increased to over 42,000 and 2.9 million injuries.
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Is killing only 42,000 persons a year something to be accepted? Not if it is you or your loved one that’s gone! What will you do to stop this killing? Or is your attitude that it is less than die each year from smoking related illness?
GHD61 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp

ALCOHOL KILLS (AGAIN)

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

ALCOHOL KILLS (AGAIN)
NASHVILLE, TN: Drunk pickup truck driver, Clay, in Nashville, slammed a Christmas- shopping pregnant young mother against a sidewalk pole. Both mother and fetus were killed. The drunk driver had 4 previous DUI convictions. On that terrible day he had downed 26 beers. His blood alcohol was 3 times the legal limit.

He will serve a maximum 9 years in prison. Some punishment for a criminal who makes a career of using a vehicle as a deadly weapon! And its not so much the punishment as the fear that when he gets out he will do it again. The victim was the daughter of a Federal Judge. Following this the TN Senate passed a bill, 96-0, to define a new felony of aggravated vehicular homicide. Conviction leads to a maximum of 60 years prison. Then most killer drunks likely will get a plea-bargained 15 to 25 years.

With the still growing use of alcohol and other lawful and unlawful chemical substances we will see more of these repeated crimes. We can take away their driver license but that hardly stops this type from driving. Perhaps they should have a scarlet "DUI" tattooed on their foreheads. Tennessee has a law requiring local police to confiscate the vehicle on a 2nd DUI conviction. Proceeds from its sale are to be used for rehab treatment of those who cannot otherwise afford it..
GHD60 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp

SAFETY DOES NOT SELL

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

SAFETY DOES NOT SELL!
TALLAHASSEE, FL: Safe driving expert Paul C. says, "safety doesn't sell". Is this a surprise to anyone? It shouldn't be. Think about auto safety belts. Just over75% of us use them regularly. Many would not have them in their vehicles if they had still the option of paying extra for them. When air bags were an option, many chose to not pay for them for front passengers even though they save injury, lives, and money.

And so it is with safe driving classes for those over age 50. A lot of older drivers are unwilling to spend $10 and 8 hours to learn how to compensate for the inevitable changes due to aging. That is, they are unwilling, until their state legislature requires all auto insurance companies to give an extra premium incentive to those who complete voluntarily such a classroom course. Then the senior citizens flock in. Some even demand that a course be set up for them "tonight" because their new policy period starts tomorrow and they want the full discount.

Where have they been these past 24 years when all they could get was mere safety? Ah, the power of money! Interestingly, a few hours into the course and most decide that truly they are learning worthwhile ways to be safer. Even the macho males who start out by saying that they have been driving for 45 years, have good driving skills and do not need this class, admit that it is worthwhile. Some of the women and men "graduates" become such true believers that they sign up to be a volunteer Instructor/Facilitator of future classes.
GHD59 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp