During her show today (Jan. 22), Oprah Winfrey announced that Progressive is sponsoring the No Phone Zone campaign, an awareness campaign designed to educate drivers on the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Drivers are encouraged to visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone to sign a pledge to not use cell phones while driving.
Ms. Winfrey launched the campaign January 15, and already, over 45,000 people have signed the pledge.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, close to 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year as a result of drivers talking, texting, or e-mailing while behind the wheel.
“This sponsorship fits well with our brand. We encourage all drivers to operate their vehicles safely,” states Karen Barone, Agency Distribution leader. “In fact, we feel so strongly about this that Progressive employees are prohibited from using any electronic equipment, including cell phones, while driving on behalf of Progressive.”
For more information--or if you'e like to sign the pledge yourself--please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Another Teen Driver Tracking Device Hits the Market
Like many of the teen driver tracking devices, Tiwi will send a text, e-mail, or voice alert to the parent or guardian of the young driver.
Tiwi does have some other interesting features, however. It is situated on the windshield of the vehicle to give voice alerts when the driver violates things like speeding, hard turns, and seatbelt use. The placement of the Tiwi also allows an "e-Call" to to an emergency operator through the e-Call feature. Parents and guardians can also call directly to the unit to speak to the teen.
The device can be installed by the parent or can be installed for about $60, the website says; no information on operating cost was found.
Tiwi does have some other interesting features, however. It is situated on the windshield of the vehicle to give voice alerts when the driver violates things like speeding, hard turns, and seatbelt use. The placement of the Tiwi also allows an "e-Call" to to an emergency operator through the e-Call feature. Parents and guardians can also call directly to the unit to speak to the teen.
The device can be installed by the parent or can be installed for about $60, the website says; no information on operating cost was found.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Texting Ban Leaves Teens Frustrated and Targeted
New texting-while-driving laws in North Carolina, which went into effect December 1st, have some teens frustrated and feeling targeted.
The North Carolina newspaper, DailyAdvance, speaks with one girl about her texting habits. She admits to sending about 200 per day and texting while driving. But she's not the only one. The Pew Research Center released a study this month revealing that 1-in-4 American teens has sent a text message while driving.
19 states have jumped on board with the text-while-driving ban, but NC teens are feeling targeted.
Shanequa Riddick, 18, says she’s glad that law enforcement will be cracking down, but that text messaging has become a nationwide phenomenon, one that is catching on with all age groups.
“I think (the ban is) fair, because it could cause you to have an accident, but even older people do it,” Riddick says.
Kieshaih Holloway, 19, calls the focus on teen drivers “frustrating.”
“They say we have more problems with accidents and problems in the road. We’re just now learning (how to be safe drivers), but the whole texting thing (adults) make it just as big of a risk as we do,” Holloway says.
The North Carolina newspaper, DailyAdvance, speaks with one girl about her texting habits. She admits to sending about 200 per day and texting while driving. But she's not the only one. The Pew Research Center released a study this month revealing that 1-in-4 American teens has sent a text message while driving.
19 states have jumped on board with the text-while-driving ban, but NC teens are feeling targeted.
Shanequa Riddick, 18, says she’s glad that law enforcement will be cracking down, but that text messaging has become a nationwide phenomenon, one that is catching on with all age groups.
“I think (the ban is) fair, because it could cause you to have an accident, but even older people do it,” Riddick says.
Kieshaih Holloway, 19, calls the focus on teen drivers “frustrating.”
“They say we have more problems with accidents and problems in the road. We’re just now learning (how to be safe drivers), but the whole texting thing (adults) make it just as big of a risk as we do,” Holloway says.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
19 Year Old Driver Calls to Report Herself as Drunk Driver
According to a Washington State Patrol release, a 19-year-old Auburn woman was arrested for physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated after calling 911 to report herself as “very drunk” while stopped on the shoulder of state Route 167 in King County.
At about 5 a.m. Nov. 16, patrol communications received a cellular 911 call from Alysha McInnis claiming that she pulled to the shoulder of southbound SR 167 in Auburn because she was intoxicated and began to lose her vision. McInnis told the dispatcher that she was underage and very drunk. She advised the dispatcher that she was given alcohol at a party without her knowledge and her friends told her that she could call 911 to have the police come pick her up and take her to the hospital to detox.
When a trooper contacted McInnis, she claimed that her arm was numb and she had blurry vision. The trooper noted that McInnis had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared extremely intoxicated. The trooper observed a 20 ounce alcohol energy drink in the cup holder which contained 12 percent alcohol. McInnis advised the trooper that she was drinking the alcohol drink while driving and that she had drank four of the same drinks at the party.
After further investigation, the trooper believed all the symptoms she was experiencing were a result of the amount of alcohol she drank both at the party and on her way home.
McInnis was processed for physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and transported to Auburn Regional Medical Center where she was released for detox treatment.
Thank you to PNWLocalNews.com
At about 5 a.m. Nov. 16, patrol communications received a cellular 911 call from Alysha McInnis claiming that she pulled to the shoulder of southbound SR 167 in Auburn because she was intoxicated and began to lose her vision. McInnis told the dispatcher that she was underage and very drunk. She advised the dispatcher that she was given alcohol at a party without her knowledge and her friends told her that she could call 911 to have the police come pick her up and take her to the hospital to detox.
When a trooper contacted McInnis, she claimed that her arm was numb and she had blurry vision. The trooper noted that McInnis had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared extremely intoxicated. The trooper observed a 20 ounce alcohol energy drink in the cup holder which contained 12 percent alcohol. McInnis advised the trooper that she was drinking the alcohol drink while driving and that she had drank four of the same drinks at the party.
After further investigation, the trooper believed all the symptoms she was experiencing were a result of the amount of alcohol she drank both at the party and on her way home.
McInnis was processed for physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and transported to Auburn Regional Medical Center where she was released for detox treatment.
Thank you to PNWLocalNews.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Teens Take on the Distracted Driving Course
To help teens understand the dangers of distracted driving, Allstate Insurance brought a group of young drivers (many newly licensed), to a distracted driving course.
Watch the video here on the LasVegasNow.com website to see the distracted teen drivers in action.
Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens. In Las Vegas, more teens have already died behind the wheel this year than all of last year.
Watch the video here on the LasVegasNow.com website to see the distracted teen drivers in action.
Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens. In Las Vegas, more teens have already died behind the wheel this year than all of last year.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe
From HealthDay News -- Your parenting style can make a huge difference in your teen's safety once he or she gets behind the wheel of a car.
Parents who set firm rules, but do so in a helpful, supportive way, can reduce the likelihood of their teen getting into an auto accident by half and decrease rates of drinking and driving, two new studies find. Positive rule-setting can also increase the odds a teen will wear a seatbelt and lessen the likelihood of talking or texting on a cell phone while driving.
Teens who had authoritative or authoritarian parents wore seatbelts twice as often as teens with uninvolved parents. Teens with parents in these groups were also half as likely to speed as those with uninvolved parents. Teens with authoritative parents -- high support and rules -- were half as likely to get into a car accident, 71 percent less likely to drink and drive, and 29 percent less likely to talk or text on their cell phones while driving compared to teens with uninvolved parents.
Read the full article: Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe.
Parents who set firm rules, but do so in a helpful, supportive way, can reduce the likelihood of their teen getting into an auto accident by half and decrease rates of drinking and driving, two new studies find. Positive rule-setting can also increase the odds a teen will wear a seatbelt and lessen the likelihood of talking or texting on a cell phone while driving.
Teens who had authoritative or authoritarian parents wore seatbelts twice as often as teens with uninvolved parents. Teens with parents in these groups were also half as likely to speed as those with uninvolved parents. Teens with authoritative parents -- high support and rules -- were half as likely to get into a car accident, 71 percent less likely to drink and drive, and 29 percent less likely to talk or text on their cell phones while driving compared to teens with uninvolved parents.
Read the full article: Firm Parents Keep Teen Drivers Safe.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ford Premieres "MyKey"
Ford Motor Company has debuted their own safe teen driver device with "MyKey" which allows parents to program a special key to promote safe driving habits.
Andrew Sarkisian is Ford's safety director, and one of the creators of MyKey, an invention inspired partly by the experiences of his daughter, Jennifer.
"Say I want to turn on MyKey, and I want to make sure my son or daughter's buckled up. If they're not, the radio won't operate," he said.
You can also set a speed limit with MyKey. "It has a maximum top speed that you can turn on to the vehicle. It's a fairly high one, but then there's also speed alerts, so you can have reminders about watching your speed, as well," Sarkisian explained.
MyKey is standard equipment in the brand new Taurus and will be standard on Ford's lowest-priced vehicle, the Ford Focus.
Click here to learn more about MyKey.
Andrew Sarkisian is Ford's safety director, and one of the creators of MyKey, an invention inspired partly by the experiences of his daughter, Jennifer.
"Say I want to turn on MyKey, and I want to make sure my son or daughter's buckled up. If they're not, the radio won't operate," he said.
You can also set a speed limit with MyKey. "It has a maximum top speed that you can turn on to the vehicle. It's a fairly high one, but then there's also speed alerts, so you can have reminders about watching your speed, as well," Sarkisian explained.
MyKey is standard equipment in the brand new Taurus and will be standard on Ford's lowest-priced vehicle, the Ford Focus.
Click here to learn more about MyKey.
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