Welcome to Stop The Damage. Hosted by the Brain Injury Association of NJ.
A brain injury can happen to anyone at anytime. The damage can be long lasting…broken bones, cracked skulls, lives torn apart! Often it was from something that could have been prevented. Our goal is to stop the damage!
If you were standing in line at the supermarket, and the person in front of you didn’t notice the line moved forward, you probably wouldn’t give him the finger and start yelling obscenities. You might say something like, “Excuse me.” Most full-grown adults have been taught how to handle problems without swearing and spitting. So if we don’t handle supermarket drama with four-letter words and threats of death, why do we handle road drama this way?
Whether we’ve been the one receiving it, or the one dishing it out, we’ve all experienced road rage. There’s no arguing that car horns are important. They alert other drivers of danger: “Stop! You’re backing up into my car!” “Careful, you’re coming into my lane!” Horns can stop some very bad accidents before they happen. Unfortunately, they’re used just as often to express our annoyance. “You just cut me off, you idiot!” “Green means go, mister!” Is it necessary, in these situations, to lean on the car horn for 3, 5, 10 seconds? Is there a benefit to cursing your fellow Turnpiker and then insulting his mother? Bad manners only escalate anger, and often result in retaliation and more aggression.
It’s pretty clear why road drama turns good people into meanies. 1. Roads are dangerous, so the consequences of making a mistake are serious and make people upset. 2. Unlike on a supermarket line, you and the guy you’re yelling at are separated by glass, metal, and asphalt. Why not take out all your frustrations from work, school, home, and relationships on this driver in front of you? The anonymity provided by a car makes it easy to behave in ways you normally wouldn’t, when face-to-face.
Next time you’re ready to call someone a name you wouldn’t want your grandmother to hear, try and realize that it’s not really you talking, but an engrained culture of bad roadside manner. Then realize that you’re better than that.
After years of improving crash statistics, 2011 saw an increase in the number of people killed on New Jersey’s roadways. According to State Police, seatbelt usage and distracted driving are two factors which contribute to crashes and fatalities on our roadways. Pedestrian fatalities continue to be an issue in New Jersey. Certain areas across the state have higher rates for fatalities. Read more and check out how safe your community is. Click here
This is your opportunity to get involved in your school and community to make a difference. We are seeking high school students throughout New Jersey to develop teen driving safety programs and compete against others schools for a grand prize…a driving simulator for your school. Participating schools will each receive a $1,000 stipend to help implement the project and have the opportunity to win cool prizes…while maybe saving somebody’s life!
Application deadline is November 30th—don’t miss out!
Last year, 19 high school competed against each other and developed amazing projects about driving issues that affect teens. Driving Simulators were awarded to two high schools-Holmdel High School (Monmouth County) and Lenape Regional High School District (Burlington County), but all schools walked away with prizes.
A beautiful Saturday in August turned tragic for teens in Atlantic County who had just finished playing a football game for their high school team. Details of the fatal crash are still not known, however what we do know is that the families, friends and community will never be the same. See link for more information http://usat.ly/rg2qI4.
As parents and teenagers we often think that something like this will not happen to us or our friends, but this is yet another reminder that life can change in an instant. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death and disability for teens. Parents, learn tips to keep your teen safe at www.NJteenDriving.com. Teens-see what other kids have to say at www.UGotBrains.com.
More people traveling and more parties to attend means more risk for making unsafe decisions. Don’t let your teens become a statistic over the holiday!
In 2009, more than 3,000 youth died as a result of a motor vehicle crash and 350,000 were injured. (Source: NHTSA)
Parents, what are your teens doing for the Fourth of July?
Be sure to:
Educate your teens about the safety of using seat belts
Re-enforce GDL Laws
Monitor your teens behavior and ask questions
Encourage your teens to have a voice when they feel they are in unsafe situations
Parent-teen Contracts:
Develop a positive relationship with your teen by talking about the drivnig rules and having them commit by signing a contract. The contracts will give you the opportunity set the standards and your teens will understand that driving is a privilege that should be earned.
How many times have you heard that before? The concept of your first time at the wheel is something so dangerous, so frightening, so nerve-wracking—that it’s beloved. How many teens don’t love the adrenaline rush of taking risks or the satisfaction in showing off to friends extreme unconcern and nonchalance in the face of danger? Besides, everyone drives—surely you alone can’t be all that terrible at it.
The problem is, everyone drives—but not everyone survives.
Equation time!
Desire to show off in front of friends + adrenaline rush + desire to overcome obstacles + desire to be seen as “cool” = forced nonchalance. Forced nonchalance + trust in modern safety technology + knowledge that everyone drives = somewhat uneasy trust in your own driving capabilities. That somewhat uneasy trust in your driving capabilities + a few successful rides = overconfidence.
And then, of course:
Overconfidence + under experience = K.O.
Well, perhaps you won’t actually die the first time you take your eyes of the road or click out a quick text. Perhaps you won’t even crash. Maybe not the first time, or the second time, or the third time… But then, you fall into the trap so many can’t see early enough nor stop themselves from falling into: overconfidence. If you’ve done it a few times, it really can’t be that risky, no?
It is. The more relaxed you get into bad habits, the more your chances of crashing—and possible fatalities—increase. Stay smart. Don’t drive stupid.
As you’ll likely know by now, U Got Brains is holding a statewide competition between nineteen “champion” schools in New Jersey, with each school creating a campaign to promote safe driving. And funnily enough, teens in the schools are beginning to actually take notice.
For some, it’s just a question of asking another friend—“wait what’s up with all the sudden flyers?” and for others, it’s the gift of a free shirt or bracelet from a campaign organizer; but gradually, the students in the schools are starting to realize that this is a big deal— and it’s actually happening at their school.
Adults can come in and teach students about safe driving all they want. Some speeches are funny or witty, while others can be eloquent, touching, or powerful. But no matter how wonderful their speeches are, many students just don’t listen. Maybe they’ll listen for the period, maybe they’ll listen for a few days—but eventually, the majority will go back to the far easier methods of texting out quick replies, foregoing the annoying seat belt, and taking that illegal drink at parties.
However, imagine the concepts of driving in full control becoming the new trend. Of students hitting friends over the heads (not literally! …well, depending on how close the friend is) for driving idiotically, friends telling friends “I love you but I’d really rather not risk my life on your skills at looking at the road and at your phone at the same time”, upperclassmen creating precedents that the underclassmen won’t dare to break in the future—essentially, keeping smart in and stupid out.
We can do this, and the U Got Brains competition is one step towards this goal, this hope. If teenagers become the ones to spread the word and tell each other exactly how stupid stupid is, then they stand the chance of actually being heard and even listened to by peers. We as teens have adopted plenty of strange ideas in the past—so why not adopt a life-saving one, this time, instead?
Well, it seems to be a rather simple law imposing even more restrictions on the already greatly-oppressed (in the opinions of the teenagers) teenagers. So, of course it sprung up a huge controversy that’s possibly threatening a ride straight up to the Supreme Court.
In case you’ve been living under a rock or somewhere other than the amazing state of New Jersey lately, you may be wondering what this law is all about, so here’s a brief (and yet surprisingly comprehensive) explanation. Young adult drivers, drivers under 21, must stick red decal stickers onto their license plates while they drive to alert other drivers that they are relatively (or greatly) inexperienced and young.
For typical teenagers, I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is that it’d be such a pain to stick those stickers on and off whenever you’re driving. Oh, and there’s all that annoying sticky stuff that always gets left behind when you peel stickers off and that you’re usually too lazy to scrape off (unless you’re an OCD-type person like me). Your next thought may very like be the same one that has concerned mothers Donna Trautmann and Jayneann Struble into actually suing the state of New Jersey and its governor for passing this law that it infringes on privacy rights. (If you’re an AP Gov student or something, you may also be enraged over the possible violation of the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act as well as the Fourth Amendment of the actual Constitution under the category unreasonable searches and seizures’.)
Well, as many people already know, the law was upheld at the appeal and deemed constitutional. The Appellate panel declared that while the privacy acts list of restricted personal information is long and (aptly– termed) exhaustive, it never mentions age or age group, and that rather than disclosing private information about the individual, it simply groups him or her into a general population group.
Yeah, but it’s still annoying, knowing that other people will see those decals and automatically form a bias against you other drivers, the police, and… Rapists? Possibly. Investigation is underway in order to affirm whether or not the relatively new law is more of a hazard than a safety precaution for young drivers, and in the meantime, the two moms are not giving up. I wonder if this really will make it to the Supreme Court one day? Whether or not, it’s certainly an interesting case to follow!
That’s exactly the response a senior friend gave to me when I asked her if she ever texted while driving. It was actually quite amusing seeing the divide that single answer brought: the nods of agreement from the seniors, and the shocked, almost horrified, faces of the sophomores– the sophomores, who had just finished Drivers Ed. (Just to clarify, Drivers Education is not a class known for teaching one how to drive, but rather for teaching one to be scared of driving.)
After a few years, or maybe even just a few months, it becomes common to forget the horrors we all discovered during our Drivers Ed period or perhaps, as is likely in many cases, we’ve simply pushed it to the back of our minds with the popular teenage mindset of irdc and who really does.
It’s easy to forget caution especially when encouraged by even the mere presence of friends. But, truth be told, isn’t it funny how all of those nasty, cars-rolling-over-fires-exploding-people-being-ripped-apart crashes seemed to almost always happen at those few moments in which people aren’t paying attention? Such as, those few seconds when you’re texting?
Let’s employ a certain type of logic here. The amount of time that you’re texting, or the amount of time that you’re twisting around to talk to someone in the back seat, or the amount of that you’re watching with fascination at the amazing little triangle on your windshield that the wipers just can’t seem to touch; it’s not very long, is it? Just a few seconds. At the same time, the percentage of crashes that happen while people are distracted and not paying as much attention on the road as they should is scarily high. Well over 50%, which basically means, that’s a ton of crashes. So!
That equals a really big chance that you’re going to crash during those six seconds. Sorry.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (@RayLaHood) today released the latest video in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) “Faces of Distracted Driving” series. The new video features the Brown family, whose 17-year-old daughter, Alex, was killed in a 2009 crash because she was texting while driving on a rural road in Wellman, Texas. The family recently appeared on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, raising awareness of the Remember Alex Brown Foundation and the dangers of distracted driving.
“Alex Brown wasn’t a statistic – she was a beloved daughter and a sister, and her death left a hole in the heart of her family members and friends,” said Secretary LaHood. “I hope that everyone who hears the Brown family speak about their tragic loss will realize that no text message or phone call is worth the risk. Additional media attention, like ABC’s helping share the Browns’ story with the viewers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, is also vital.”
“She’s a huge part of our lives that’s just gone,” said Jeanne Brown. “But maybe we can reach one young person or help keep someone else’s daughter from doing this.”
“Faces of Distracted Driving” is a video series exploring the tragic consequences of texting and cell phone use while driving. It features people from across the country who have been injured or lost loved ones in distracted driving crashes. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people died and half a million were injured in accidents involving a distracted driver. The series is part of Secretary LaHood’s effort to raise greater awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.
USDOT is also encouraging others who would like to share their distracted driving experiences to post videos on YouTube and email the links to: faces@distraction.gov.
The department’s campaign against distracted driving is a multi-modal effort that includes automobiles, trains, planes, and commercial vehicles.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a rule prohibiting rail employees from using cell phones or other electronic devices on the job following a September 2008 Metrolink crash in Chatsworth, California that killed 25 people.
After a Northwest flight crew distracted by a laptop overshot their destination by 150 miles, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advised air carriers to create and enforce policies that limit distractions in the cockpit and keep pilots focused on transporting passengers safely.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a rule prohibiting text messaging while operating a commercial motor vehicle in September 2010. In December 2010, FMCSA issued a proposal to restrict the use of cell phones by commercial drivers while operating. A rulemaking proposed by the a href=“http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/” target=“blank”>Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in September 2010 to work in conjunction with the FMCSA ban would restrict the use of electronic devices by drivers during the operation of a motor vehicle containing hazardous materials. The public is invited to comment on the proposed rulemaking.
To learn more about USDOT’s efforts to stop distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov.
PLEASEWATCH&SHARE: the entire “Faces of Distracted Driving” series @ www.distraction.gov/faces.
“Distracted Driving Kills. Safe Driving Starts With YOU.”
The Remember Alex Brown Foundation (RAB) honors Alex’s memory by educating others about the dangers of texting while driving. Their website encourages others to share their distracted driving stories and pledge online not to text while operating a vehicle.
As you’ll likely know by now, U Got Brains is holding a statewide competition between nineteen “champion” schools in New Jersey, with each school creating a campaign to promote safe driving. And funnily enough, teens in the schools are beginning to actually take notice.
