Michigan police are having trouble cracking down on distracted driving. This is a story that is playing out across the US.

Cracking Down Troubles

With the help of local students, FADD is working to make our summer driving season safer. Award

5% drop in 2018 MI crash fatalities but 7% increase in deaths due to Distracted Driving

April Distracted Driving Awareness Month

STOW THE PHONE WHILE DRIVING!

STOW THE PHONE!! Michigan #1 USA in winter crash deaths.

TV interview after Governor’s speech on  2/13/19 WLN.

WLN News Story

2018 was busy year for FADD. You can see listing of presentations, meetings, displays at Speaker Availability tab. Unfortunately driver behaviors have not improved according to police. Crash deaths & injuries continue and may be accelerated by use of recreational marijuana. Colorado 1st state to approve recreational use reported 66% increase in fatal crash victims blood tests and their youths #1 in country-55% above national level. Michigan beats NY in crash death numbers. We have had healthy start for Operation Teen Driver and hope to accelerate in 2019.

We need your help to continue and expand our activities next year. 2019 Donations are tax deductible. January will begin our fifth year as only local  nonprofit dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries & economic losses due to Distracted Driving.

Please go to donate tab where you can use any credit card.

Thanks you & please have safe & enjoyable Summer.

A new study has just come out and the data is even more scary than previously thought. Follow the link to read the study: Distracted Driving Data

Older drivers are often at greater risk of injury or death in a crash, yet nearly 83% report never speaking to a family member or physician about their safe driving ability, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. AAA urges seniors to begin planning for “driving retirement” at the same time they begin planning for retirement from work. With more focus, this could help reduce the more than 200,000 drivers ages 65 and older who were injured in a crash in 2016, and the more than 3,500 who were killed. Take a look at the research and get tips from AAA so you are prepared to have this discussion with the older drivers in your life.

We were donated studio time to put together an ad that will help get our message out. Please give it a watch and share.

Stow the Phone!

Driving in America can be dangerous to your health, this is despite the many safety features incorporated in many vehicles. These include emergency front and rear braking, lane departure warnings/prevention. Plus, rear and all-around vision cameras and more. So, what’s going on? National Safety Council (NSC) reported over 40,000 crash deaths in both 2016 and 2017. Over 4 million injuries and huge economic losses. The use of smartphones behind the wheel is a major factor. We, by design, are being held captive by Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Texting, talking, web surfing, emailing and other uses while driving is a major distraction impacting cognitive and visual capabilities.

NSC cites alcohol and speeding together as significant causative crash factors. The new players are smartphones. Texting while driving is literally, killing us. Police arriving at crash sites have difficulty in determining causation since most phones are hidden by the time they arrive. This leads to underreporting. Texting for 4 seconds at 55mph is tantamount to driving blind for length of a football field. What is so important! Speed limits, red lights, stop signs have become mere suggestions. Construction zones invite more dangerous behavior. Tailgating is quite common as a crash cause. You know someone is tailgating when you can see the driver’s teeth in the rear-view mirror. Have these behaviors become the new normal? 2017 data show crash death increases for pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists, Nationally, crash death autopsies reveal increased levels of marijuana and opioids in blood samples. Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational cannabis has reported 66% increase crash fatalities since legislation passed along with a 55% youth crash rate (#1 in US) above national level. Driving laws are only useful if they are obeyed and enforced. The national push to legalize marijuana use will probably increase vehicular crashes Weed, combined with alcohol or opioids will become common findings. Driver attitudes have evolved from driving defensively to one of entitlement. “The rules apply to others, not me.” Road rage episodes continue to increase.

We need a renaissance, major changes regarding driver attitudes and values. This applies to all driver age groups. Driver Education has been outsourced by most high schools in US. Almost all drivers have never taken a defensive driving program since receiving their license. We can all benefit from a review course and participating in actual physical driving experiences with certified instructors. These programs are available from a variety of sources via web search. There are other additional problems. Too many drivers lack insurance (23% in my state-MI). Older drivers make up the largest demographic group but are not re-tested in most states and can easily renew licenses.

To repeat, we require a “wholesale” change to maturity and responsibility behind the wheel to reduce the carnage on our roads and highways. Driverless cars may be in our future, but not for many years.

Marv Berkowitz, Pres.