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!
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.
WALTHAM, MA – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (@RayLaHood) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland (@NHTSAgov) today took a first look at new Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) technology being developed to prevent alcohol-impaired drivers from operating their vehicles while under the influence.
Secretary LaHood and Administrator Strickland were joined by Shane Karr, vice president for Federal Government Affairs at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and Laura Dean Mooney (@maddnatlpres), national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) (@maddonline), and JD Crouch, president of QinetiQ North America’s Technology Solutions Group (@QinetiQNorthAm) for a demonstration of DADSS technology at the QinetiQ lab where it is under development in Waltham, Massachusetts.
While still in the developmental stages, DADSS is seen as a potential tool for keeping drunk drivers from being able operate their car if their blood alcohol concentration is at or above the legal intoxication limit (.08 BAC or higher). The technology could be voluntarily installed as an option for new cars. One system under evaluation determines the blood alcohol concentration through a touch-based approach and another system uses a breath-based approach.
NHTSA research shows that drivers involved in fatal accidents with blood alcohol levels above the .08 legal limit are eight times more likely to have had a prior conviction for impaired driving than drivers who had no alcohol in their bodies at the time of a wreck.
“Drunk driving continues to be a national tragedy that needlessly claims the lives of thousands of people on our highways each year,” said Secretary LaHood. “We need to put an end to it.”
MADD President Laura Dean-Mooney, who was left a widow and single mother when a drunk driver killed her husband, Mike Dean, welcomed the progress of the DADSS research effort, saying, “Auto makers have stepped up to help turn cars into the cure. This project has made substantial progress and this technology could one day be an important step in our efforts to eliminate drunk driving.”
DADSS is being developed under a five-year, $10 million cooperative initiative between NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), an industry group representing most of the world’s auto makers.
“What we’re doing is developing technology that won’t interfere with sober drivers, will require virtually no maintenance or upkeep and will have such precision that it only stops a driver when their blood alcohol content is .08 BAC or higher, which is the illegal limit for drunk driving in every state,” said Shane Karr. “Now that we have actual prototypes, a tremendous feat in itself, we’ll be working to identify the gaps in performance between these prototypes and the precise standards we’ve identified as true technology requirements. This will point the way forward for the next phase of research.”
“The technology we are seeing here today could quite simply signal a new frontier in the fight against drunk driving,” said NHTSA Administrator Strickland.
The next stage of development, which would include practical demonstrations of one or more of the alcohol detection technologies, could begin later this year.
“Whatever the future holds for these advanced drunk driving prevention technologies, one thing remains clear; no technology can, or should, ever replace a driver’s personal responsibility not to drive drunk,” the Administrator said.
In 2009, 10,839 people died nationwide in crashes involving a drunk driver. These deaths make up 32 percent of all fatal crashes.
New Jersey’s driver safety laws make the Garden State one of the safest in the nation for motorists, a report released today finds.
The state ranks second only to the District of Columbia, according to the highway safety report released by Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety.
New Jersey had 583 fatalities related to auto accidents in 2009, and crashes cost the state $9.3 billion.
The states were ranked on laws addressing seat belts and other protection for adults, distracted driving/text messaging, impaired driving, teen driving, and child protection laws.
New Jersey met almost every requirement, except a law requiring 30–50 hours of supervised
driving for teenagers.
The state got half credit for the requirement that teenage drivers be prohibited from driving from at least 10 p.m to 5 a.m., and half credit for not requiring an ignition interlock for all drunken driving offenders.
New Jersey is one of the highest-spending states when it comes to the financial burden of car crashes, the report found. In New Jersey, $9.3 billion goes toward the economic cost of vehicle crashes. Only Florida, California, New York and Texas spend more.
Nationwide, more than 33,800 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009, the report found, and more than 2.2 million people were injured.
Eleven percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes during the same time were teen drivers
between 15 and 20.
The report also found auto accidents significantly decrease during economic recessions.
(LOCAL/LAWENFORCEMENTOFFICIALS) are reminding motorists to always remove accumulated ice and snow from their vehicles before traveling on New Jersey’s roadways.
Motorists who fail to clear their vehicles of ice and snow before driving can be cited and fined under an amended law, which became effective October 20, 2010. Prior to this change, a motorist could only receive a citation if failure to remove ice and snow from a vehicle resulted in injury to others or property damage.
Fines for violating the new law range from $25 to $75. No motor vehicle points will be assessed for this offense. If failure to remove ice and snow results in injury or property damage, motorists face fines ranging from $200 to $1000, while commercial motor vehicle drivers face fines ranging from $500 to $1,500, for each offense.
In anticipation of inclement weather, motorists are encouraged to:
Tune up and winterize their vehicles, as well as check the radiator, battery, antifreeze, and all other fluid levels.
Check tire treads and replace them if they’re unsafe.
Check and replace windshield wiper blades if the rubber is cracked and/or brittle. Be sure to also check and refill the washer fluid reservoir.
Maintain at least a half a tank of gas during the winter to prevent the fuel line from freezing.
Motorists should also keep a winter driving “safety kit” in their vehicles that is easily accessible in the event of an emergency. The kit should include: an ice scraper/brush; shovel; jumper cables or battery starter; warm blanket; sand, salt or cat litter (for traction in ice and snow); de-icer; safety flares/warning devices; flashlight and new batteries; extra windshield washer fluid; cell phone with a charged spare battery; water and non-perishable food (i.e. granola or protein bars); and, paper towels or a cloth.
For further information on winter driving, as well as a variety of traffic safety issues, motorists can visit the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety’s web site, at www.njsaferoads.com
Given the fact most kids wear helmets while bike riding, it probably seems surprising to some that wearing a helmet while skiing is not required in New Jersey for teenages.
A bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, R-Boonton, is trying to change that. The bill, which was released from committee last week, would require anyone under the age of 18 to wear a helmet while skiing or snowboarding.
National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 17–24
Everyone knows that young people are the future of the Nation, but
it’s becoming increasingly clear that the future of young people on the
Nation’s highways isn’t quite so rosy. This is particularly true with
the growth in popularity of all manner of electronic devices that are
vying for the attention of young drivers over the act of driving itself.
First, the bad news: According to the U. S Department of
Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
in 2008, more than 3,750 teens ages 15 through 19 died in automobile
crashes of all types, and almost 660, or 18 percent, of those were
killed in crashes involving some form of distracted driving.
All told, 4,457 teen drivers ages 15 to 19 were involved in fatal
crashes in 2008, and 16 percent (692) were distracted at the time of the
crash.
And while distracted driving comes in many forms, from texting and
talking on a cell phone, to eating and playing with a radio, CD player,
or MP3 device, all too often the result is tragic. In 2008, that
tragedy was played out nearly 800 times on America’s highways—that’s the
number of people killed in crashes that involved a distracted teen
driver.
While no one is exempt from driving distractions offered by the
electronic gizmos they are bringing with them into their vehicles, teens
seem to be particularly susceptible to the siren call of texting.
A study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
reported that nearly half of the teens interviewed reported that they
had been in a vehicle while the driver texted. All told, one in three
teens told Pew researchers that they had texted while driving.
Now for the good news: Overall, teen driving deaths and involvement in
fatal crashes have been declining over the last decade. In 2008,
according to figures from NHTSA, 15– to 20-year-old drivers involved in
fatal crashes dropped 27 percent compared to 1998. Driver fatalities
for this age group also dropped by 20 percent over the same 10-year
period.
While it is impossible to pinpoint a single reason for these declines,
youth driving programs like Graduated Driver Licensing are certainly
having a profound and positive effect on saving young lives on the
highways. Also, NHTSA anticipates that anti-texting laws and strong
police enforcement may also contribute to helping save teen lives. In
the first six months of 2010, no fewer than 30 States have passed
legislation outlawing texting while driving.
In addition, awareness programs like National Teen Driver Safety Week
are helping to educate both parents and teens alike about this important
safety issue nationwide. This year, National Teen Driver Safety Week is
October 17–24.
For more information about teen driving safety, please visit
www.ugotbrains.com and www.njteendriving.com
A husband and wife were arrested Sunday and charged with driving while intoxicated after the vehicle their child in was stopped at a checkpoint, East Fishkill Police said.
Officers at a checkpoint operated between midnight and 5 a.m. Sunday stopped a vehicle after observing marijuana paraphenalia inside, police said. The vehicle was occupied by two 18-year-old boys and two 15-year-old girls, all of whom live in Hopewell Junction
Parents of all four teens were called to pick up their children, but the 46-year-old mother of one of them was observed to be intoxicated upon her arrival, police said. The 46-year-old was arrested and the teen-ager was released to another adult at the scene, police said.
Two hours later, the same child’s father, a 45-year-old Hopewell Junction resident, drove through the checkpoint and was observed to be intoxicated, police said.
He was arrested and both parents were charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, police said.
Hello my name is Donna Weeks, thank you for letting me share my story with you today and hopefully this information will help you and your family and friends.
On December 21, 2006 I lost my incredible daughter, Kyleigh Lauren D’Alessio, who was killed in a horrible preventable car accident. The newly 17 year old driver also died in the accident. He just received his Graduate Drivers Licenses and had multiple passengers in the car. I didn’t know much at that time about the Graduate Drivers License/Provisional Drivers License because Kyleigh was only 16 years old and was my oldest child.
After the accident I looked up the GDL and other websites for teen drivers. With the information I was finding I thought. “Why isn’t this crucial information given to parents about the laws of the GDL?” When their teen receives their permit and provisional license.
After Kyleigh’s accident, there were fatal car accidents every week for the next 5 weeks. We lost 11 teens at that time all GDL drivers with multiple passengers. I thought, “Why aren’t these cars marked?” “Why isn’t information given to parents about the Graduated Driver’s License Laws (GDL)?” With the information I found on teen drivers I could no longer do nothing. We are losing to many precious lives because of crucial information not provide and the GDL not enforceable.
Teen Driving Awareness
• The #1 Killer of teens – car crashes — nationwide
• The number of teens that are killed in car accidents should no longer be accepted.
• The biggest threat to teens is parked just outside your home.
• Preventable car accidents caused by teen drivers are the leading cause of death for teens in America today.
The Tragic Facts
• Nearly 5,000 teenagers die in car crashes every year.
• Another 300,000 plus are injured in car crashes each year.
• Our children are irreplaceable and if we could share some extremely important information for parents and teens to help them make better choices, believe me its worth every second
Awareness — Think Smart
• Making Teens More Aware of the Dangers of Teen Driving
• You have the power to protect you and your friend’s lives.
• If you were aware that one decision that you made while driving could increase the likelihood that you could get into a crash, wouldn’t you make the choice to prevent it? Be aware! Save your life and the people you love.
• These statistics should be unacceptable to you as teenagers because most of these accidents are preventable:
Texting on a cell phone will raise your chances by 88%.
Talking on a cell phone will raise your chances by 79%.
Being tired will raise your chances by 59%.
Driving in bad weather will raise your chances by 55%.
Having just ONEFRIEND in the car will raise your chances by 50% — with 3 or more the risk is nearly 4 times greater.
Research has shown that the first 6 months of a newly GDL/provisional driver is the most dangerous, and being a passenger is also dangerous, and sometimes fatal.
I am sure that most parents are unaware of the fact that research shows that 3 out of 4 teens state that their parents have the biggest influence on their driving.
Knowing the laws (and statistic) in your state for newly teen drivers is empowering. As a parent that was not provided with this necessary information, at the most critical time of my daughter’s life, I feel is extremely important for providing parents with the understanding and knowledge of many statistics of the dangers of teen driving.
A simple question like, “can I ride to school with Johnny this morning”, Johnny being the 17 year old neighbor who has just received his GDL/Provisional license last week. Without the parents receiving the information this simple question has turned into a life threatening one and could possibly be the last decision this parent may make for their child.
It is time we start to make a difference, knowing now after so much recent research that a high percentage of these accidents are preventable.
I hope this generation of teen drivers as they are educated and are more aware of the dangerous against them – is the generation that will accept these changes for themselves and their friends and start the turning point of statistics against them.
I know what it feels like to loss an incredible child and I don’t want another family to have to live though the pain that my family and friends will for the rest of our lives.
Kyleigh’s incredible spirit and energy for life and love for life is what gave us strength. If I only had to use one word to describe her, the word would be JOY just pure JOY. We miss everything about her.
Do I really need to wear a seatbelt in the backseat?????
Simply put, the answer is yes. Yes because it is the law in New Jersey and yes because it can save your life. According to Pam Fischer, Director of New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, “People sometimes say using seat belts should not be mandatory, but a matter of individual choice, but this isn’t about that,” said Fischer. “This is about safety. The risk to your life is three times greater if you don’t wear a belt, and the costs for deaths, injuries and accidents come back to all of us in the form of higher insurance rates.” Read more about this at NJBackseatBullets.com
Think it can’t happen to you???
Two recent deaths which may have been prevented with the use of a seatbelt. Be safe. Be smart. Buckle up. It’s the law and it could save your life.
There is often a lot of talk about the safety of seniors behind the wheel. Some have argued that seniors make up the most dangerous age group of drivers. Others stated that instead of mandating teens to display decals, the senior drivers should be identified on the roadways. However, according to recent studies, seniors may be the SAFEST drivers on the roads.
Researchers say a driver 70 or older is three times less likely to be killed in a crash than those 35 to 54. Read more about senior drivers at
